Quality Manager

Job Title: Quality Assurance Manager

Location: Midwest U.S. 

Position Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced, high-energy Quality Assurance Manager to lead the food safety and quality operations at our large-scale pork processing facility located in the Midwest. Processing between 19,000 and 20,000 hogs per day across a fast-paced, two-shift operation, this facility requires a hands-on leader who thrives in a high-volume environment.  

As the QA Manager, you will oversee all food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance protocols. You will directly manage a team of 4 QA Supervisors (spanning day and night shifts) and a team of floor technicians, fostering a proactive safety culture. Crucially, you will lead the plant’s compliance under the USDA HAMP (Hog Automated Inspection Model Project) / NSIS framework and maintain our comprehensive SQF (Safe Quality Food) program.

Key Responsibilities

• Regulatory Compliance: Serve as the primary point of contact for USDA-FSIS personnel. Manage and defend the plant's food safety programs under the USDA HAMP / NSIS model, ensuring rigorous company-conducted sorting and statistical process control at high line speeds.

• Team Leadership: Provide strategic direction and daily mentorship to 4 QA Supervisors (2 dayshift / 2 nightshift) and floor QA technicians. Ensure seamless communication and continuity across both operational shifts.

• SQF & Food Safety Systems: Act as the designated SQF Practitioner for the facility. Maintain, audit, and continuously improve SQF code compliance, HACCP, SSOPs, and environmental monitoring programs.

• Process Oversight: Oversee pre-operational and operational sanitation inspections, humane handling validation, and microbiological product sampling.

• Continuous Improvement: Partner closely with the Plant Manager and Production team to identify root causes of quality or food safety deviations. Implement robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

• Audit Readiness: Keep the facility in a constant state of audit-readiness for third-party, customer, and regulatory inspections.

Qualifications & Experience

• Industry Experience: Minimum of 3–5 years of QA/QC leadership experience specifically within a pork processing/slaughter facility.

• High-Volume Familiarity: Proven track record working in large-scale harvest facilities handling high daily headcounts (~15k+ daily volume preferred).

• Regulatory Expertise: Deep operational understanding of the USDA HAMP program or the New Swine Inspection System (NSIS).

• Certifications: Current SQF Practitioner certification and HACCP certification are highly preferred.

• Leadership Style: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to effectively manage a dual-shift team, handle high-pressure environments, and build collaborative relationships with plant operations and federal inspectors.