Sr Quality Manager

Job Details

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for leading, implementing, and maintaining best-in-class food safety and quality management systems across our Illinois manufacturing facility. This role oversees the onsite QA Lab, manages a team of technicians and supervisors, and ensures 100% compliance with FDA, USDA, SQF, and local regulatory standards.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Audit & Certification Leadership: Maintain and optimize our benchmark SQF Level 3 program. Coordinate and lead all third-party, customer, and regulatory (FDA/Illinois Department of Agriculture) food safety audits.
• Laboratory Management: Direct the daily operations of the Quality Assurance Lab, ensuring accurate chemical, physical, and microbiological testing of raw milk, in-process curd, and finished Hispanic cheese varieties (e.g., Oaxaca, Fresco, Cotija).
• HACCP & Food Safety Compliance: Act as the site HARPC/HACCP coordinator. Ensure strict enforcement of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs), and allergen control databases.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, mentor, and schedule QA supervisors, coordinators, and lab technicians. Foster an environment of continuous improvement and internal career growth.
• Vendor & Inventory Control: Oversee vendor compliance requirements. Manage the hold-and-release program for finished goods to ensure 100% accurate, high-quality inventory leaves the distribution centers.
• Root Cause Analysis: Spearhead investigations into customer complaints or product deviations. Author and execute robust Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Plant Operations, Sanitation, and the Head Cheesemaker to optimize pasteurization, batch management, and Clean-in-Place (CIP) efficiencies.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of 3–5 years of quality leadership or supervisory experience specifically within a food manufacturing environment (dairy or cheese processing facility experience is highly preferred).
• Certifications: PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and HACCP certifications are required. Certified SQF Practitioner preferred.
• Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of dairy science, milk chemistry, pasteurization requirements (PMO), fluid retention, and continuous-run plant instrumentation.
• Language Skills: Bilingual (English / Spanish) is highly preferred to effectively train and lead our diverse, close-knit production teams.