Quality Manager

Job Description:

The Quality Manager is responsible for managing Midwest Co-Pack’s quality assurance, food safety, sanitation, and quality compliance programs to ensure products consistently meet customer, regulatory, and company requirements. This position oversees daily quality activities, laboratory operations, sanitation programs, customer quality matters, and the maintenance of required quality systems and certifications.

The Quality Manager works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Commercialization, and Supply Chain to resolve quality issues, support new product launches, maintain audit readiness, and improve manufacturing performance. This role serves as the primary point of contact for customer quality matters and is expected to communicate professionally, make sound decisions, and escalate significant risks or issues to the Director of Quality.

Responsibilities:

Food Safety & Quality Systems

⦁ Manage and maintain the facility’s food safety and quality management systems.

⦁ Ensure compliance with applicable FDA regulations, FSMA requirements, HACCP principles, Preventive Controls, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and customer requirements.

⦁ Maintain quality policies, procedures, work instructions, records, and supporting documentation.

⦁ Manage nonconformances, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), root cause investigations, product holds, and product disposition.

⦁ Maintain audit readiness and support continued compliance with the facility’s BRCGS certification requirements.

⦁ Ensure quality and food safety issues are documented, investigated, and resolved in a timely manner.

Product Quality & Customer Quality

⦁ Oversee laboratory operations and required testing of incoming materials, in-process product, finished product, and environmental samples.

⦁ Review quality data and testing results to identify trends, investigate issues, and support product release decisions.

⦁ Investigate customer complaints, identify root causes, and provide timely, accurate, and professional responses with appropriate corrective actions.

⦁ Maintain customer quality specifications and ensure applicable requirements are communicated and followed throughout the facility.

⦁ Support commercialization activities, including product trials, new product launches, process changes, and customer-specific quality requirements.

⦁ Communicate quality risks and issues clearly to customers and internal stakeholders, escalating significant concerns when necessary.

Sanitation & Certification Programs

⦁ Manage the facility’s sanitation program and ensure cleaning procedures are completed and verified as required.

⦁ Monitor sanitation practices, GMP compliance, housekeeping, and other conditions that may affect food safety or product quality.

⦁ Coordinate customer, regulatory, and third-party certification audits and ensure findings are addressed appropriately.

⦁ Manage the facility’s USDA Organic certification through QAI, including applicable documentation, records, audits, and ongoing compliance.

⦁ Maintain applicable specialty programs, including allergen management, gluten-free requirements, and other requirements where applicable to facility operations and customer products.

⦁ Ensure employees receive appropriate training on sanitation, food safety, quality procedures, and applicable program requirements.

Team Management

⦁ Supervise and manage Quality Technicians and sanitation personnel, including setting priorities, assigning work, and establishing performance expectations.

⦁ Ensure adequate staffing and coverage for quality and sanitation activities across shifts.

⦁ Train employees on applicable procedures and verify that required training and documentation are completed.

⦁ Provide regular feedback, conduct performance reviews, and address performance or training needs.

⦁ Coordinate with Operations and other departments to address quality concerns and ensure consistent execution of procedures.

Continuous Improvement

⦁ Identify opportunities to reduce customer complaints, defects, waste, rework, and quality-related production downtime.

⦁ Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions for recurring or significant quality issues.

⦁ Monitor quality and food safety performance indicators and communicate results, trends, and risks.

⦁ Work with Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, and Commercialization to resolve process issues and support improvements to equipment, procedures, and manufacturing processes.

⦁ Help ensure quality and food safety requirements are incorporated into daily production activities.

Performance Expectations:

⦁ Achieve established Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for food safety, quality, sanitation, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance.

⦁ Successfully maintain compliance with FDA regulations, FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, Preventive Controls, and customer quality requirements.

⦁ Successfully maintain BRC certification and USDA Organic certification while achieving successful outcomes during customer and regulatory audits.

⦁ Reduce customer complaints, internal quality defects, product holds, and quality-related waste through effective quality systems and continuous improvement.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities Required

To perform successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

⦁ Strong leadership, coaching, and employee development skills.

⦁ Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

⦁ Professional presence with the ability to confidently represent Midwest Co-Pack during customer meetings, facility tours, commercialization activities, audits, and regulatory inspections.

⦁ Strong relationship-building skills with the ability to establish credibility and trust with customers, suppliers, certification bodies, auditors, and regulatory agencies.

⦁ Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, including experience with root cause analysis, CAPA, risk assessment, and continuous improvement methodologies.

⦁ Thorough knowledge of FDA regulations, FSMA, HACCP, GMPs, Preventive Controls, sanitation programs, allergen management, environmental monitoring, and food manufacturing quality systems.

⦁ Experience leading BRCGS certification, FDA inspections, customer audits, and USDA Organic certification programs (QAI or equivalent certifying body).

⦁ Ability to interpret customer specifications and translate requirements into effective manufacturing quality systems.

⦁ Ability to balance food safety, quality, customer expectations, and operational priorities through sound risk-based decision making.

⦁ Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to effectively manage multiple priorities.

⦁ Experience with Microsoft Office applications, ERP systems, and quality reporting tools.

⦁ Ability to analyze quality data, identify trends, develop meaningful KPIs, and communicate actionable business insights.

⦁ Ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive improvements without direct authority.

⦁ Ability to maintain confidentiality of operations, records, and proprietary customer information.

Education / Training / Certification \ License Required:

⦁ Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Engineering, or a related field preferred. Equivalent food manufacturing quality experience will be considered.

⦁ Minimum of three (3) years of quality experience in food manufacturing, including responsibility for food safety systems, regulatory compliance, customer quality, and personnel leadership.

⦁ Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) certification required or ability to obtain within one year of hire.

⦁ Proficient knowledge of CFR110, Organics, and FSMA preferred.

⦁ Experience supporting BRCGS certification, USDA Organic certification programs, FDA inspections, and major customer audit programs strongly preferred.

⦁ HACCP certification preferred.

Physical Demands:

On the manufacturing floor the physical demands described are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. (Occasionally=up 33%, Frequently=34-66%, Regularly=more 66%) While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, talk, hear; use hands to grasp, manipulate and handle boxes, bags, pails, controls and supplies; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required include close and distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Benefits:

· A 401k investment for your future

· Vacation time off earned from your 1st day of work!

· 8 paid holidays

· Advancement opportunities

· Health, Dental, Vision

Hours:

· Monday-Friday 6:00 am to 2:00 pm

Work Environment:

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works around food production equipment and moving mechanical parts and may occasionally work near cutting tools. The position is performed in a manufacturing environment where wet or humid conditions may be present due to routine cleaning and sanitation activities. Employees may have limited exposure to standard cleaning and sanitation chemicals used in food production. This role may require climbing ladders or stairs and working in areas where noise levels are moderate to high. Temperature conditions in certain production areas may be warm or cold due to equipment operation and the manufacturing process.

Although this is a fair and accurate description of the duties, knowledge, skills, abilities and working conditions of this position, it is not all inclusive.

Midwest Co-Pack Core Values

“Serving Customers, Supporting Each Other”

The following core values are the basis of our culture and the foundation of Midwest Co-Pack. We reflect these values daily in our attitudes, behaviors, and interactions with others both inside and outside of the company; in doing so our aspirations become reality.

⦁ Enriching Lives

⦁ Midwest Co-Pack exists to serve our customers, our business partners, our communities, and each other. Each has different needs, but are interconnected, and we recognize our responsibility to each.

⦁ Teamwork

⦁ We are a team. We are linked and responsible to each other. We communicate closely and openly. We transmit energy and enthusiasm. We recognize that diversity in opinions and experiences makes our team stronger.

⦁ Ownership

⦁ No matter our position in the organization, we are accountable for our decisions and responsible for the outcomes. We find solutions, not excuses. We constantly strive to work in smarter, faster, and better ways. We take pride in our work.

⦁ Achievement

⦁ We play to win. Winning in the market is the best measure of our success in delighting our consumers. We are driven by results and believe in excellence in all we do. We strive to be better today than we were yesterday.

⦁ Integrity

⦁ At all times we demonstrate trustworthiness and ethics. We conduct our affairs in an atmosphere of mutual respect and dignity. We are genuine in our relationships and authentic to whom we are. We keep our promises.

Pay: $60,000.00 - $70,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person

Salary : $60,000 - $70,000