QA Specialist- Asian Food Industry- Prefer Japanese, Chinese, Korean bilingual skills
A leading food importer and distributor is seeking a QA Specialist to protect product safety, regulatory compliance, traceability, and brand integrity across a multi-branch operation. This position owns HACCP programs, supplier audits, imported-product labeling, sanitation, customer documentation, complaint investigations, and inspection readiness.
The strongest candidate will have food quality or food-safety experience within importing, distribution, manufacturing, warehousing, or grocery supply chain. Japanese or broader Asian food experience is highly preferred, and business-level Japanese is valuable for reviewing product labels and ingredients.
Location: El Monte, California
Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., with a one-hour lunch
Work Setting: Onsite office and warehouse environment, with supplier and branch travel
Role Type: Direct hire
Compensation: $72,000-$92,000 in annual total compensation, including a performance-based bonus opportunity; bonus is not guaranteed
Relocation Assistance: May be considered for the right candidate
Benefits
- Company-paid health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
- Company-paid life insurance.
- 401(k) plan with company match.
These benefits match the current role listing for the El Monte position. QA Specialist listing
Responsibilities
- Implement and monitor HACCP, sanitation, GMP/GDP, food-defense, recall, allergen-control, and supplier-verification programs.
- Conduct supplier food-safety audits, document hazards, and follow corrective actions through closure.
- Maintain specifications, COAs, laboratory results, guarantees, audit records, calibration documentation, and customer questionnaires.
- Oversee warehouse sanitation and pest-control programs.
- Review imported-product labels, ingredients, and allergens for federal and state compliance.
- Investigate complaints, determine root cause, and execute corrective and preventive actions.
- Maintain and improve quality systems, SOPs, policies, forms, metrics, and training across company branches.
- Coordinate with the FDA, USDA, and local health departments during inspections.
- Support sales teams with regulatory documentation and customer QA requests.
- Travel to suppliers and branches and participate in occasional company events and semiannual weekend inventory.
Qualifications
- Business-level English.
- Working knowledge of HACCP, GMP/GDP, sanitation, allergens, recalls, traceability, and supplier controls.
- Strong QA, supplier, audit, product, and regulatory documentation experience.
- Ability to research food regulations and translate requirements into procedures.
- Intermediate Microsoft Office skills and familiarity with Business Central, SAP, or another ERP.
- Ability to work onsite, travel by car or airplane, and occasionally lift up to 25 pounds.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or a related field.
- Three or more years of food QA, food safety, supplier quality, or regulatory experience.
- Japanese or broader Asian food-industry experience.
- Business-level Japanese and Japanese-label review capability.
- HACCP, GMP, PCQI, SQF, or comparable food-safety training.