Quality Manager
Direct placement opportunity with excellent benefits, relocation candidates accepted, and day shift schedule.
About the role
The Quality Manager oversees all aspects of quality assurance and food safety within a food manufacturing environment, ensuring that products, processes, and documentation meet regulatory, customer, and internal standards. This role develops and maintains quality systems, leads audits and inspections, manages quality staff, and drives continuous improvement across the organization.
Responsibilities
- Oversee quality assurance, food safety, HACCP, SSOP, GMP, SQF, and regulatory compliance programs, ensuring all required documentation is accurate, timely, and complete.
- Develop, maintain, and update quality procedures, reports, product specifications, sanitation records, maintenance logs, and other quality system documentation.
- Lead, support, and participate in HACCP, SSOP, Food Defense, Quality Team, and company quality meetings, including delivering training and communicating key quality topics.
- Manage internal and external audits, inspections, certifications, verifications, laboratory testing, mock recalls, lot tracking, and product release communication.
- Monitor supplier, cold storage, shipping, receiving, pest control, sanitation, and raw material programs, following up on issues and implementing corrective actions as needed.
- Support label approval processes, UPC creation, carton and bag blueprint review, nutritional documentation, net weight compliance, and product specification accuracy.
- Respond to customer, supplier, cold storage, and USDA concerns, leading timely investigation, resolution, and documentation of product or compliance issues.
- Provide leadership and oversight for QA staff, including the QA Supervisor, managing department supplies and budgets while supporting training, accountability, and overall quality department performance.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve quality and food safety issues and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
- Ensure ongoing compliance with USDA regulations and GFSI audit requirements, maintaining readiness for regulatory and third-party audits.
Requirements
- Minimum 5+ years of quality assurance experience in food manufacturing or a closely related industry.
- Strong working knowledge of food safety and quality systems, including HACCP, SSOP, GMP, SQF, and Food Defense programs.
- Demonstrated understanding of USDA regulatory compliance and regulatory and GFSI audit processes.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Microbiology, Food Technology, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, or a related field preferred.
- Experience in quality control, quality checks, and food safety programs within a manufacturing setting.
Pay
The pay range for this position is $80,000 - $110,000 per year. Base salary is one component of a competitive compensation package for employees. Roles are eligible for additional rewards, including an annual incentive program based on individual and company performance.
Benefits
- Medical, vision, dental, and life insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off
Schedule
Day shift, fully onsite position in Sauk Rapids, MN.