QA Manager

Quality Assurance Manager

Location: Macedon, NY

Employment Type: Full Time

Reports To: Director of Operations

Direct Reports: 3 QA Technicians

About the Company

We are a food manufacturing company specializing in high-quality bagel products and are proud to be part of the Yamazaki Baking family of companies, including VDFY and Tom Cat Bakery.

As part of this larger organization, we benefit from the resources, expertise, and experience of an established leader in the bakery industry while maintaining the close-knit culture and hands-on environment of a 100-employee manufacturing facility.

We take pride in producing safe, consistent, great-tasting products and are committed to maintaining strong food safety, quality, and operational standards. Our team works collaboratively across Quality, Operations, R&D, and other functions to continously improve our product and processes.

We are seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead our Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs and help ensure that every product leaving our facility meets our high standards and applicable regulatory and customer requirements.

Position Summary

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for overseeing all aspects of product quality and food safety throughout the manufacturing process. The position will lead our FSQA program, manage internal and external audits, oversee inspections and product testing, and provide technical support to our Director of Operations, especially with regards to Research and Development.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in a food-manufacturing environment, strong knowledge of food safety and quality systems, and experience with BRCGS (BRC) standards. Experience with FDA, NYS, organic, and customer audits is highly valued.

This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who enjoys being on the production floor, working collaboratively with Operations, and building a strong culture of food safety and quality.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Assurance & Food Safety

• Lead and maintain the company's Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs.

• Ensure products consistently meet established quality, food safety, regulatory and customer specifications.

• Monitor manufacturing processes and identify opportunities to improve product quality and consistency.

• Establish, monitor, and maintain quality standards, specifications, procedures and programs.

• Investigate quality issues, deviations, complaints, and non-conformances and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions.

• Partner with Operations to identify root causes and drive continuous improvement.

• Maintain accurate QA and food safety records and documentation.

Audit & Regulatory Compliance

• Coordinate and lead preparation for participation in BRCGS audits.

• Manage and ensure preparation of plant for FDA, New York State, organic, customer, and other regulatory or third-party audits and inspections.

• Conduct internal audits and inspections to verify compliance with company programs and applicable requirements.

• Ensure corrective actions are appropriately documented, implemented, and verified for effectiveness.

• Stay current with applicable food safety regulations, industry standards, and customer requirements.

QA Team Leadership

• Directly supervise and develop three QA Technicians.

• Establish daily priorities and ensure appropriate QA coverage across production.

• Train, coach and evaluate QA team members.

• Promote consistency and accountability in QA procedures and documentation.

• Ensure testing, inspections, environmental monitoring, and other QA activities are completed accurately and on schedule.

Testing & Inspections

- Oversee product testing and quality inspections throughout the manufacturing process.

• Review test results or identify trends or potential quality concerns.

• Coordinate sampling and laboratory testing as needed.

• Verify compliance with product specifications and finished-product requirements.

• Manage and support environmental monitoring and other food-safety verification activities.

Research & Development Support

• Provide QA and food-safety support for new product development and product improvements.

• Assist with recipe development, trials, first production runs, specifications, and process validations.

• Review new ingredients, packaging, processes, and suppliers from a quality and food-safety perspective.

• Collaborate with Operations to ensure new products meet quality, regulatory and customer requirements.

Continuous Improvement

- Identify opportunities to strengthen food safety, quality, efficiency and compliance.

• Use data, trend analysis, and root-cause analysis to drive improvements.

• Participate in cross-functional problem-solving and improvement initiatives.

• Help foster a strong food safety and quality culture throughout the facility.

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or a related field or equivalent relevant experience.

-3+ years of experience in QA/FSQA within a food manufacturing environment.

• Strong knowledge of food safety principles, GMPs, HACCP, and quality systems.

• Experience leading or supporting third-party or regulatory audits.

• Strong documentation, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work effectively with both management and production employees.

• Strong communication and leadership skills.

Preferred:

- BRCGS/BRC experience strongly preferred.

- Experience with FDA and NYS inspections.

• Experience with organic certification and customer audits.

• HACCP certification.

• PCQI certification.

• Experience with environmental monitoring and laboratory testing.

• Experience supporting new product development and R&D.

• Experience supervising or leading QA personnel in a manufacturing environment.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a hands-on QA leader. The successful candidate will be comfortable walking the production floor, asking questions, identifying potential issues, coaching employees, reviewing data, and working with Operations to solve problems. Someone willing to dive right in and help fix identified problems when they do occur is a desired candidate.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented and organized, but also practical and able to make sound decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment. You should be comfortable balancing regulatory requirements with the realities of daily food production and be able to communicate effectively with everyone from production employees to senior management and external auditors.

Why Join Us?

- Leadership role within an established, growing food manufacturing company

• Opportunity to make a direct impact on food safety and product quality

• Manage and develop a dedicated QA team

• Work closely with Operations, R&D, and company leadership

• Exposure to BRCGS, FDA, NYS, organic, and customer requirements

• Opportunity to build and continuously improve a strong FSQA culture

Salary: $75,000 - $85,000 (could vary based on experience)

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Life, LTD, 401(k) matching, PTO, Paid Sick Time, PFL

Pay: $75,000.00 - $85,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Relocation assistance

Work Location: In person