Senior Vendor QA Technologist — On‑Site Topeka, KS

The Honest Kitchen Inc; Topeka (KS); On-site; USD 85,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited vacation

401K with employer match

Pet-friendly offices

Volunteer time off

Donations matching

Job summary

The Honest Kitchen Inc seeks a Senior Vendor QA Technologist to lead the Vendor Quality Program, manage COAs, and monitor supplier performance from our Topeka, KS facility. You will drive specifications, audits and SCAR/NCR processes with cross-functional teams.

This on-site role requires strong QA background in food or pet food, collaboration with R&D, Procurement and Operations, and travel up to 15% for supplier assessments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry or related field, or 2+ years of equivalent quality assurance experience.
• Food or pet food supplier quality experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, train and implement elements of the Vendor Quality Program, including procedures, forms and work instructions for specifications, COA review, vendor approval, material performance and SCAR/NCR.
• Train THK Quality, Receiving, Procurement and R&D partners on vendor quality procedures and requirements.
• Review program effectiveness and recommend improvements to the Director of Quality.
• Strengthen internal THK material specifications so they reflect THK quality, food safety and regulatory needs.
• Create and maintain material specifications in THK format.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment on specifications with Quality, R&D, Procurement and Operations partners, support approval and sign-off, and keep versions controlled with Quality Systems.
• Identify COA requirements for each ingredient category, aligned to material risk and THK specifications.
• Communicate COA requirements to suppliers and build them into specifications and supplier agreements.
• Review supplier COAs against specifications before material use or release, and flag deviations.
• Use AI-assisted COA review tools as they are implemented.
• Monitor compliance of COAs and material performance to THK specifications, and trend results by ingredient and supplier.
• Monitor incoming material status, holds, non-conforming material and shelf life across THM and co-manufacturers.
• Verify APHIS and export-related ingredient documentation with Regulatory.
• Collect and review supplier documentation (GFSI certificates, audit reports, allergen statements, FSVP records, questionnaires) in SafeFood360.
• Maintain the approved supplier list and re-approval schedule, and meet review turnaround targets for new and trial ingredients.
• Track expiring certificates and documents,and follow up with suppliers before they lapse.
• Compile supplier performance data and scorecards.
• Develop, train and implement a comprehensive Material Performance Program
• Issue and track non-conformance reports (NCRs) and supplier corrective action requests (SCARs).
• Review supplier root cause and corrective action responses and verify effectiveness.
• Perform other duties as required to support the Quality team or internal stakeholders.

Skills

Attention to detail

Organized

Clear communication

MS Office

Smartsheet

Supplier management systems

Love animals

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or related

2+ years QA experience

Tools

SafeFood360

Job description

The Honest Kitchen Inc seeks a Senior Vendor QA Technologist to lead the Vendor Quality Program, manage COAs, and monitor supplier performance from our Topeka, KS facility. You will drive specifications, audits and SCAR/NCR processes with cross-functional teams.

This on-site role requires strong QA background in food or pet food, collaboration with R&D, Procurement and Operations, and travel up to 15% for supplier assessments.