Sr Quality Manager

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Job details:

3+ Years Food Safety Leadership | SQF & HACCP Certified | Dairy This Jobot Job is hosted by: Jim Quirk

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Salary: $110,000 - $130,000 per year

A bit about us: Founded in 2009, client is an award-winning, state-of-the-art manufacturer specializing in premium Mexican, Caribbean, and Central American style authentic cheeses and creams. Operating a heavily expanded, world-class production plant in Illinois, we are recognized for our industry-leading SQF Level 3 Certification, commitment to sustainability, and strict adherence to natural ingredients. We are looking for a dedicated Quality Assurance Manager to oversee our testing laboratory, lead compliance programs, and champion our food safety culture.

Why join us? Award-Winning Excellence: Work for a premier, rapidly growing manufacturer with over 15 industry medals. We produce the country’s best authentic Mexican, Caribbean, and Central American style cheeses and creams.

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.

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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.

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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.

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