Quality Manager

On Target Executive Search, A Division Of On Target Staffing LLC; New York (NY); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

On Target Executive Search seeks a hands-on Quality Manager for a Ulster County bottling facility specializing in juice or dairy products. You will own QA across production, from raw materials to finished goods, ensuring food safety compliance and leading a cross-trained QA/QC team on all shifts.

The role includes supplier quality oversight, calibration management, packaging inspection, and leading HACCP/GFSI/SQF audits. Strong leadership and regulatory experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Quality Management, or related field.
• 5+ years of Quality Assurance leadership experience in manufacturing, preferably beverage.
• Experience in high-speed bottling, beverage, food, or CPG manufacturing; blow-molded PET packaging and hot-fill/cold-fill process validation preferred.
• SQF Practitioner and HACCP certification required; PCQI certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Quality department across all shifts, reviewing daily quality documentation and quarantining affected product.
• Oversee incoming raw material and ingredient inspection and manage supplier quality, including COA verification and approved vendor qualification.
• Manage calibration programs and records for all quality-related equipment.
• Own process and product quality across in-house bottle manufacturing and hot-fill/cold-fill production, including temperature/hold-time verification and package integrity checks.
• Lead sanitation paperwork and verification, including pre-operational inspections and sanitation schedule adherence.
• Lead flavor and sensory taste trials and maintain shelf-life/stability testing program.
• Partner with Production and Maintenance to ensure yields and product specs; resolve customer complaints via root cause and CAPA.

Skills

Leadership

Auditing

Food safety

Education

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Quality Management, or related field

Tools

HACCP

SQF Practitioner

PCQI

Job description

Quality Manager-MUST COME FROM JUICE OR DAIRY INDUSTRY

Location: Ulster County, New York

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on, and detail-oriented Quality Manager to lead the entire Quality department for our bottling facility, which operates both hot-fill and cold-fill production lines and manufactures its own PET bottles in-house via blow molding. This role owns quality across the full production day - from incoming raw materials and in-house bottle manufacturing through filling, packaging, and finished goods release - and is accountable for food safety compliance, calibration, sanitation verification, customer and regulatory audit readiness, and leading a cross-trained QA/QC team across all shifts.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Quality department across all shifts, reviewing daily quality documentation covering the entire production day, ensuring quality issues are communicated promptly (including to night shift), and that affected product is quarantined pending disposition.
• Oversee incoming raw material and ingredient inspection and manage the supplier quality program, including specification and COA verification and approved vendor qualification.
• Manage calibration programs and records for all quality-related equipment.
• Own process and product quality across in-house bottle manufacturing (blow molding, including preform and blown-bottle inspection) and both hot-fill and cold-fill production, including fill temperature/hold-time verification and CO2/package integrity checks.
• Oversee sanitation paperwork and verification, including pre-operational inspections and master sanitation schedule adherence.
• Lead flavor and sensory taste trials and maintain a shelf-life/stability testing program.
• Partner with Production and Maintenance to ensure yields and product specifications consistently meet expectations, and ensure customer complaints are reviewed and resolved through root cause investigation and CAPA activities.
• Understand and operate coding equipment, and own monitoring and verification of Critical Control Points (CCPs) under the HACCP plan.
• Lead all audits - customer, regulatory, and third-party GFSI/SQF - maintaining continuous audit readiness.
• Maintain food safety and regulatory compliance programs, including foreign material control, environmental monitoring, allergen control, and labeling/claims accuracy.
• Recruit, cross-train, and develop QA/QC staff, and prepare quality reporting and KPIs for plant leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Biology, Engineering, Quality Management, or related field.
• 5+ years of Quality Assurance leadership experience in manufacturing environment, preferably beverage manufacturing.
• Experience in high-speed bottling, beverage, food, or CPG manufacturing preferred; experience with blow-molded PET packaging and hot-fill/cold-fill process validation strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of quality systems, food safety, calibration, and production quality management.
• SQF Practitioner and HACCP certification required; PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) certification preferred.