Quality Assurance Specialist

Actalent; Illinois; On-site; USD 75,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Dental insurance

Health insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Actalent is seeking a Quality Assurance Specialist to support food safety, quality, and compliance across a growing food manufacturing operation. The role balances hands-on production floor engagement with administrative duties such as audits, investigations, and CAPA implementation.

You will help maintain food safety plans, oversee testing and allergen controls, and collaborate across operations to improve systems and reduce risk. This onsite position is based in Elk Grove Village, IL.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required and 3+ years in food manufacturing quality, food safety or compliance.
• HACCP and PCQI certifications are required.
• Familiarity with FDA FSMA, GMPs, allery allergen controls, and product safety principles.
• Experience managing audit activities, labs testing programs, and CAPA initiatives.
• Strong organization, multitasking, and communication; able to work independently in a fast-paced setting.

Responsibilities

• Support the development, implementation, and maintenance of food safety and quality programs.
• Inspect manufacturing areas for sanitation and GMP compliance.
• Coordinate environmental monitoring, samples, and testing records.
• Oversee allergen controls, foreign material prevention, and microbiological verification.
• Investigate quality concerns and drive corrective actions.
• Maintain program documentation, regulatory records, and training files.

Skills

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Environmental Health, or related discipline

Tools

LIMS (Laboratory Information Management System)

Auditing tools

Job description

Job Description

Quality Assurance Specialist Position Overview

We are looking for a detail-oriented quality professional to support and strengthen food safety, product quality, and compliance initiatives throughout a growing food manufacturing operation. This position offers a balance of production-floor engagement and administrative responsibilities, including oversight of quality systems, auditing activities, investigations, and process improvement efforts. The ideal candidate enjoys working cross-functionally, identifying opportunities for improvement, and helping create a culture of quality and accountability.

Primary Duties

• Support the ongoing development, implementation, and maintenance of food safety and quality management programs.
• Conduct routine inspections of manufacturing areas, sanitation practices, employee GMP compliance, and facility conditions to verify adherence to established standards.
• Coordinate environmental monitoring activities, collect and manage product samples, and maintain testing records.
• Oversee allergen management procedures, foreign material prevention controls, and microbiological verification programs.
• Respond to quality concerns by conducting investigations, identifying contributing factors, and driving corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain food safety plans, program documentation, regulatory records, training files, and quality performance metrics.
• Deliver training and coaching related to food safety requirements, sanitation expectations, and quality best practices.
• Assist during customer audits, third-party assessments, and regulatory inspections while serving as a quality resource for internal teams.
• Collaborate with operations, production, sanitation, and leadership teams to improve systems, reduce risk, and support operational objectives.
• Allocate a portion of each day to recordkeeping and documentation activities while remaining actively involved in production-floor quality oversight.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Environmental Health, or another relevant scientific discipline.
• Minimum of 3+ years of experience in a food manufacturing quality, food safety, or compliance-focused position.
• Current HACCP and Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certifications.
• Familiarity with FDA requirements, FSMA regulations, Good Manufacturing Practices, allergen control programs, and product safety principles.
• Experience managing audit activities, coordinating laboratory testing programs, and implementing corrective action initiatives.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize multiple projects and maintain attention to detail.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, along with a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Comfortable working independently and exercising sound judgment in a fast-paced production setting.

Preferred Qualifications

• SQF Practitioner certification.
• Experience in food manufacturing, distribution, or imported food products.
• Experience developing or improving quality systems in a growing organization.
• Bilingual or multilingual capabilities.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Elk Grove Village, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $75000.00 - $85000.00/yr.

• standard benefits: 401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Elk Grove Village,IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 17, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentacco