Dairy QA Lead – Lab, Food Safety & Compliance

Darigold; Caldwell (ID); On-site; USD 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k matching

Medical, dental & vision benefits

Paid time off & holidays

Paid parental leave

Education assistance

Employee assistance program

Dairy product employee discount

Life & disability coverage

Job summary

Darigold is seeking a motivated Quality Assurance Supervisor to lead daily laboratory operations and drive product quality at our Caldwell plant. You will oversee testing, calibration, and documentation while partnering with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Corporate Quality to ensure specifications are met and risk is mitigated.

The role requires dairy industry knowledge, hands-on technical expertise, and the ability to lead employees and drive accountability across the facility.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of progressive quality assurance or laboratory experience in food manufacturing, dairy processing preferred
• Strong understanding of dairy product quality, laboratory testing, food safety systems, and manufacturing process controls
• Experience with LIMS, laboratory data interpretation, quality trending, and investigation of out-of-specification results
• Working knowledge of HACCP, GMPs, environmental monitoring, allergen control, sanitation, and regulatory compliance
• Demonstrated ability to lead investigations, perform root‑cause analysis, implement corrective actions, and prevent recurring issues
• Strong communication, organizational, analytical, and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to influence cross‑functional teams and manage competing priorities
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel for data analysis and reporting
• Experience in dairy manufacturing, with butter, cream, milk concentrates, or other dairy ingredients
• Previous supervisory or team‑lead experience in a quality laboratory or food manufacturing environment
• Working knowledge of dairy microbiology, pasteurization controls, vitamin fortification, and applicable Appendix N requirements
• HACCP, PCQI, internal auditing, or Lean/Six Sigma training or certification preferred

Responsibilities

• Oversee laboratory testing, equipment calibration, quality control, sample management, and documentation
• Review laboratory results, processing parameters, operator quality checks, and production records daily
• Participate in plant HACCP program and maintain applicable food safety programs
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready records, procedures, and specifications
• Lead investigations into product nonconformances, laboratory failures, environmental monitoring findings, and recurring quality issues
• Review supplier COAs, investigate customer complaints, and coordinate corrective actions with internal teams and suppliers
• Provide technical direction and coaching to laboratory and quality personnel; train employees on quality and food safety requirements
• Track, trend, and report key quality and food safety metrics; communicate improvement opportunities to Plant Leadership

Skills

Quality assurance

Laboratory testing

Root-cause analysis

Data analysis

Leadership

Training

Cross-functional collaboration

Microsoft Excel

Education

Bachelor's degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry

Tools

LIMS

Job description

Darigold is seeking a motivated Quality Assurance Supervisor to lead daily laboratory operations and drive product quality at our Caldwell plant. You will oversee testing, calibration, and documentation while partnering with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Corporate Quality to ensure specifications are met and risk is mitigated.

The role requires dairy industry knowledge, hands-on technical expertise, and the ability to lead employees and drive accountability across the facility.