Operations Quality Manager

Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Arden Hills (MN); On-site; USD 108,000 - 162,000; Full time

Job summary

Land O'Lakes, Inc. is seeking a senior Quality Leader to guide plant quality teams across multiple dairy manufacturing sites, ensuring compliance with QMS, regulatory and customer food safety requirements. The role involves leading root-cause analysis, CAPA plans, and cross-functional collaboration.

The position requires approximately 50% travel and must be located out of Arden Hills, MN, with partnership across R&D, Regulatory, and Operations to maintain a culture of quality and safety.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Microbiology or related discipline.
• 7 years of experience in production, quality assurance or sanitation within food or pharmaceutical industries.
• 5 years of progressive leadership roles in plant quality or corporate quality.
• Experience with HACCP, GFSI certification, QA standards, food lab testing and SPC.
• PCQI certification or ability to obtain it.
• CQE/LEAN/Six Sigma certification and/or experience preferred.
• Experience managing quality for multiple sites preferred.
• Experience in dairy processes and sanitation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Guide plants to monitor and analyze product safety and quality data including customer complaints and audit results.
• Lead root cause investigations and CAPA plans for quality issues and verify CAPA closures.
• Advise on product disposition and report quality metrics to cross-functional leaders.
• Assist with hiring, onboarding of quality staff and plant training.
• Support customer and regulatory audits and inspections as needed.
• Coach plant quality teams and collaborate with cross-functional experts to strengthen QMS programs.
• Coordinate with R&D, Regulatory, and Operations on product specs and new processes.

Job description

This position will work across multiple dairy manufacturing sites to ensure compliance with Land O’Lakes QMS, food regulatory requirements, and customer quality/food safety requirements at Land O’Lakes. This role guides plant quality teams in creating, implementing, and maintaining quality and food safety programs for new and existing products and manufacturing processes, partners with cross-functional teams (R&D, Sales & Marketing, Regulatory, Legal, Distribution, Operations, and others) to ensure a culture of quality and food safety throughout the organization.

This position requires about 50% travel and must be located out of Arden Hills MN.

Responsibilities

• Guide plants in monitoring and analyzing product safety and quality data, including customer complaints and feedback, product testing results, ingredient issues, audit results, and product and processing parameters. Communicate and work with customers as needed.
• Guide plants to complete root cause investigations and CAPA plans for product safety and quality issues, audit findings, and customer complaints. Verify closure of CAPAs.
• Guide plant on product disposition.
• Report on quality and food safety metrics and communicate with cross functional leaders on quality issues/events and customer concerns.
• Assist with hiring and onboarding new quality staff and plant quality training.
• Assist with customer audits, 3rd party audits and regulatory inspections as needed.
• Coach, mentor, and direct work of plant quality teams at dairy manufacturing sites.
• Engage corporate and external technical experts to partner with site Quality Assurance teams to ensure the robust QMS programs are developed and implemented.
• Work with cross functional teams to manage product specifications, ingredient and supplier issues, design and commercialization of new products and manufacturing processes. Support line trials and first production runs as needed.

Experience/Skills/Education Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Chemistry, Microbiology or related discipline.
• Seven (7) years of experience in production, quality assurance, or sanitation within the food or pharmaceutical industry.
• Five (5) years of experience in a progressive leadership role in plant quality or corporate quality roles.
• Extensive experience in HACCP, GFSI certification, quality assurance standards, food laboratory testing, and statistical process control techniques, and food processing sanitation.
• PCQI certified or ability to become certified
• CQE, LEAN, or Six Sigma certification and/or experience preferred
• Experience managing quality for multiple sites is preferred
• Experience in dairy processes and sanitation, such as raw milk receiving, cheese, butter, milk powder production is highly preferred.
• Excellent organizational, communications, interpersonal and team interaction skills.

Salary Range:

$107,680 - $161,520. In most cases, candidates offered employment expect to be hired at a pay rate near the middle of our salary ranges.

About Land O'Lakes, Inc.

Join us and be part of a Fortune 250, farmer- and member-owned cooperative that is reimagining the business of food. We have been named a Top Workplace by Indeed and LinkedIn, and to the TIME 100 Most Influential Companies list. We provide a broad portfolio of benefits to keep you and your family at your best. Land O'Lakes is Where Your Future Takes Root.

Land O’Lakes and our global entities support diversity in employment practices.

If you need to submit a reasonable accommodation request to complete the employment application process, please call the HR Solution Center at 844-LOL-HR4U (844-565-4748) M-F 8:00am-4:30pm CT.