QA/QC Director

Golden Route Operations, LLC; Healdsburg (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Rack & Riddle, a Northern California sparkling wine producer, seeks a QA/QC Director to provide leadership and strategic oversight for Quality Control, Laboratory, and Food Safety programs across all production sites.

This role mentors Leads and Supervisors, drives continuous improvement, and ensures audit readiness while partnering with Winemaking, Production, and Operations to align programs with growth goals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Enology, Chemistry, Food Science, or related field.
• Minimum 5+ years in winery QA/QC or Laboratory leadership, with multi-site experience.
• Strong knowledge of enological chemistry, microbiology, and analytical instrumentation.
• Proven success developing and implementing quality systems and food safety programs (HACCP, SQF, ISO).

Responsibilities

• Provide leadership to Lab, QC, and EHFS teams across sites.
• Oversee QA/QC documentation, GMPs, and SOPs; ensure audit readiness.
• Lead continuous improvement through data analysis and KPI tracking.
• Develop training programs for QC, Lab, and Food Safety staff.
• Collaborate with Winemaking and Production to align quality goals.

Skills

Leadership

Mentorship

Team management

Communication

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Enology, Chemistry, Food Science, or related field

Tools

Vintrace

QA software

Job description

• Location 499 moore Lane,Healdsburg, CA, 95448,United States
• Base Pay $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 / Year
• Job Category Quality Control, Lab, Food Safety
• Industry Winery, Manufacturing, Food Processing
• Employee Type Exempt - FT

Contact information

Description

The QA/QC Director provides leadership, direction, and strategic oversight for Rack & Riddle’s Quality Control, Laboratory, and Food Safety programs across all production sites. This role manages and mentors Leads and Supervisors within the Lab, QC and Environmental, Health & Food Safety teams, ensuring consistency, accountability, and excellence in all quality and compliance functions.

The Director is responsible for developing and maintaining systems, protocols, and initiatives that drive product quality, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement. Partnering closely with Winemaking, Production, and Operations management, this role ensures that all programs—from analytical testing to food safety certifications—align with Rack & Riddle’s long-term growth and innovation goals.

This is both a hands-on leadership role, balancing program development, team mentorship, and cross-department collaboration to ensure Rack & Riddle maintains its standing as a leader in quality and safety for premium sparkling wine production.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategic Oversight

• Provide direct leadership and mentorship to the Leads and Supervisors in Lab, QC, and Environmental, Health & Food Safety, ensuring alignment, collaboration, and accountability across departments.
• Responsible for oversight of personnel management, hiring, training, development, evaluations and discipline within the Lab and QC Departments.
• Oversee scheduling, resource allocation, and staffing to ensure consistent support of all production and analytical needs.
• Set clear expectations, goals, and performance metrics for each team, fostering a culture of quality, safety, and professional development.
• Facilitates a safety culture of accountability and engagement.
• Facilitate interdepartmental communication and collaboration to maintain operational efficiency and process consistency.
• Collaborate with Executive Director of Winemaking to define long-term quality goals, KPIs, and department structure to support production growth.
• Adhere to and provides input on the department budget.
• Evaluate equipment and resource investment proposals for QC and Lab.

Quality & Laboratory Management

• Ensure all SOPs, CCP monitoring, GMP, and QA documentation are current, accurate, and audit-ready.
• Manage vendor and supplier quality programs, including incoming materials and packaging verification.
• Review and approve all final product holds, release documentation, and corrective action/incident reports.
• Partner with winemaking and production leadership to proactively address quality or process issues.
• Ongoing development, implementation and management of all aspects of quality programs. Includes maintaining SOP's and product specifications for all products. Evaluation of current practices and implementation of quality assurance program changes.
• Design, implement, and maintain comprehensive QA/QC and Food Safety programs across all sites.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives in process improvement, risk assessment, and preventive controls.
• Develop new training and competency programs for QC, Lab, and Food Safety teams.
• Introduce new analytical technologies, process controls, and automation systems to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Drive continuous improvement through data-based decision-making, trend analysis, and performance tracking.

Compliance & Safety

• Provide oversight, guidance, and mentorship to those responsible for Environmental, Health & Food Safety, ensuring all food safety and compliance programs are effectively managed and continuously improved.
• Support and review all HACCP, GMP, and CCOF (organic certification) programs.
• Partner with Compliance Manager, Procurement, and Environmental, Health & Food Safety teams to ensure Rack & Riddle alignment and compliance with all regulatory requirements including but not limited to TTB, FDA, and state requirements.
• Responsible for management of HACCP & GMP regulations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations and food safety and defense standards issued by the FDA and other federal, state and local agencies involved with food safety activities. Maintain up to date records for compliance with federal, state and HACCP regulations.
• Responsible for oversight of ongoing employee training activities designed to keep employees knowledgeable and informed of safety, GMP, HACCP and all related SOP’s.
• Work with plant managers and supervisors to ensure compliance with SOPs and GMPs.
• Oversee training of plant operations related to food safety, sanitation and QC procedures and programs and ensure they are being implemented and followed.
• Ensures that all GMP and sanitation procedures are followed in all areas.
• Oversee internal and external audit preparation and execution, including client and third-party food safety audits (e.g., SQF, CCOF).
• Partner with the Compliance Team to identify and implement proactive measures to strengthen compliance and risk mitigation.
• Ensure expectations and measurable goals are set for food safety programs and regularly reviewed for performance and improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Enology, Chemistry, Food Science, or related field .
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in winery QA/QC or Laboratory leadership, ideally with 3 years at a facility with multiple sites.
• Strong knowledge of enological chemistry, microbiology, and analytical instrumentation.
• Proven success developing and implementing quality systems and food safety programs (HACCP, SQF, ISO, etc.).

Demonstrated ability to mentor, motivate, and lead high-performing teams.

• Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency in digital data management, quality software, and winery ERP systems (e.g., Vintrace).
• Must be able to lift 50 lbs. and work safely in production environments.

Summary

Established in 2007 in Northern California by wine industry veterans Rebecca Faust and Bruce Lundquist, Rack & Riddle was founded with the mission to craft superior sparkling wines. Through years of steadfast dedication and thoughtful expansion, Rack & Riddle has become the #1 custom sparkling wine producer in the United States with 3.5 million cases of capacity. An exceptional winemaking team dedicated to the mastery of sparkling wine supported by state-of-the-art technology, delivers turnkey grape-to-bottle, wine-to-bottle, and private label sparkling wine services with tank sizes ranging from 500 to 100,000 gallons. The company’s cutting-edge Healdsburg facility also offers high capacity, fully automated still wine capabilities. The company prides itself on being an upstanding member of the communities in which it operates and is committed to operating fairly, ethically, and sustainably.

Rack & Riddle is a drug-free workplace and an Equal Opportunity Employer.

This position is subject to a background check in accordance with applicable laws. A conviction does not automatically bar individuals from employment.

This role's compensation is anticipated to fit within the stated range. These figures represent what we reasonably expect to pay for this position, but the actual compensation offered will depend on numerous job-related factors, including but not limited to candidate skills, knowledge, and education.