Quality Assurance Supervisor

About the role

Perricone Juices has joined forces with Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, combining two leaders in the premium citrus juice industry. This strategic acquisition forms a dynamic, growth‑oriented company blending Perricone’s craft citrus expertise with Natalie’s reputation for fresh, high‑quality products. The Quality Assurance Supervisor leads the day‑to‑day activities of the QA department at the Fort Pierce facility to ensure all products meet food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements. This exempt, supervisory role directs a team of QA technicians and inspectors, oversees in‑process and finished product testing, sanitation verification, and hold/release decisions, and ensures compliance with SQF, GMP, FDA 21 CFR Parts 117 and 120, and applicable customer audit standards (including Costco COC/SCS). The QA Supervisor works in close coordination with the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator, who owns the facility’s HACCP plan, CCP monitoring program, and document control system; the QA Supervisor ensures the QA team executes CCP monitoring, verification activities, and documentation practices on the production floor in accordance with that program.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, schedule, and direct the daily work of QA technicians and inspectors across assigned shifts, ensuring adequate coverage for all production lines.
• Interview, select, train, coach, and evaluate QA staff; recommend hiring, discipline, promotion, and termination decisions.
• Oversee in‑process quality checks, finished product testing, and pre‑operational and sanitation verification (SSOP) activities.
• Review and approve hold, release, and rework/disposition decisions on non‑conforming product; escalate significant quality deviations to the QA Manager.
• Ensure compliance with SQF, GMP, FDA 21 CFR Parts 117 and 120, and OSHA; lead or support internal and third‑party audits and customer audits (including Costco COC/SCS).
• Coordinate with the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator to ensure QA staff properly execute CCP monitoring, verification activities, and food safety plan requirements on the production floor; escalate CCP deviations per the food safety plan.
• Investigate quality complaints, deviations, and non‑conformances; lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) development and follow‑up, looping in the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator on issues tied to CCPs or controlled documents.
• Maintain accurate and audit‑ready QA records, including batch/lot documentation, testing logs, and calibration logs, in accordance with the document control system maintained by the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator.
• Partner with Production, Maintenance, and Food Safety leadership to resolve quality issues and minimize disruption to the production schedule.
• Verify calibration and proper use of QA testing equipment and instrumentation; coordinate calibration schedules with outside vendors as needed.
• Support new product trials, specification changes, and label/claim verification in coordination with R&D and regulatory.
• Coach and reinforce GMP, allergen control, foreign material control, and food defense practices among production and QA staff.
• Manage QA supply and testing material needs and coordinate with Purchasing as required.
• Respond to and direct urgent quality holds or potential recall situations, including off‑hours and on‑call support as needed.
• Review the quality of ingredient, COA, and compliance documents of incoming ingredients in coordination with the purchasing team.
• Sample bulk ingredients for quality evaluation and USDA release.
• Perform daily/weekly shift walk‑throughs for GMP, safety, and sanitation inspection and audit.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the QA Manager.

Supervisory responsibility

This position has direct supervisory authority over QA technicians, inspectors, and related quality department staff. The QA Supervisor customarily and regularly directs the work of two or more full‑time employees (or their equivalent) and has the authority to hire, fire, promote, and discipline, or whose recommendations on these actions are given particular weight, consistent with the FLSA executive exemption. The HACCP/Document Control Coordinator is a separate exempt position and does not report to the QA Supervisor; the two roles coordinate closely, with the QA Supervisor responsible for day‑to‑day QA staff supervision and the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator responsible for the food safety plan and document control system.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; advanced degree or technical certification in food science, microbiology, chemistry, or a related field preferred.
• Minimum 3–5 years of progressive quality assurance experience in a food/beverage manufacturing environment, including at least 1–2 years in a lead or supervisory capacity.
• Working knowledge of HACCP principles, GMP, SQF, and FDA regulatory requirements; HACCP or PCQI certification preferred. This role supports and enforces the food safety plan on the floor but does not own HACCP plan authorship, which sits with the HACCP/Document Control Coordinator.
• Experience supporting or leading SQF and customer audits (e.g., Costco COC/SCS) strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with laboratory and in‑line testing methods, sanitation verification, and CAPA/root cause processes.
• Experience with quality management systems and Microsoft Office/Excel.
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and hold firm on quality standards under production pressure.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish or English/Haitian Creole) a plus given plant floor workforce composition.

Physical demands and work environment

• Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and work in a plant environment for extended periods.
• Exposure to varying temperatures, including refrigerated/cold storage areas, wet processing environments, and mechanical rooms.
• Ability to lift up to 50 lbs. and to safely use ladders, lifts, and maintenance tools/equipment.
• Must be able to respond to maintenance emergencies