Manager of Manufacturing Quality

Organic Valley; Cashton (WI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 113,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Parental Leave

Vision & Dental Insurance

401k match

Flexible Scheduling

Job summary

Organic Valley in Cashton, WI seeks a Manager of Manufacturing Quality for a Conversion & Labeling Facility & DC. This salaried role combines on-site leadership four days a week with remaining time optionally remote or on-site, overseeing quality and food safety across cheese cut, ghee production, labeling, and distribution.

You will drive SAP/WMS, audits, CAPA, and continuous improvement, partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Fulfillment, Commercial, and Regulatory to protect product

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM field preferred.
• 5+ years progressive experience in food safety, quality, or manufacturing/distribution environments.
• Experience in packaging, labeling, or warehouse operations preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and ensure compliance with food safety and quality programs across conversion, labeling, and distribution operations.
• Own and drive performance of site quality systems through KPI monitoring, compliance tracking, and continuous improvement.
• Direct execution of Food Safety Plans, including HACCP/HARPC, food defense, traceability, and handling controls.
• Champion a strong food safety and quality culture across operations, warehousing, and fulfillment teams.
• Lead site-level audits, regulatory, customer, GFSI, and certification audits; serve as primary QA contact.
• Oversee regulatory reporting, CAPA and corrective actions; ensure traceability and recall readiness.
• Drive accuracy of SAP/WMS transactions and inventory control across the site and DC.
• Support recall readiness and cross-functional decision-making for product release and disposition.

Skills

Food safety leadership

Quality systems knowledge

GMP/HACCP expertise

CAPA & compliance execution

Site-level leadership

Regulatory knowledge (21 CFR 117)

Education

Bachelor’s degree in STEM field preferred

5+ years experience in food safety/quality/manufacturing environments

Tools

SAP

WMS

Microsoft Office

Job description

Manager of Manufacturing Quality

Location – LowHybrid

This is a hybrid role, which means that you will have the flexibility to work bothonsite and at a distance. You will collaborate onsite at our Cashton Conversion & Labeling Facility (CALF) inCashton, WI for 4days per week, and therest of the time you can choose to work remotely or onsite.

Employee Type – Salaried

Bonus – This position is eligible for a 5% annual incentive bonus based on cooperative and individual performance.

Safety Sensitive – Yes

Summary of Role

The Manager of Manufacturing Quality – Conversion and Labeling Facility & DC leads and ensures compliance, manages execution, and owns site-level quality and food safety performance across cheese cut and wrap, ghee production, and distribution center operations. This role is responsible for execution and oversight of quality and food safety programs across product transformation, packaging, labeling, storage, and distribution activities. The position ensures compliance with regulatory, certification, and corporate requirements while protecting product integrity throughout post-production handling and distribution. This role partners closely with Operations, Supply Chain, Fulfillment, Commercial, and Regulatory teams to ensure accurate product labeling, traceability, inventory control, and customer-ready product quality.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Manufacturing Quality, Food Safety & Compliance Leadership – 50%

• Lead and ensure compliance with food safety and quality programs across conversion, labeling, and distribution operations
• Own and drive performance of site quality systems through KPI monitoring, compliance tracking, and continuous improvement
• Direct execution of Food Safety Plans, including HACCP/HARPC, food defense, traceability, and handling controls
• Champion a strong food safety and quality culture across operations, warehousing, and fulfillment teams
• Align site operations with corporate quality, labeling, and compliance standards
• Lead and ensure compliance for site audits, including regulatory, customer, GFSI, and certification audits
• Serve as primary QA contact for audits at the facility and distribution center
• Ensure audit readiness across conversion, labeling, and DC operations
• Oversee regulatory reporting and compliance documentation
• Drive corrective action implementation and follow-up
• Strong knowledge of food safety systems (HACCP/HARPC, GMPs, traceability, food defense)
• Ability to lead operational execution and drive compliance at a site level

Conversion, Labeling & Distribution Quality Management – 20%

• Lead and ensure compliance in cheese cut and wrap and ghee production processes
• Oversee labeling accuracy and compliance, ensuring alignment with regulatory, customer, and certification requirements
• Own and ensure adherence to product specifications, packaging standards, and labeling controls
• Manage risks associated with product transformation, including cross-contact, mislabeling, and handling integrity
• Drive resolution of labeling and packaging deviations to ensure product accuracy and c0mpliance
• Lead and ensure compliance within the distribution center, including storage, handling, and shipping processes
• Own and ensure adherence to inventory control and traceability systems at pallet, case, and batch levels
• Oversee product status management, including holds, releases, restricted inventory, and disposition
• Drive accuracy of SAP/WMS transactions to ensure proper inventory visibility across systems
• Manage risks related to storage conditions, product aging, and inventory movement
• Experience in manufacturing, packaging, labeling, or distribution quality systems
• Understanding of inventory management systems (SAP/WMS) and product traceability

Product Release, Risk Management & Quality Systems Execution – 15%

• Own product disposition decisions within defined authority and ensure adherence to financial and regulatory policies
• Lead and ensure compliance with hold/release processes and system execution
• Ensure full traceability across conversion and distribution operations
• Oversee product release activities, including documentation, system transactions, and compliance verification
• Drive timely resolution of non-conforming product events
• Lead site-level response to product quality and food safety issues, including labeling errors, traceability concerns, and distribution risks
• Own RCA and CAPA execution, ensuring effective resolution of issues
• Identify and mitigate risks associated with product handling, storage, and transport
• Escalate critical issues impacting product integrity or customer risk
• Support recall readiness and execution activities
• Ensure effective execution of quality systems including SAP, WMS, QN, CAPA, and TraceGains
• Oversee system accuracy for inventory, product status, and traceability
• Maintain compliance with SOPs, documentation control, and regulatory requirements
• Support system-based decision making for product release and inventory management
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and execution skills

Metrics, Continuous Improvement & Operational Performance – 15%

• Own and drive site-level quality metrics and performance reporting
• Develop and maintain KPIs related to labeling accuracy, inventory control, and quality events
• Analyze trends and drive corrective actions to improve performance
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and lower cost of quality
• Strengthen execution consistency through process improvement initiatives

Additional Duties and Responsibilities

• Customer Support, Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Support customer-facing quality activities, including inquiries, audits, and performance reporting
• Ensure accuracy and compliance of customer-facing documentation (COAs, labeling, specifications)
• Coordinate response to customer complaints and investigations
• Partner with Commercial and Customer teams to support product quality expectations
• Lead and manage QA team supporting conversion, labeling, and DC operations
• Ensure training and competency in food safety, labeling compliance, and quality systems
• Verify training effectiveness across site personnel and operations teams
• Champion accountability and ownership of quality across the workforce
• Partner with Operations, Fulfillment, Supply Chain, and Regulatory teams to ensure alignment
• Support operational execution of quality standards across product handling and distribution
• Align labeling, inventory, and release processes across functions
• Execute through collaboration to achieve site-level performance goals
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Knowledge, Skills and Competencies

• Strong knowledge of food safety systems (HACCP/HARPC, CCPs, GMPs, Food Defense)
• Experience in manufacturing quality operations and co-manufacturing environments
• Understanding of quality systems, CAPA, and compliance execution
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and execution skills
• Ability to lead execution and drive performance at site level
• Knowledge of the PMO
• Knowledge of 21 CFR Part 117
• Knowledge of FSMA Knowledge of Microsoft Office Program
• Knowledge of HACCP/HARPC and GMP
• Knowledge of SAP
• Strong analytical and performance management capabilities
• Ability to drive alignment, standardize processes, and influence without authority
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong research skills
• Dairy/plant experience required
• Self-directed and willing to work under minimum supervision
• Ability and willingness to provide on-call support as needed, including evenings, weekends, and holidays, to address critical food safety, quality, and operational issues across plant and co-manufacturing operations

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM field preferred
• 5+ years progressive experience in food safety, quality, or manufacturing/distribution environments
• Experience in packaging, labeling, or warehouse operations preferred

Base salary wage range:

$90,334.40 - $112,902.40 peryear This salary wage rangeis exclusive of fringe benefits. The compensation package may also includeincentive compensation opportunities in the form of discretionary bonuses. Ifyou are hired at CROPP, your final base salary wage compensation will be determinedbased on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/orexperience. Additionally, we believe in the importance of pay equity andconsider the internal equity of our current team members as a part of any finaloffer. Please keep in mind that entry-level candidates to this role shouldexpect to be at the lower end of the salary wage range and hiring at the maximum of the salary wage rangeis not typical.

Benefits

We believe when our peopleare strong, our mission is strong. Therefore, we offer a comprehensive andholistic Total Rewards package meant to strengthen employees’ and theirfamily's total wellbeing. Here are some of the great benefits offered:

• Comprehensive Health Insurance - Choice of plans for you and your family, including some that can be paired with an HSA (which CROPP contributes to on your behalf)
• Supplemental insurances: we offer accidental insurance, critical illness insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance.
• Time Off – 136 hours in the 1st year of employment prorated by start date. Plus 9 paid holidays, plus one floating holiday to use at will.
• 6 Weeks Paid Parental Leave – For all gendered partners in childbirth or adoption.
• Vision & Dental Insurance – Free annual eye exam, discounts on glasses/contacts, flexible dental network, adult ortho.
• 401k – We match 100% up to the first 3% of an employee’s contribution, and then 50% for 3.1%-5.0% of employee contributions.
• Free services at five local Neighborhood Family Clinics.
• Tuition Reimbursement – Up to $1,500 per year to support continuing higher education.
• Life Insurance - $50,000 policy funded by CROPP for each employee. Supplemental voluntary coverage available for employees, spouses, and children.
• Short-Term & Long-Term Disability/AD&D Insurance - $50,000 of life insurance coverage of $50,000 of AD&D coverage funded by CROPP for each employee.
• Employee Assistance Program - Free and Confidential for employees, spouses, and dependents.
• Free biometric screenings (cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure) and health coaching.
• Financial advisors and seminars
• Annual $360 Lifestyle Spending Account
• Flexible Scheduling