Quality Assurance Manager

Skills Alliance; Wisconsin; On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Skills Alliance seeks a QA leader to build a new beverage facility's quality system from scratch. You will drive food safety, quality programme development and site readiness for SQF Edition 10.

You will work hands-on with production, establish document control, and lead certifications while thriving in a lean, fast-paced environment. This contract-to-hire role centers on ownership from day one.

Qualifications

• Proven QA leadership experience in food or beverage manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP and FSMA.
• Experience building or rebuilding a quality programme, not just maintaining one.
• Hands-on approach: active on the floor with production teams.
• Comfortable in a lean, flexible organisation with multi-hat roles.

Responsibilities

• Develop the food safety and quality programme for a new facility from the ground up.
• Write SOPs, specifications and quality manuals from scratch.
• Establish document control, record-keeping and traceability system.

Skills

QA leadership

GMP compliance

On-floor collaboration

Root cause analysis

Lean manufacturing

Job description

A growing private-label beverage manufacturer is opening a brand-new production facility outside Milwaukee, and wants a QA leader in early.

This is a rare chance to build a food safety and quality system from the ground up, including taking the site through SQF certification and preparing for Edition 10. Most QA managers inherit a programme. This one you'd own from day one, in a lean organisation where quality has a genuine seat at the table.

Type: Contract to hire

Key Responsibilities

Building the Quality System

• Develop the food safety and quality programme for a new facility
• Write SOPs, specifications, and quality manuals from scratch
• Establish document control, record-keeping and traceability

Certification & Compliance

• Lead the site through initial SQF certification
• Prepare records and systems for SQF Edition 10
• Manage specialty certification requirements and audits
• Ensure compliance with FSMA and applicable regulatory standards

Food Safety Programmes

• Develop and maintain HACCP plans and prerequisite programmes
• Build the environmental monitoring programme, including zoning, swab sites and response procedures
• Oversee sanitation verification and validation
• Manage supplier approval and incoming material controls

Day-to-Day Quality

• Work hands-on with production on the floor, not just from an office
• Investigate non-conformances, run root cause analysis and close corrective actions
• Handle customer complaints and specification requirements
• Train and develop the plant team on quality and food safety

Qualifications

• QA leadership experience in food or beverage manufacturing
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP and FSMA
• Experience building or rebuilding a quality programme, not just maintaining one
• Hands-on approach: comfortable on the floor with the production team
• Someone who thrives in a lean, flexible organisation and can wear multiple hats

Preferred

• Experience taking a site through initial certification or a greenfield start-up
• Beverage, canning or bottling experience
• Familiarity with specialty certification schemes