Quality Assurance Regional Manager-Midwest

Balchem is committed to making the world a healthier place by delivering trusted, innovative, and science-based solutions for the health and nutritional needs of the world. With approximately 1,400 employees worldwide, Balchem provides service, quality, and technology that enables customers to succeed. Founded in 1967 and publicly traded on Nasdaq (BCPC), Balchem operates three business segments: Human Nutrition and Health, Animal Nutrition and Health, and Specialty Products.

About the role

The Quality Assurance Regional Manager-Midwest is a key member of the corporate quality leadership team, based at our Defiance, OH or Bridgeton, MO site. This role ensures products manufactured across multiple sites are safe, compliant with Balchem, customer, and regulatory standards, and meet quality expectations. The position drives a culture of excellence through leadership, coaching, and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

People

• Responsible for development and performance of the regional quality team
• Builds strong cross-functional relationships and demonstrates ability to effectively influence site strategy
• Develops a culture that drives quality improvements and efficiently interfaces with operational excellence processes
• Develop and deliver training programs focused on food safety and quality
• Communicate effectively with internal and external customers
• Timely escalation and communication of food safety, quality, and financial issues
• Effectively cascade goals using tools such as SMART goals and aligns with teams on standard work
• Motivates and builds team strength

Systems

• Accountable for the effective application of Product Safety, Product Quality, and prerequisite systems regionally
• Ensures these systems effectively interface with change control and commercialization processes
• Strong ability to root cause issues and eliminate the cause or implement engineering or systems improvements to enact robust prevention; applies use of basic root cause tools
• Accountable for an effective internal audit program and ensures systems are working to reduce risk, with corrective actions completed
• Drives priorities that have the largest positive impact on key performance indicators and metrics, including but not limited to: Inspection/Compliance performance, First Pass Quality, Complaints, Disposals, Inventory Health, Customer Responsiveness, CAPA closure and effectiveness, systems performance, environmental & sanitation performance
• Ensures that responses to customers, inspectors, and auditors are professional, timely, and in scope
• Collaborates with R&D, Production, and commercial teams in the development and preparation for production of new Products, Processes, and Equipment to support new product/customer launches
• Ensures the process quantifies the probability of success and clearly communicates risks and proposed mitigations as an outcome of first-time makes
• Interfaces with operational excellence programs to maximize effectiveness
• Provides support and aids in preparation for customer visits and external audits
• Shares best practices and integrates quality systems across sites

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Science or related field
• 10+ years of experience in food, supplement, or related industry, including management
• Familiarity with FDA, HACCP, SQF, and industry best practices
• Operated in an FDA-regulated environment, ideally food or dietary supplement
• Ability to assess and mitigate food safety, regulatory, and cost risks
• Apply sanitation principles effectively
• Application of Statistical Process Control (SPC) for process evaluation and improvements
• Effective project manager that knows how to prioritize and meet deadlines
• Ability to lift 50 lbs; required to stand, walk, sit, and reach