Quality Assurance Supervisor

Stratasfoods; Decatur (IL); On-site; USD 62,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Job summary

Stratas Foods in Decatur, IL is seeking a QA Supervisor to oversee laboratory operations and quality testing across three shifts. You will drive quality, food safety programs, and cross‑functional collaboration with Production and other departments to ensure safe, high‑quality products.

The role requires leadership experience in QA and a background in lab/quality assurance for food packaging, with 3–5 years of supervisory experience preferred.

Qualifications

• Leadership and supervision experience in a QA environment.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration.
• Experience with lab testing and GMPs in food manufacturing.

Responsibilities

• Supervise QA personnel across multiple shifts and ensure quality and food safety requirements.
• Plan and coordinate daily QA activities, staffing, coverage and priorities.
• Communicate QA and plant leadership about quality or production concerns.
• Address areas needing improvement with plant and QA leadership.
• Maintain QA shift handoffs and continuity of coverage.
• Review timecards for direct reports and approve as needed.
• Identify issues, implement containment and escalate when required.
• Investigate deviations and review batch sheets for deviation approval.
• Represent QA during audits, inspections, and meetings.
• Monitor production for compliance to specs, GMPs, and safety.
• Troubleshoot and maintain lab equipment; disposition in ERP.
• Ensure lab safety and safe operation within plant environment.
• Analyze quality trends and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Schedule preventive maintenance for lab equipment.
• Write new procedures and update procedure books.
• Participate in customer and third party audits.
• Determine lab equipment needs and write AFEs.
• Review line paperwork (weight sheets, QA lines, HACCP sign off).
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills

Leadership

Organizational skills

Communication

Safety

QA across shifts

Education

High School diploma

Bachelor's degree in food science/chemistry/biology

Tools

MS Office

Outlook

Job description

This position is responsible for supervising quality assurance activities across multiple shifts, including laboratory operations, quality testing, inspections, and verification of plant programs. The QA Supervisor works closely with Production and all other departments to ensure quality and food safety programs, procedures, and standards are consistently followed. This role provides direction, oversight, and support to QA personnel across three shifts, promotes accountability and effective communication, and helps identify and address quality issues to ensure the production of safe, consistent, and high-quality products.

• 1.Supervise and provide direction to QA personnel across multiple shifts to ensure consistent execution of quality and food safety requirements.
• 2.Plan and coordinate daily QA activities, staffing, coverage, priorities, and shift assignments.
• 3.Provide timely communication to QA and plant leadership regarding significant quality, food safety, or production concerns.
• 4.Proactively work with plant and QA leadership to address areas needing improvement
• 5.Analyze lab needs from training, staffing, and equipment needs
• 6.Maintain strong communication between QA shifts to ensure issues, priorities, and follow-up activities are effectively communicated.
• 7.Review and approve direct report timecards
• 8.Identify quality and food safety issues, initiate appropriate containment, and ensure timely escalation when necessary.
• 9.Investigate deviations, review batch sheets, etc., approval of deviation if warranted
• 10.Represent the QA department, as needed by the QA Manager during audits, inspections and meetings
• 11.Monitor production activities and verify compliance with product specifications, GMPs, food safety requirements, and company procedures.
• 12.Troubleshoot, maintain, and repair of lab equipment
• 13.Product disposition in M3 (ERP System)
• 14. Responsible for lab safety
• 15.Monitor quality trends and use data to identify opportunities for improvement
• 16.Support continuous improvement initiatives that reduce quality incidents, customer complaints, waste, and repeat issues.
• 17.Schedule preventative maintenance (PMs) for lab equipment, DU 620, Minispec, NIR, etc.
• 18.Ensure effective shift handoffs and continuity of QA coverage across all operating shifts.
• 19. Inform QA and production teams are aware of new product specifications or changes to existing
• 20.Write new procedures and update procedure books
• 21.Participate in customer and third party audits
• 22.Determine lab equipment needs; write AFEs when needed
• 23.Review line paperwork (weight sheets, line QA, and metal detection includes HACCP sign off)
• 24.Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.

Competencies

• 1.Must possess strong leadership ability and self motivation
• 2.Strong organizational skills to maintain multiple programs
• 3.Good communication skills and teamwork in working with plant personnel to accomplish goals
• 4.Able to set goals and achieve them with regards to safety, quality, and production
• 5.Hold QA personnel accountable for completing assigned responsibilities and following established procedures.
• 6.Must be able to drive consistency in QA expectations and practices across all shifts.

Education :

High School diploma is required with desired experience. Bachelor's Degree is preferred in food science, chemistry, biology; or relevant experience.

Related Experience :

Experience with lab and/or quality assurance in food packaging is required. Three to five years of supervisory/leadership experience is required.

Equipment/Software Skills:

Must be PC literate with working knowledge of MS Office, and Outlook.

Certifications, Licenses, Registrations:

PCQI certification is preferred.

Physical :

This position requires the ability to lift up to 50 pounds, climb stairs, bend, kneel, walk and stand for extended periods, work in confined spaces, and work at heights all within a manufacturing environment. Perform work in indoor and outdoor environments, including exposure to noise, dust, weather, and potential hazards

Sensory :

Good Listening Skills; Public speaking abilities to communicate with both hourly and salaried personnel. Must possess appropriate sensory awareness (sight, hearing, touch, etc.) to respond to plant conditions, including alarms and environmental changes.

Mental Reasoning:

Must be able to perform root cause analysis and corrective action. Must be able to continuously learn and adapt to changes in the overall business relative to SMOs and DSMs.

Background and Drug Screen

Must consent and pass background check and drug screen.

Benefits - Medical/Dental

Salary Range

$61,625 -$82,700

Full Time Employee Benefits:

Medical, Dental, Vision

Equal Opportunity Employment

Stratas Foods is an equal opportunity employer and will not discriminate against any applicant or employee in any manner prohibited by law, including but not limited to, on the basis of race or color, religion, gender, age, genetic information, national origin/ancestry, mental or physical disabi