Location: Royal City, WA (Relocation assistance available)
Work Setting: Onsite, Monday–Friday aligned with production schedule; flexibility required to support audits, production needs, and urgent quality issues
Compensation: $125,500 – $137,500 total compensation (base + bonus)
Benefits: Full medical, dental, vision, 401(k) with employer match, paid time off, holidays, and comprehensive benefits package
Position Summary
The Quality Assurance Manager is a critical leadership role responsible for rebuilding and leading the food safety and quality function within a high-volume food production facility. This position goes beyond maintaining compliance, it is a hands-on turnaround opportunity to strengthen weak processes, establish structure, and restore a culture of accountability and audit readiness.
This role is highly visible across the organization and will directly impact product integrity, regulatory compliance, and overall operational performance. The ideal candidate brings a proactive, systems-driven mindset and thrives in environments where they can assess gaps, implement sustainable solutions, and lead teams through change.
Key Responsibilities
- Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, and FDA/USDA regulations
- Maintain audit readiness for SQF, BRC, and customer audits
- Lead internal and external audit preparation and execution
- Ensure accurate documentation and timely corrective actions
- Quality Systems Management: Rebuild and strengthen quality systems, processes, and documentation
- Oversee document control, specifications, CAPA programs, and supplier approval systems
- Lead internal audits and manage non-conformance investigations
- Establish disciplined, audit-ready recordkeeping practices
- QA Function Turnaround (Core Focus): Assess current gaps and implement structured, sustainable quality processes
- Rebuild systems to ensure consistent audit readiness
- Drive accountability across QA and production teams
- Shift the organization toward a proactive quality culture
- Team Leadership & Development: Lead and develop QA Technicians across microbiology, environmental monitoring, and product quality
- Provide coaching, training, and performance management
- Ensure adherence to SOPs, GMPs, and quality standards
- Training & Culture Building: Develop and deliver food safety and quality training programs
- Reinforce plant-wide ownership of quality and compliance
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement and accountability
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Production, Maintenance, R&D, Supply Chain, and HSE teams
- Address equipment-related quality risks and process improvements
- Support new product development and quality validation efforts
- Audit, Documentation & Reporting: Maintain accurate quality records, logs, and compliance documentation
- Lead customer complaint investigations and root cause analysis
- Track and report quality KPIs to leadership
- Continuous Improvement: Analyze quality trends and implement corrective improvements
- Reduce risk and enhance product quality outcomes
- Introduce new systems, tools, and best practices as needed
Position Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field (or equivalent experience)
- 5+ years of experience in food safety and quality roles
- 2+ years of leadership or supervisory experience
- Strong knowledge of FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, FDA/USDA regulations, and SQF/BRC standards
- Proven experience managing quality systems and audit readiness
- Strong problem-solving, root cause analysis, and decision-making skills
- Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced production environment
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience rebuilding or stabilizing a QA function in a manufacturing environment
- Bilingual English/Spanish
- Experience with quality management systems and reporting tools
Why Join Us?
- High-impact leadership role with the opportunity to rebuild and own the QA function
- Visible position influencing plant-wide operations and long-term success
- Strong leadership support for implementing systems and driving change
- Opportunity to create structure, improve processes, and leave a lasting impact
- Stable, growing food production company with ongoing investment in operations
- Collaborative culture focused on accountability, quality, and continuous improvement