Lead, FQSA (64263)

Thistle Health; Burlington (NJ); On-site; USD 33,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

Thistle Health is seeking a Lead, Quality Assurance to oversee Quality Management Systems, regulatory compliance, and third-party food safety certifications at its Burlington, NJ facility. The role reports to the Quality Assurance Manager and is 100% onsite in Burlington, NJ.

Candidates should have strong QA leadership capabilities, background in food safety programs, and experience maintaining calibrations, SOPs, and sanitation processes.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; degree preferred
• Valid Food Handlers Certification for state working in
• 3+ years of experience and/or knowledge of food safety programs are preferred

Responsibilities

• Oversee Quality Management Systems and regulatory compliance
• Maintain calibrations, monitor equipment, ensure product integrity
• Support training on manufacturing equipment and SOPs
• Collaborate with QA staff to troubleshoot sanitation issues
• Ensure allergen labeling and SSOP compliance

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Valid Food Handlers Certification

3+ years experience in food safety programs

Job description

Job DetailsJob Location: Burlington Production Facility - Burlington, NJ 08016Salary Range: $29.00 - $29.00 HourlyTravel Percentage: NoneJob Category: Manufacturing

TITLE: Lead, Quality Assurance

DEPARTMENT: Quality Assurance

REPORTS TO: Manager, Quality Assurance

Who We Are

Thistle makes it easy to eat well – without overthinking it. Thistle was founded in 2013 with a mission to help people get and stay healthy while improving the sustainability of our food system. Thistle delivers fully prepared, healthy-by-default meals, snacks, desserts, and organic cold-pressed juices. We believe the health of people starts with eating real, whole foods, in the right balance, without the friction. We’re building a future where nutritious, sustainable food is accessible, craveable, and part of everyday life.

About the Role

Reporting to the quality manager, the QA lead is responsible for overseeing some aspects of Quality Management Systems, Regulatory Compliance, 3rd Party Food Safety certifications, and Customer Safety & Satisfaction. QA leads are responsible for overseeing standardized quality control checks to ensure they meet the required legal and company standards for safety and quality. This role is required to maintain calibrations, monitor equipment, check product integrity, and identify areas for quality control improvement.

This position is 100% onsite at our Burlington, NJ/ Vacaville, CA facility.

How You’ll Make a Difference

This is a unique opportunity to be part of the food safety team at Thistle’s brand new East Coast facility, located in Burlington, NJ, responsible for growing Thistle East operations to bring delicious, plant-forward, and planet-friendly meals to customers on the East Coast.

• Support QA team in overseeing the operation. manufacturing and sanitation processes.
• Ensure employees are following GMPs, products are consistently produced and controlled according to policy.
• Maintain working knowledge of current standards and processes with the assistance of implementation of new and existing SOPs and policies across production teams; ensure processes and policies are adhered to at all times.
• Assist on training, instruction, and support on all manufacturing equipment.
• Maintain a positive work environment with encouraging and supportive leadership.
• Communicate with supervisors and managers any concerns regarding staff members’ concerns or frustrations.
• Collaborate with QA staff to troubleshoot and analyze sanitation-related issues
• Understand the culinary, plating & packing processes and equipment/parts design to ensure proper equipment sanitation and efficient startups
• Regularly audit and update sanitation processes, documentation, and programs to ensure compliance with SSOPs; Identify and implement measures to continuously improve sanitation methods
• Collaborate with other supervisors, including, but not limited to, production and culinary departments, to identify, solve and prevent problems affecting sanitation processes
• Update and improve Sanitation practices and procedures as automation is put in place
• Set up the Master Sanitation Program in collaboration with the quality assurance team
• Ensure daily chemical titration tests are completed within required standards and recorded appropriately
• Conduct department supply inventory and ordering to include sanitation chemicals and supplies
• Report daily to sanitation team the results of the previous day’s Pre-op inspections and areas of concern for the current day
• Verify adherence to Preventive Controls, Processing Parameters, CCPs, Allergen, and Sanitation programs
• Ensure Quality Management Systems and Food Safety programs comply with the regulatory requirements and 3rd party food safety standards (local, state, federal, GMP, SQF)
• Ensure allergen program, allergen declaration per recipe, and labeling requirements are met
• Monitor and verify day-to-day QA and Food Safety records.
• Help build out an internal auditing process & certification program.
• Conduct pre-operational line inspections and residual swabs.
• Calibrate critical equipment- thermometers, pH meters, scales etc.

QualificationsWho You Are

• High school diploma or equivalent required; degree preferred
• Valid Food Handlers Certification for state working in.
• 3+ years of experience and/or knowledge of food safety programs are preferred.
• Desire to grow into leadership positions and develop leadership skills
• Strong communication skills that put people first and ability to balance empathy and direct feedback in order to both support and advocate for the team and also maintain consistent standards of performance
• Ability to form effective working relationships with cross-functional teams
• Ability to adhere to company SOPs and implement new initiatives as needed
• Solid understanding of HACCP requirements and food safety standards
• Comfortable standing or walking for long periods of time
• Ability to balance empathetic and direct feedback in order to both support and advocate for the team and maintain consistent standards of performance.
• Able to escape Employee-related concerns and/or issues to the appropriate parties with clear documentation and follow through

Our Culture

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential values at Thistle. We know we do our best and most impactful work when we feel we are represented and belong. We're proud to actively recruit and hire talented people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. We do not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally recognized basis (“protected class”), including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, citizenship, national origin, color, hairstyles, hair texture, religion or religious creed, age, sex (including pregnancy), gender identity, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, veteran or active military status, marital status, criminal record, genetics, retaliation, sexual harassment or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.