Dairy Quality Control Lead — Food Safety & Team Growth

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Inc.; Menomonie (WI); On-site; USD 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

HSA and coverage

EAP

401k match

Paid time off and holidays

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Inc. in Menomonie, WI, is seeking a Quality Control Manager to lead our quality and food safety programs in a dairy manufacturing environment. Starting salary is $80,000 annually, with final offer based on background and experience.

You will lead QA personnel, drive continuous improvement, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner across the facility to deliver high-quality products and safe processes. Exempt position.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or a related field.
• 3–5 years of experience in quality and food safety within food and/or dairy manufacturing.
• Required PCQI and HACCP certifications.
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, GMPs, sanitation, Preventive Controls, laboratory testing, and quality management systems.
• Experience leading, coaching, or developing employees.
• Strong problem-solving skills, including root cause analysis, risk assessment, and corrective action management.
• Excellent communication, organization, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to analyze quality data, identify trends, and make informed decisions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and quality documentation or management systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach, and develop Quality Control and laboratory team members, helping them build their skills and succeed.
• Create a positive, team-oriented environment where accountability, collaboration, food safety, and quality are priorities.
• Coordinate daily staffing, laboratory testing, inspections, and quality control activities.
• Oversee the sampling, inspection, testing, and monitoring of raw materials, packaging, in-process products, and finished goods.
• Maintain and improve food safety and quality programs, including HACCP, Preventive Controls, environmental monitoring, allergen controls, sanitation verification, and GMPs.
• Ensure products and processes meet applicable FDA, FSMA, USDA, Wisconsin regulatory, SQF/GFSI, customer, and company requirements.
• Oversee product holds and releases, nonconforming products, customer complaints, and quality investigations to ensure concerns are addressed appropriately.
• Coordinate and lead regulatory, customer, certification, and third-party audits, from preparation through follow-up.
• Conduct internal audits and facility inspections, identify opportunities to strengthen compliance, and ensure corrective actions are completed.
• Maintain accurate quality documentation, procedures, product specifications, and records.
• Review quality data and trends to identify risks, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve.
• Lead root cause investigations and CAPAs to prevent issues from recurring.
• Collaborate with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, R&D, Supply Chain, and other teams to resolve quality concerns and improve processes.
• Communicate quality performance, potential risks, and recommended actions to leadership.
• Support initiatives that strengthen food safety, improve product consistency, reduce waste, and enhance operational performance.

Skills

Leadership experience

Problem solving

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Quality documentation systems

Job description

Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery, Inc. in Menomonie, WI, is seeking a Quality Control Manager to lead our quality and food safety programs in a dairy manufacturing environment. Starting salary is $80,000 annually, with final offer based on background and experience.

You will lead QA personnel, drive continuous improvement, ensure regulatory compliance, and partner across the facility to deliver high-quality products and safe processes. Exempt position.