Quality Assurance Manager

Talent ACQ; Oxnard (CA); On-site; USD 105,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Benefits from day one

401(k) with company match

Three weeks PTO to start

Tuition assistance

Job summary

Talent ACQ is guiding a high-volume food manufacturer seeking a QA / Technical Services Manager for its Oregon plant. The role emphasizes strong compliance leadership over operations, with a track record of building QA programs and working collaboratively with other sites.

The candidate will own the Food Safety Plan, HACCP, audits, and QA/Lab team leadership. Experience in FDA-regulated environments and certifications in HACCP/PCQI/SQF are highly valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant science field.
• 5+ years managing quality systems in food manufacturing.
• HACCP, PCQI, and SQF Practitioner certifications.
• FDA-regulated manufacturing environment experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the plant's Food Safety Plan and HACCP program, including readiness for SQF, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Oversee traceability, recalls, CAPA, risk assessment, and non-conforming product decisions.
• Lead sanitation, GMP verification, and ingredient/packaging quality programs; manage QA and lab teams.
• Collaborate across sites and champion company-wide QA initiatives.

Education

Bachelor's in Microbiology, Food Science, Chemistry, or related field

HACCP, PCQI, and SQF Practitioner certification

Job description

A high-volume food manufacturer is hiring a QA / Technical Services Manager for its Oregon plant. Confidential search - Talent ACQ is representing the client directly.

The role is open because the person who held it was promoted to Plant Manager. That's the honest version of the growth story, and it's worth knowing going in: the bar here is set by someone who ran this seat for over a decade.

What you'd own

• The plant's Food Safety Plan and HACCP program, and readiness for SQF, customer, and regulatory audits
• Trace and recall, CAPA, risk assessment, and non-conforming product decisions
• Sanitation and GMP verification, ingredient and packaging quality programs, calibrated sensory
• A QA and lab team - salaried, non-exempt, and hourly
• A company-wide project as champion. This role reaches past the single plant, which is unusual at this level

You'd report to the Director of Food Safety & Quality, with a dotted line to the Plant Manager.

What they're actually looking for

They said it plainly, so we will too: someone who takes a harder line on compliance than on operations, and who can hold that line without making it personal. Self-starter. Doesn't need to be told what to do. Confident without being arrogant. Genuinely collaborative with QA peers at other sites - this is not a lone-quality-manager job.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in Microbiology, Food Science, Chemistry, or a related field
• 5+ years managing quality systems in food manufacturing
• HACCP, PCQI, and SQF Practitioner certification
• FDA-regulated manufacturing environment
• Nice to have: thermal processing, acidified foods, Lean / continuous improvement, experience converting a plant from paper documentation to electronic

Compensation

• $105,000 - $120,000 base
• 8% annual incentive target
• Relocation assistance available
• Benefits effective day one, 401(k) with company match, three weeks PTO to start, tuition assistance