Assistant Manager QA

The Quality Assurance Assistant Manager supports the facility in overseeing the food safety and quality assurance programs to ensure compliance with industry standards, regulations, and company policies. They lead in managing Quality Assurance staff, coordinating audits and inspections, and ensuring that production processes meet quality and safety requirements. The Quality Assurance Assistant Manager plays a key role in identifying and addressing quality issues, improving systems, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. This role reports to the Regional Quality Manager and primarily works a weekday shift, overseeing the evening/weekend staff when leadership and presence is required on off shifts.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions/Primary Responsibilities:

Develop and lead a team of quality assurance professionals to ensure plant compliance to quality, food safety and HACCP support programs; assures conformity to all company, customer and government standards.

Leads in the development and implementation of food safety and quality programs (e.g., HACCP, GMPs, FSMA).

Leads internal and external audits and ensures corrective actions are implemented.

Regularly walks the plant floor to monitors, identify and resolve non-conformance issues with production processes.

Reviews quality documentation and records periodically to ensure compliance and identify gaps in program execution.

Collaborates with production, R&D, and regulatory teams to maintain high-quality standards.

Ensures all required team training is completed in a timely manner.

Supports the Quality Assurance Team and ensures completion of their essential functions.

Ensures resolution of major quality problems at the facility, associated warehouses, and market areas.

Conducts routine program evaluations to ensure full compliance and addresses gaps as identified or updates SOPs as needed

Supports the required tier meetings (2 and 3)

Informs plant management of progress of failures in daily production and any other matters that may affect the plant efficiency and/or the company.

Review and interpret corrective actions that are established. Ensures ongoing sustainability of defined corrective actions.

Confirms that plant audit procedures are properly executed, assigned work schedules are maintained, and corrective actions are completed in a timely manner.

Leads process improvement projects.

Contributing member to monthly management review and lead as assigned.

Oversees the HACCP Management Plan including plan maintenance and leading monthly food safety team meetings in conjunction with the QA Supervisors.

Serves as a key technical resource in plant and as a liaison between corporate R&D, Tech Services and plant operations.

Advises management on plant quality and food safety implications of changes in product, processing or facility design.

Serves as backup facility recall coordinator and BRC lead practitioner.

Conduct ongoing team development through identified gaps, IDP process, and performance management.

Supports and/or leads special projects as assigned by the Regional Quality Manager.

Conduct Behavior Based Observations (BBO) as assigned.

Identify and deploy methods to improve processes to reduce waste, improve productivity, improve quality and/or consistency.

Qualifications

Qualification Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree in food science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, or a related field.

8-10 years of experience in progressive roles in quality and/or food safety, and at least 3 years of leadership experience overseeing teams in a manufacturing or quality assurance setting.

Advanced certifications or a Master’s Degree in food safety or quality management preferred.

Certifications: PCQI, Seafood HACCP and Better Process Canned Foods

In-depth understanding of HACCP, GMPs, SQF, and other food safety management systems.

Knowledge of regulatory requirements (e.g., FDA, USDA, FSMA, or local food safety laws).

Experience with quality management systems (e.g., ISO 22000, BRC, SQF, or FSSC 22000).

Familiarity with laboratory testing techniques and equipment (e.g., microbiological and chemical analysis).

Excellent communication and collaboration skills. Proven ability to get work done through others.

Competencies

Customer Focus

Decision Quality

Builds Effective Teams

Collaborates

Drives Results

Plans and Aligns

Manages Ambiguity

Courage

Working Conditions/Environment

Work in a laboratory and manufacturing environment where the employee is regularly required to speak, read, sit, stand, walk, reach, lift, grasp, and bend. Requires some lifting of moderately heavy items such as test equipment and product cases. The employee is regularly exposed to moving machines and handling of hazardous testing and sanitation chemicals. The noise level in the lab is moderate and loud in the plant. Hairnets, beard nets (if facial hair exists), earplugs, safety glasses and steel-toed/slip resistant shoes are required in the plant in accordance with company GMP and safety standards.

Regular Full-Time