Quality Manager

Land O'Frost; Lansing (IL); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Land O'Frost is seeking a Quality Manager to lead and strengthen our Quality Management System and food safety programs in a dynamic food manufacturing environment. You will partner with plant leadership, drive continuous improvement, and ensure SQF compliance to deliver high-quality products that meet customer expectations.

The role emphasizes leadership, training, and data-driven decision making to improve processes and product quality across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in Quality or Food Safety within food manufacturing.
• Experience with meat or protein production preferred.
• Relevant degrees or certifications in Food Science or Quality Management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage all components of the Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure SQF and regulatory compliance.
• Establish, maintain, and leverage internal audits to verify SQF programs, SOPs, and standards.
• Oversee third-party audits and regulatory audits with plant leadership.
• Drive process improvements that support plant metrics and cost of quality.
• Identify and mitigate product and process risks through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Utilize VOC data to refine product quality and communicate insights to operations.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to quality and technical teams.
• Develop team capability across quality competencies and support career growth.
• Facilitate training to ensure employees understand food safety and product quality.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align and meet objectives.
• Support internal stakeholders through data analysis and project leadership.

Skills

Quality management

Food safety

Auditing

Continuous improvement

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Food Science

Meat Science

Biology

Quality Management

Job description

We are seeking a Quality Manager to lead and strengthen our Quality Management System and food safety programs within a dynamic food manufacturing environment. This role partners closely with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to drive continuous improvement, ensure regulatory and SQF compliance, and deliver high-quality products that meet customer expectations.

Company

At Land O'Frost, our brands of lunchmeat and specialty sausage products are recognized as one of the nation's best-selling and trusted brands. We have accomplished this through our incredible team of employees who are customer focused, motivated, achievers, developers, and purpose driven. We are seeking more passionate people to join our innovative team.

How YOU will Contribute

• Lead and manage all components of the Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure compliance with SQF, customer, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish, maintain, and leverage the internal audit program to verify compliance with SQF programs, MOPs, SOPs, and other standards.
• Manage and oversee third-party and regulatory audits, partnering with plant leadership to ensure successful outcomes.
• Partner with plant leadership to drive process improvements that support plant and departmental metrics, including Cost of Quality.
• Identify and mitigate product and process risks through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Utilize Voice of the Consumer (VOC) data to refine product quality and communicate actionable insights to operations.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and mentorship to quality and technical teams.
• Develop team capability across quality competencies and support career growth.
• Facilitate training programs to ensure employees understand how their roles impact food safety and product quality.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to drive alignment, resolve challenges, and meet organizational objectives.
• Support internal stakeholders through data analysis, project leadership, and technical expertise.

About YOU

• 5+ years of experience in Quality or Food Safety within food manufacturing.
• Experience in meat or protein production is strongly preferred.
• Preferred fields: Food Science, Biology, Quality Management, Meat Science, or related discipline.