Food QA Technician

Vaco by Highspring; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 25,000 - 29,000; Full time

Job summary

Vaco by Highspring in Chicago, IL, is hiring a QA Technician to support QA/QC across laboratory and production operations in a meat/food manufacturing setting.

The role emphasizes early morning availability (4:00 AM start when needed), calibration of lab instruments, and adherence to quality and food safety specifications. Eligibility includes 1–2 years QA/QC experience and fluent English; Spanish is a plus.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; some college preferred.
• 1-2 years of QA/QC Technician experience preferred.
• Experience in a food manufacturing environment required.
• Food or protein manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to work early morning hours, including a 4:00 AM start time, as needed.
• Fluent in English with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Bilingual Spanish is a plus.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel/Word/Outlook).
• Exposure to environmental monitoring processes preferred.
• Able to work in lab and production-floor environments.

Responsibilities

• Calibrate and verify laboratory instrumentation.
• Perform incoming, in-process, and finished-product laboratory testing.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections of production areas, including visual inspections, ATP swabbing, and allergen swabbing.
• Coordinate recleaning and resanitizing activities when necessary.
• Complete customer-specific quality requirements and specifications.
• Follow schedules for monitoring environmental conditions, coolers/freezers, foamers and chemical concentrations, scales, and other equipment.
• Prepare samples for third-party laboratory testing.
• Work with USDC inspectors as required.
• Verify and document in-process production functions (temperatures, dumping/desalting, injection, brines).
• Verify and document finished-product processing (metal detection, batch ratios, codes, weights, packaging).
• Communicate with outside service providers and vendors; document QA/QC activities.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

QA/QC

Fluent English

Bilingual Spanish

Laboratory testing

Education

High school diploma

Some college

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Schedule: 6am-2:30pm M-F with flex to cover pre-op (4am) when needed.

Vaco is hiring a QA Technician for a food manufacturing facility in Chicago, IL. This position will support quality assurance and food safety activities across laboratory and production operations. The ideal candidate will have previous QA/QC experience within a food manufacturing environment. Food or protein manufacturing experience is strongly preferred.

Job Details

Location: Chicago, IL

Compensation: $18.00 - $21.00 per hour

Schedule: 6am-2:30pm M-F with flex to cover pre-op (4am) when needed.

Responsibilities

• Calibrate and verify laboratory instrumentation.
• Perform incoming, in-process, and finished-product laboratory testing.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections of production areas, including visual inspections, ATP swabbing, and allergen swabbing.
• Coordinate recleaning and resanitizing activities when necessary.
• Complete customer-specific quality requirements and specifications.
• Follow established monitoring and verification schedules for:
  • Environmental conditions
  • Coolers and freezers
  • Foamers and chemical concentrations
  • Scales and other production equipment
• Prepare samples for third-party laboratory testing.
• Work with USDC inspectors as required.
• Verify and document in-process production functions, including:
  • Water and product temperatures
  • Dumping and desalting
  • Injection
  • Cure and cover brines
• Verify and document finished-product processing, including:
  • Metal detection performance
  • Finished-product settings
  • Batch ratios
  • Code dates, labels, and stickers
  • Product weights
  • Packaging materials
  • Product changeovers
• Communicate with outside service providers and vendors, including sanitation, pest control, chemical control, outside laboratories, and waste management.
• Accurately complete all required QA/QC documentation.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required; some college preferred.
• 1-2 years of QA/QC Technician experience preferred.
• Previous experience in a food manufacturing environment required.
• Food or protein manufacturing experience strongly preferred.
• Ability to work early morning hours, including a 4:00 AM start time, as needed to support pre-operational activities.
• Fluent in English with strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Bilingual Spanish is a plus.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Exposure to environmental monitoring processes preferred.
• Ability to work effectively in both laboratory and production-floor environments.

Desired Skills and Experience

Manufacturing meat company

Role is 50/50 lab and production floor role needs to be comfortable working in both.

Will be doing testing or quality work

Must have some sort of food experience of at least 2 years

Needs to be able to operate lab equipment

Needs to be familiar with the food allergens.

Equal Opportunity Notice

Highspring LLC (d/b/a Vaco by Highspring) and its parents, affiliates, and subsidiaries ("we," "our," or "Vaco by Highspring") are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race (including but not limited to traits historically associated with race such as hair texture and hair style), color, sex (includes pregnancy or related conditions), religion or creed, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, status as a veteran, union membership, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, or any other protected characteristics as required by applicable law. The company is also committed to ensuring that persons who need them are provided with reasonable accommodations; if an accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

Vaco by Highspring also wants all applicants to know their rights that workplace discrimination is illegal.

Representation Notice

By submitting to this position, you agree that you will be giving Vaco by Highspring the exclusive right to present your as a candidate for the foregoing employment opportunity. Additionally, you agree to be included in our talent pool for future hiring for similarly qualified positions. You further agree that you have represented information about yourself accurately and have not affirmatively misrepresented your qualifications. Lastly, you agree to maintain as confidential, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any information you learn from Vaco by Highspring about the position and you will limit disclosure of information about the position only to the extent necessary to perform any obligations in furtherance of your application. In exchange, Vaco by Highspring agrees to exercise reasonable efforts to represent you through all solicitation, job screening and resume dispersal.

For residents of Ontario, Canada only: to the extent the position for employment is not with Highspring or not otherwise noted as vacant above, candidate should be informed that this role is to replace a presently employed person at Vaco by Highspring's client.

Privacy Notice

Vaco by Highspring respects your privacy and are committed to providing transparent notice of our policies.

• California residents may access Vaco by Highspring HR Notice at Collection for California Applicants and Employees here.
• Virginia residents may access our state specific policies here.
• Residents of all other states may access our policies here.
• Canadian residents may access our policies in English here and in French here.
• Residents of countries governed by GDPR and UK GDPR may access our policies here.

Additionally, submissions to this position are subject to the use of AI to perform preliminary candidate screenings, focused on ensuring minimum job requirements noted in the position are satisfied. More details about Vaco by Highspring's use of AI can be found here (https://www.highspring.com/ai-use-notices/). Further assessment of candidates beyond this initial phase will be conducted by recruiters and hiring managers. Vaco by Highspring does not know and cannot opine on if its client's use of AI products in hiring.

Pay Transparency Notice

Determining compensation for this role (and others) at Vaco by Highspring depends upon a wide array of factors including but not limited to:

the individual's skill sets, experience and training;

licensure and certification requirements;

office location and other geographic considerations; and

other business and organizational needs.

With that said, as required by local law, Vaco by Highspring believes that the following salary range referenced above reasonably estimates the base compensation for an individual hired into this position in geographies that require salary range disclosure. The individual may also be eligible for discretionary bonuses and/or participation in medical, dental, and vision benefits as well as the company's retirement plan (or similar retirement benefits).