Quality Technician - 3rd Shift

Thrive Freeze Dry; Oak Creek (WI); On-site; USD 34,440 - 37,195; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

401k with company match

Weekly Pay

Paid time off

Safety shoe program

Job summary

Thrive Freeze Dry in Oak Creek, WI, is hiring a Quality Assurance Technician to help ensure safety, quality, and compliance across our pet food division's new freeze-dry facility. This role blends hands-on QA tasks with data review and collaboration with production teams.

You will inspect materials, record results, perform GMP inspections, and support SQF program requirements, with opportunities to drive improvements and contribute to a fast-growing, safety‑driven company.

Qualifications

• Two years’ experience in field, laboratory, or production facility quality control.
• Experience in food manufacturing or food service highly preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Inspect and sample incoming raw products, ingredients, and packaging materials for conformance.
• Evaluate product returns and issue non-conformance reports as needed.
• Review COAs against specifications and maintain QA sample storage.
• Communicate non-conformances to upper management and support SQF requirements.
• Perform pre-operational and post-operational QA tasks and GMP inspections.
• Document data and support continuous improvement in quality and safety.

Skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Job description

Treat People Well

Job Title: Quality Assurance Technician

Department: Quality and R&D

Get in on the ground floor of our new freeze-dry manufacturing facility! Grow your career into 2025 as a key member of our pet food division as Thrive Freeze Dry expands into the largest freeze-dry manufacturer in the world.

Conveniently located in Oak Creek, WI, we are hiring immediately for a full-time Quality Technician position in our Pet Food Division.

• Position: Food Service Quality Technician
• Location: Ryan Rd & I-94, Oak Creek, WI
• Schedule: 3rd Shift - 5:30pm - 5:30am
• Starting Pay: $25.50.00 - $26.50.00
• Reports to: Quality Assurance Supervisor

About Thrive Freeze Dry

Thrive Foods is a leader in the freeze-dried food industry. Headquartered in American Fork, Utah with plant operations throughout North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Thrive Foods is leading trends in healthy snacking, good for you ingredients and clean label products in growing human food, probiotics, and pet food segments. As a result, Thrive Foods maintains a blue-chip customer list of food service companies, natural food retailers, and well-known brands.

As our company grows so do our dreams. We are team-oriented and committed to safety and food quality and our values are simple. Leading with integrity means we treat people well. In chasing big goals it’s important to do what matters most in order to win together, learning and growing as we do.

Thrive Freeze Dry Values

Lead with Integrity

Treat People Well

Chase Big Goals

Do What Matters Most

Win Together

Learn & Grow

The Quality Assurance Technician plays a vital role in ensuring the safety, quality, and compliance of food products and services within the operation. This position involves recording, monitoring and ensuring the implementation and maintenance of quality assurance standards, procedures, and controls to meet both internal and external requirements. The job entails a blend of technical knowledge, leadership skills, and an understanding of food safety regulations. The ideal candidate is one who is committed to food safety and quality, looks for improvement and is ready to roll up their sleeves with us.

Essential Duties

• Responsible for the inspection and sampling of all incoming raw products, ingredients, and packaging materials, and ensures that the materials are in conformance with established specifications and standards.
• Responsible for inspection and evaluation of product returns. Product returns may be a product that has been rejected due to a customer complaint, incorrect product shipped to a customer, etc. Sampling of incoming raw products, ingredients and packaging materials based on the predetermined sampling plans.
• Evaluation of collected samples based on Thrive Foods’ established specifications and requirements . Issuing incoming materials inspection reports, as well as non-conformance reports for materials that do not conform to specifications; ensuring all incoming material inspection reports are filed properly.
• Communication of non-conformances to upper management. Control and maintenance of incoming QA Sample storage and library of samples to ensure quick retrieval. Review supplier certificates of analysis (COAs) against the Thrive Foods specifications to ensure conformance. Inspection and evaluation of product returns.
• Perform and document all necessary QA tasks related to pre-operational and post-operational inspections.
• Perform cleaning verification swabbing, including executing the site’s Environmental Monitoring Program according to the schedule provided.
• Place high priority on food safety, quality, and sanitation by understanding and executing company food safety and sanitation policies and procedures. Perform and document GMP inspections against those standards.
• Perform data entry in multiple systems as needed.
• Hold self and others accountable to Thrive Foods food safety & sanitation guidelines and policies by communicating and documenting any food safety incident, observation, or opportunity to your leadership team or teammates.
• In the absence of QA Management serves as back-up to ensure all food safety, quality objectives and SQF system requirements are met.

Position Requirements

• Two years’ experience in field, laboratory, or production facility quality control.
• Experience in food manufacturing or food service highly preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate professionally and effectively to internal and external customers.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Good organizational skills.
• Maintain good attendance.

Food Safety Requirements

• Place high priority on food safety, quality, and sanitation by understanding and executing Thrive Food’s food safety and sanitation policies and procedures.
• Hold self and others accountable to Thrive Foods food safety & sanitation guidelines and policies by communicating any food safety incident, observation, or opportunity to your leadership team or teammates.
• In the absence of the QA Manager serves as back-up to ensure all food safety, quality objectives and SQF system requirements are met.

Work Environment

The job is performed under frequent temperature variations and in a food manufacturing production environment and unrestricted visual and audio abilities are required for the safety of all employees as is the ability to lift to 40 lbs. The work requires frequent lifting, carrying, pushing, and/or pulling; frequent stooping, kneeling, crouching, and/or crawling; and some fine finger dexterity. Personal protective equipment is required and provided by Thrive Freeze Dry.

Product Safety And Quality

• Place high priority on food safety, quality, and sanitation by understanding and executing Thrive Freeze Dry’s food safety, quality, and sanitation policies and procedures.
• Hold self and others accountable to Thrive Freeze Dry’s food safety, quality, and sanitation guidelines and policies by communicating any food safety or quality incident, observation, or opportunity to your leadership team or teammates.
• Adheres to and ensures Product Safety and Quality standards are followed.
• Adheres to and ensures GMP’s regarding food contact packaging as it pertains to the employee.
• Adheres to and ensures Thrive’s food safety, product defense standards and quality objectives complies with all SQF system requirements.

Benefits

We offer a full range of benefits for today, tomorrow and beyond!

Health Insurance: Medical (UMR/United Healthcare Network), Dental (Sunlife), Vision (VSP), Health Savings Account (HSA), Employee Assistance Program, (1 st of the month after 30 days of employment)

Supplementary Insurance: Optional Critical Illness and Critical Accident Insurances, Company paid life, short-term and long-term disability insurances

Retirement: 401k w/ employer match, up to 4% annual salary (1 st of the month after 90 days of employment)

Other Benefits: Weekly Pay, Paid time off, Holidays, Safety shoe program, Tuition reimbursement

Thrive Freeze Dry is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. If you'd like more information on your EEO rights under law, please visit www.EEOC.gov.

View all of our current open positions at https://www.thrivefoods.com/careers/