Quality Manager

Maker's Pride; Gibson City (IL); On-site; USD 86,000 - 129,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental coverage

401k plan

Wellness program

Job summary

Maker’s Pride is seeking a Quality Assurance and Food Safety leader to oversee plant QA programs, ensure compliance with FDA/USDA and GMP standards, and drive continuous improvement. You will coach teams, manage audits, and lead CAPA investigations to uphold product quality and safety.

The role requires strong knowledge of HACCP, PCQI duties, and cross-functional collaboration across production and commercialization teams. This is a full-time, on-site position in Illinois.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business/science-related field preferred.
• 3+ years leading QA/food safety teams in manufacturing.
• PCQI and/or HACCP certification ideal.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA and Food Safety programs (HACCP, Food Safety Plans, QA audits).
• Drive root cause analysis and CAPA investigations.
• Coach teams to improve quality culture and consumer complaint reduction.
• Coordinate cross-functional activities to meet regulatory and customer requirements.
• Oversee hold/release, traceability, and recall exercises.
• Monitor KPIs and ensure compliance with FDA/USDA and GMP standards.
• Lead customer QA discussions and support process specifications.

Skills

QA leadership

GFSI knowledge

PCQI/HACCP

Root cause analysis

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in science/business

Tools

SAP

MS Office Suite

Job description

Summary

Responsible for leading, maintaining, and executing all aspects of Quality Assurance and Food Safety for the plant. Coach, teach, mentor, and manage the Quality and Food Safety teams onsite. Utilize lean tools and root cause analysis to continuously improve the existing quality system. Ensure all requirements from customers, regulatory, and 3rd party certifications are met and in compliance.

Job Responsibilities

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:

• Manage all Quality and Food Safety programs including HACCP, Food Safety Plans, Food Quality Plans, Identity Preserved Certifications, IA Vulnerability, and Food Defense
• Execute a robust internal audit program to ensure site it always audit ready all the time
• Participate in Hearthside Production System requirements such as Drumbeat (Daily Directional Setting), Weekly KPI, Lean Steering Committee, and Tiered Auditing
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective Actions/Preventative Action (CAPA) investigations
• Coach, teach, and mentor the QA and Food Safety teams to build bench strength and career paths for employees
• Collaborate with all plant leadership to drive quality culture improvements and consumer complaint reductions
• Coordinate multidisciplinary activities among various team members assuring timely, efficient, and cost-effective finality
• Administrate all product specifications and associated floor instructions assuring compliance with regulatory label requirements.
• Ensure food standard compliance with FDA, USDA, GMP, and company policy.
• Assess Environmental Monitoring Programs to ensure continued seek and destroy approach to pathogens
• Oversee the Hold and Release program, ensuring proper hold verifications and disposition processes
• Lead Trace and Mock Recall exercises
• Measure and monitor various company KPIs and drive for improvements in key performance areas
• Lead customer QA discussions related to quality or food safety incidents in the plant
• Advise commercialization and production teams on process specifications, process capabilities, and customer requirements to include recipe and sensory attributes
• Support commercialization teams in integrating customer and compliance requirements into internal specifications and critical quality parameters
• SQF Practitioner or other GFSI scheme by plant and PCQI duties
• Trend and analyze data as need to drive improvements in the plant (EMP, Pest Control, Consumer Complaints, etc.)
• Support all aspects of sanitation, including allergen matrix and control programs, chemical control programs, pest control programs, cleaning validations including all sanitation systems as assigned.
• May perform other functions as needed.

Required Competencies & Knowledge

Knowledge of:

• Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessments
• Preventative control validations
• SMART goal setting and team coaching
• Basic RCA and CAPA tools
• Sanitation Programs
• Environmental Monitoring Programs
• Robust Hold and Release Program Requirements
• Skilled in:
• Personnel development
• Team building
• Internal auditing
• Procedure and Standard Work generation
• Risk Assessments
• Demonstrated proficiency in advanced quality statistics, measurement systems analysis and continuous improvement required.
• Strong understanding of plant GFSI scheme and its implementation is required.
• PCQI/ Food Safety Plans / HACCP Plan development and maintenance

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Manage multiple projects at a time
• Direct various program activities within the plant
• Influence Quality Culture behaviors
• Recognize food safety & quality gaps and provide a plan to address
• Work collaboratively with all departments
• Ensure collaborative relationships with industry, trade, other associations, regulatory agencies and Maker’s Pride staff.

Proficiency in:

• MS Office Suite
• SAP a Plus

Work Environment:

• Frequent production environment exposure which includes noise, dust, heat, cold, moving machinery, forklifts, and slippery floors
• 50% of work in an office setting and 50% will be on the manufacturing floor.
• Handle daily employee issues.

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to use hands and fingers.
• Ability to see, hear and talk.
• Employee frequently required to sit
• Employee daily required to walk, climb and/or balance.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs.
• Walk up to 400 yards to necessary Production areas
• Stand, walk and climb stairs on an infrequent basis.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business/science-related field is preferred, Post-graduate degree a plus. Equivalent work experience as appropriate and approved by Platform Quality Director.
• 3 or more years of related work experience, including 2 or more years of experience managing and leading a Quality and food safety / sanitation staff in a related food or pharma manufacturing environment
• PCQI Certification and/or HACCP Certification is ideal
• Must be detailed-oriented, have strong self-confidence and leadership skills and have excellent oral and written communication skills.
• SPC and Microsoft Suite computer experience
• Audit facilitation experience is needed
• Strong knowledge and understanding of sanitation
• Department budget and KPI management experience

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are legally authorized to work in the location to which they apply.

The pay range for this full-time, salaried position is $85,788 - $128,682/year. Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. The position is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive based on company and individual performance. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, 401k and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment.

This information is provided per the relevant state and local pay transparency laws for the location in which this position will be performed. Base pay information is based on market location.