Senior Quality Manager

Maker’s Pride, LLC; Des Plaines (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401k

Wellness benefits

Job summary

Maker’s Pride, LLC in Des Plaines, IL seeks a Quality Assurance and Food Safety leader to direct all QA and food safety activities at the plant. You will coach teams onsite, use lean tools, and ensure compliance with customer, regulatory and certifications requirements.

The role covers HACCP, SQF, PCQI responsibilities, internal audits, RCA/CAPA, and collaboration with plant leadership to improve quality culture and reduce consumer complaints. Travel up to 25% is expected.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business/science-related field; post-graduate degree preferred.
• Five (5) or more years of salaried leadership experience.
• PCQI Certification and/or HACCP Certification.
• Must be detailed-oriented with strong leadership and communication skills.
• SPC and Microsoft Suite computer experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead QA and Food Safety programs including HACCP, Food Safety Plans, and 3rd party certifications.
• Execute internal audit program to maintain audit readiness.
• Participate in Production System requirements and Lean initiatives.
• Lead RCA and CAPA investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Coach QA and Food Safety teams to build bench strength and career paths.
• Collaborate with plant leadership to improve quality culture and reduce complaints.
• Oversee product specifications and regulatory label compliance.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, OSHA, GMP and company policy.
• Oversee environmental monitoring and pathogen control programs.
• Lead Trace and Mock Recall exercises and KPI monitoring.
• Support commercialization teams with process specs and customer requirements.
• SQF Practitioner duties and certification as applicable.
• Travel up to 25%.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Food Safety

Lean Tools

Root Cause Analysis

CAPA

SQF

PCQI

HACCP

Team Coaching

Auditing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business/science-related field

Post-graduate degree preferred

Tools

MS Office Suite

SAP

Job description

Job Description

Posted Tuesday, August 25, 2026 at 5:00 AM

Job Summary

Responsible for leading, maintaining, and executing all aspects of Quality Assurance and Food Safety for the plant. Coach, teach, mentor, and manage the Quality and Food Safety teams onsite. Utilize lean tools and root cause analysis to continuously improve the existing quality system. Ensure all requirements from customers, regulatory, and 3rd party certifications are met and in compliance.

Job Duties

Duties may include, but are not limited to the following

• Manage all Quality and Food Safety programs including HACCP, Food Safety Plans, Food Quality Plans, IA Vulnerability, and Food Defense
• Execute a robust internal audit program to ensure site it always audit ready all the time
• Participate in Maker’s Pride Production System requirements such as Drumbeat, Weekly KPI, Lean Steering Committee, and Tiered Auditing
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) and Corrective Actions/Preventative Action (CAPA) investigations
• Coach, teach, and mentor the QA and Food Safety teams to build bench strength and career paths for employees
• Collaborate with all plant leadership to drive quality culture improvements and consumer complaint reductions
• Coordinate multidisciplinary activities among various team members assuring timely, efficient and cost-effective finality
• Administrate all product specifications and associated floor instructions assuring compliance with regulatory label requirements.
• Ensure food standard compliance with FDA, USDA, OSHA, GMP, and company policy.
• Assess Environmental Monitoring Programs to ensure continued seek and destroy approach to pathogens
• Oversee the Hold and Release program, ensuring proper hold verifications and disposition processes
• Lead Trace and Mock Recall exercises
• Measure and monitor various company KPIs and drive for improvements in key performance areas
• Lead customer QA discussions related to quality or food safety incidents in the plan
• Advise commercialization and production teams on process specifications, process capabilities, and customer requirements to include recipe and sensory
• Support commercialization teams in integrating customer and compliance requirements into internal specifications and critical quality parameters
• SQF Practitioner and PCQI duties
• Trend and analyze data as need to drive improvements in the plant (EMP, Pest Control, Consumer Complaints, etc.)
• Support and oversee all aspects of sanitation, including allergen matrix and control programs, chemical control programs, pest control programs, cleaning validations including all sanitation systems as assigned.
• May perform other functions as needed.

Required Competencies & Knowledge

Knowledge of:

• Intentional Adulteration Vulnerability Assessments
• Preventative control validations
• SMART goal setting and team coaching
• Basic RCA and CAPA tools
• 7 Steps of Sanitation

Skill in

• Team building
• Internal auditing
• Procedure and Standard Work generation
• Demonstrated proficiency in advanced quality statistics, measurement systems analysis
• and continuous improvement required.
• Strong understanding of SQF and its implementation is required. SQF Practitioner
• certification is a plus.
• PCQI/ Food Safety Plans / HACCP Plan development and maintenance

Ability to

• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
• Manage multiple projects at a time
• Direct various program activities within the plant
• Influence Quality Culture behaviors
• Recognize food safety & quality gaps and provide a plan to address
• Work collaboratively with all departments
• Ensure collaborative relationships with industry, trade, other associations, regulatory agencies and Hearthside staff.

Proficiency in

MS Office Suite, SAP a Plus

• Frequent production environment exposure which includes noise, dust, heat, cold, moving machinery, fork lifts, and slippery floors
• 50% of work in an office setting
• Handle daily employee issues.
• Travel up to +25%

Physical Requirements

• Ability to use hands and fingers.
• Ability to see, hear and talk.
• Employee frequently required to sit
• Employee daily required to walk, climb and/or balance.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 lbs.
• Walk up to 400 yards to work and break areas.
• Stand, walk and climb stairs on an infrequent basis.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business/science-related field and post-graduate degree a preferred.
• Five (5) or more years of salaried leadership experience.
• PCQI Certification and/or HACCP Certification
• Must be detailed-oriented, have strong self-confidence and leadership skills and have excellent oral and written communication skills.
• SPC and Microsoft Suite computer experience

Sponsorship for work authorization is not available for this position. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are legally authorized to work in the location to which they apply.

The pay range for this full-time, salaried position is $110,152 - $165,228/year. Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. The position is eligible for a discretionary annual incentive based on company and individual performance. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, 401k and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment.

This information is provided per the relevant state and local pay transparency laws for the location in which this position will be performed. Base pay information is based on market location.

Maker's Pride is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Maker's Pride is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Des Plaines - Bldg 1 & 2, 1938 S Wolf Road, Des Plaines, Illinois, United States of America