Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead

IML Labels; Aurora (IL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

IML Labels is seeking a Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead to guide the QA program across label production, ensuring products meet quality and regulatory requirements.

The role focuses on maintaining the Quality Management System, preparing for FSSC 22000 certification, leading internal audits, CAPA, supplier quality, and customer complaint investigations, and collaborating with production and management to drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Senior QA lead with experience in quality management systems and audits.
• Experience with food safety standards and regulatory requirements.
• Strong collaboration with production, maintenance, and supply chain.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a senior quality resource for Production and provide guidance on quality-related concerns.
• Support and substitute for Quality Technicians when required to respond to production floor quality needs.
• Make or support quality disposition decisions regarding non-conforming raw materials, work-in-process, semi-finished goods, and finished products.
• Determine appropriate containment, segregation, inspection, sorting, rework, or disposition of non-conforming products.
• Provide Production with required information, standards, samples, or instructions when sorting or inspection activities are required.
• Support Technical and Production teams with quality assurance testing and product evaluations.
• Monitor recurring quality issues and identify opportunities for corrective action and process improvement.
• Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of a Quality Management System (including certification readiness).
• Coordinate and participate in internal audits related to quality, production processes, documentation, and regulatory requirements.
• Assist during external audits by gathering documentation and coordinating follow-up actions.
• Identify gaps within the Quality and Food Safety Management System and recommend improvements.
• Support ongoing compliance with food safety programs and prerequisite programs.

Job description

Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead

Role Summary

The Senior Quality Assurance Specialist / Quality Lead is responsible for supporting and leading the overall quality assurance process within label production, including decisions related to suspected or non-conforming raw materials, semi-finished goods, and finished products. This position plays a key role in ensuring that products meet established quality, food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements while supporting continuous improvement and customer satisfaction. The role will have increased responsibility for the maintenance and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System, including FSSC 22000 certification requirements, internal audits, external certification audits, corrective and preventive actions, root cause investigations, and audit readiness. The Senior Quality Assurance Specialist will work closely with Production, Technical, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Management to ensure quality and food safety standards are consistently maintained.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Assurance & Production Support

• Serve as a senior quality resource for Production and provide guidance on quality-related concerns.
• Support and substitute for Quality Technicians when required to respond to production floor quality needs.
• Make or support quality disposition decisions regarding non-conforming raw materials, work-in-process, semi-finished goods, and finished products.
• Determine appropriate containment, segregation, inspection, sorting, rework, or disposition of non-conforming products.
• Provide Production with required information, standards, samples, or instructions when sorting or inspection activities are required.
• Support Technical and Production teams with quality assurance testing and product evaluations.
• Monitor recurring quality issues and identify opportunities for corrective action and process improvement.

FSSC 22000 / Quality & Food Safety Management System

• Support the maintenance and continuous improvement of the site's FSSC 22000 Food Safety Management System.
• Participate in maintaining the facility's readiness for FSSC 22000 certification and surveillance audits.
• Coordinate and participate in internal audits related to food safety, quality systems, production processes, documentation, and regulatory requirements.
• Support preparation for external certification, customer, and regulatory audits.
• Assist during external audits by gathering documentation, providing evidence, responding to auditor requests, and coordinating follow-up activities.
• Track audit findings, observations, and non-conformities through closure.
• Support corrective action plans resulting from internal audits, external audits, customer audits, and certification audits.
• Verify that corrective actions are properly implemented and effective.
• Support ongoing compliance with established food safety programs, prerequisite programs, procedures, work instructions, and quality standards.
• Identify gaps within the Quality and Food Safety Management System and recommend improvements.
• Support management in maintaining audit readiness throughout the year rather than preparing only immediately before an audit.

Internal Audits & Corrective Actions

• Develop and maintain the internal quality audit schedule in coordination with the Quality Management team.
• Plan, conduct, document, and follow up on internal audits.
• Perform product, process, procedural, and system audits.
• Analyze audit findings and non-conformity reports.
• Participate in and facilitate root cause investigations.
• Lead or support corrective and preventive action activities.
• Work with responsible departments to establish corrective action plans, responsibilities, and completion dates.
• Verify corrective action effectiveness before closing findings.
• Escalate overdue or ineffective corrective actions to Quality Management.
• Maintain accurate audit and corrective action records within the applicable electronic systems.

Customer Complaints

• Review and respond to customer quality complaints and documentation requests.
• Lead or support investigations into customer complaints.
• Collect production records, samples, quality data, and supporting documentation required for investigations.
• Perform root cause analysis in partnership with Production and Technical teams.
• Develop corrective actions addressing identified root causes.
• Enter customer complaints and corrective actions into the electronic X3 Web system.
• Monitor customer complaints through completion and closure.
• Prepare professional customer responses and supporting quality documentation.
• Identify recurring complaint trends and recommend preventive actions.

Supplier Quality

• Investigate supplier-related quality issues.
• Document supplier complaints and non-conformities in the appropriate systems.
• Prepare supplier claims and supporting documentation.
• Communicate quality concerns and required corrective actions to suppliers when appropriate.
• Monitor supplier corrective actions and verify effectiveness where applicable.
• Support supplier performance reviews and quality improvement activities.

Measuring Instruments & Calibration

• Support the management of measuring and testing equipment.
• Maintain calibration schedules and calibration documentation.
• Verify that measuring instruments used for product acceptance remain within required calibration periods.
• Assist the responsible Process Manager with calibration procedures, records, and equipment controls.
• Identify and elevate expired, damaged, or potentially inaccurate measuring equipment.