Dairy Quality Leader: SQF Mastery & Lab Oversight

Jobot; Kent (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobot is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager for our Illinois dairy manufacturing facility. You will lead and maintain food safety and quality systems across the site, oversee the QA Lab, manage a team of technicians and supervisors, and ensure FDA, USDA, SQF, and local regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years of quality leadership in dairy processing, PCQI and HACCP certifications, and strong dairy science knowledge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related technical discipline.
• 3–5 years of quality leadership or supervisory experience in a food manufacturing environment (dairy/cheese preferred).
• PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) and HACCP certifications are required. Certified SQF Practitioner preferred.
• Deep understanding of dairy science, milk chemistry, pasteurization requirements (PMO), fluid retention, and continuous-run plant instrumentation.
• Bilingual (English / Spanish) is highly preferred to train and lead diverse production teams.

Responsibilities

• Audit & Certification Leadership: Maintain and optimize benchmark SQF Level 3 program. Lead third‑party, customer, and regulatory audits (FDA/Illinois Dept of Agriculture).
• Laboratory Management: Direct daily QA Lab operations, testing of raw milk, in‑process curd, and finished cheese varieties.
• HACCP & Food Safety Compliance: HARPC/HACCP coordinator; enforce GMPs, SSOPs, and allergen control databases.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, train, mentor, and schedule QA supervisors, coordinators, and lab technicians.
• Vendor & Inventory Control: Oversee vendor compliance; manage hold‑and‑release for finished goods to ensure accurate inventory at distribution centers.
• Root Cause Analysis: Lead investigations; implement CAPA.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Work with Plant Operations, Sanitation, and Head Cheesemaker to optimize pasteurization, batch management, and CIP.

Skills

Quality leadership

Supervisory experience

Dairy processing knowledge

Bilingual English/Spanish

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related technical discipline

Job description

Jobot is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager for our Illinois dairy manufacturing facility. You will lead and maintain food safety and quality systems across the site, oversee the QA Lab, manage a team of technicians and supervisors, and ensure FDA, USDA, SQF, and local regulatory compliance.

The ideal candidate has 3–5 years of quality leadership in dairy processing, PCQI and HACCP certifications, and strong dairy science knowledge.