Raw Materials Quality Assurance Associate

Village Farms International; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 42,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company-paid comprehensive benefits

Education assistance

Job summary

Village Farms International is seeking an Associate, Raw Material Quality to oversee QA for raw materials, packaging components, and co-manufactured goods, ensuring compliance with Health Canada Cannabis Regulations and internal QA systems.

The role bridges warehouse operations and QA, with duties ranging from incoming material inspections to disposition, specification maintenance, and supplier qualification support. Strong data trending and documentation skills are essential.

Qualifications

• Degree or Diploma in Quality Assurance, Sciences, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 3 to 5 years in a quality, receiving, or warehouse role within a regulated industry such as cannabis, pharmaceutical, food, or nutraceutical manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of Health Canada Cannabis Regulations, GACP, and GMP principles.
• Working knowledge of quality systems, including document control, change control, deviation management, and CAPA
• Experience with specification management and data trending/reporting an asset
• ERP/inventory system experience required (e.g., Acumatica or similar platform)
• Strong attention to detail and documentation accuracy
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple incoming shipments in a fast-paced environment
• Clear written communication for inspection records, specification documents, and non-conformance reporting.

Responsibilities

• Oversee inspections of incoming raw materials, packaging components, and co-manufactured goods against approved specifications.
• Verify Certificates of Analysis, Certificates of Compliance, and supplier documentation for accuracy and completeness prior to release.
• Assign and update quality status in the inventory/ERP system to avoid production delays.
• Support the development, review, and maintenance of raw material and packaging component specifications.
• Coordinate specification changes through change control and communicate updates to affected stakeholders.
• Support material qualification activities for new or alternate raw materials and packaging components.
• Support supplier qualification activities, including onboarding documentation, qualification status tracking, and supplier audit coordination.
• Maintain the specification library in a current, audit-ready state.
• Monitor storage conditions for raw materials, including temperature/humidity control and FEFO rotation to manage shelf life and expiry.
• Pull, label, and store retention samples for raw materials and packaging components per SOP; maintain retention inventory and manage timely disposal of expired samples.
• Maintain chain of custody and security logs for restricted-access raw material storage.
• Support lot and batch traceability requirements at the point of receipt in the inventory/ERP system.
• Track material and supplier performance data, including rejection rates, non-conformance frequency, and CoA/specification deviations.
• Trend data over time to identify recurring supplier or material issues and surface them proactively
• Prepare periodic reporting summaries for QA and Warehouse leadership, including KPIs such as inspection turnaround time, right-first-time receipt rate, and non-conformance closure rate.
• Identify and flag non-conforming materials at receipt and initiate holds and quarantine actions per SOP.
• Document non-conformances and elevate discrepancies in quantity, documentation, or physical condition for disposition.
• Coordinate with Purchasing and Warehouse on return, rework, or destruction of rejected materials.
• Support CAPA activities and investigations related to raw material or supplier quality issues.
• Act as the quality liaison between Warehouse, Purchasing, Production, and Planning on raw material availability and release status.
• Maintain the dotted-line reporting relationship to Quality Assurance; escape quality risks, disposition disputes, and compliance concerns directly to QA, independent of operational reporting lines.
• Collaborate with external suppliers and co-manufacturers on documentation gaps, specification alignment, and non-conformance resolution.
• Support Supplier Quality Agreements by flagging supplier performance trends to QA and Purchasing.
• Provide day-to-day quality guidance and coaching to warehouse/receiving staff on intake requirements.
• Participate in internal audits and self-inspections related to receiving and warehouse operations

Skills

Quality Control

Documentation accuracy

Attention to detail

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Degree or Diploma in Quality Assurance, Sciences, Supply Chain, or related field

Tools

Acumatica

ERP system experience

Job description

Village Farms International is seeking an Associate, Raw Material Quality to oversee QA for raw materials, packaging components, and co-manufactured goods, ensuring compliance with Health Canada Cannabis Regulations and internal QA systems.

The role bridges warehouse operations and QA, with duties ranging from incoming material inspections to disposition, specification maintenance, and supplier qualification support. Strong data trending and documentation skills are essential.