Quality Assurance Manager

📍 Escalon, CA | Full Time | On Site
💲$95,000 to $110,000 annually

Talent Group LLC is partnering with a growing food manufacturing and agricultural processing organization in California’s Central Valley to identify an experienced Quality Assurance Manager.

This is a high impact leadership opportunity for a quality professional who thrives in fast paced production environments and enjoys building scalable systems, improving audit readiness, and driving operational excellence through data and technology.

The ideal candidate will bring deep food safety and FSQA experience, strong analytical capabilities, and the ability to modernize quality systems, documentation, and traceability processes across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Food Safety & Quality Systems

• Lead and maintain all FSQA programs including HACCP, SQF, preventive controls, sanitation, and regulatory compliance
• Serve as SQF Practitioner and oversee audit preparation, execution, corrective actions, and continuous audit readiness
• Manage traceability programs, mock recalls, CCP monitoring, and preventive control verification
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, and customer quality requirements

Quality Analytics & Process Improvement

• Develop and standardize QA documentation, workflows, and reporting processes
• Build measurable quality metrics and dashboards to improve operational visibility and decision making
• Drive modernization of manual QA systems through technology, automation, and structured data practices
• Reduce cycle times related to non conformances, corrective actions, and documentation retrieval

Product Specifications & Compliance

• Maintain finished goods specifications, quality standards, and release criteria
• Oversee laboratory testing and interpretation including moisture, microbiological, aflatoxin, pesticide residue, and related food safety analyses
• Support customer and export compliance documentation requirements
• Manage hold and release programs for non conforming product

Customer Documentation & Cross Functional Support

• Generate and maintain customer facing documentation including COAs, certifications, lab reports, and compliance records
• Partner with Operations, Sales, Logistics, and Planning teams to ensure quality standards are embedded throughout production and fulfillment processes
• Help improve ERP and QA system integration to streamline documentation accuracy and efficiency

Team Leadership

• Supervise QA and sanitation team members
• Lead GMP, food safety, and quality training programs across production departments
• Establish performance expectations tied to measurable quality outcomes and continuous improvement initiatives

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of quality assurance or food safety leadership experience within food manufacturing or agricultural processing
• Strong knowledge of HACCP, SQF, FSMA, preventive controls, sanitation programs, and audit management
• Experience managing FDA and/or USDA audits and corrective action programs
• Data driven mindset with strong process improvement and systems implementation experience
• HACCP certification required
• SQF Practitioner and PCQI certification preferred or ability to obtain shortly after hire
• Proven experience with traceability systems and quality documentation management

Preferred

• Experience within tree nut, walnut, or agricultural processing environments highly preferred
• Familiarity with ERP systems such as Microsoft Business Central
• Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus
• Lean or Six Sigma experience preferred

Work Environment

This is a full time, on site leadership position based in Escalon, California. The role operates within both office and production environments and may require extended hours during peak production or audit periods.

Compensation & Benefits

• Competitive base salary: $95,000 to $110,000 annually
• Health benefits
• Paid time off
• Opportunity to make a significant operational impact within a growing organization

Talent Group LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.