Supplier Quality Assurance Manager

Supplier Quality Assurance Manager

Food Manufacturing

Location: Bolingbrook, IL

Package: $100,000 - $120,000 15%

Ever wondered what goes into your favorite restaurant meal, the chips on your table, or the seasoning that makes them irresistible? Behind every flavor, every texture, every bite — there’s a complex supply chain working in harmony. And right now, that harmony needs a new conductor.

This business is one of the hidden giants of the food world — supplying ingredients, seasonings, and functional blends to the biggest names you know. With five U.S. manufacturing sites and a supplier base that spans thousands of raw materials, they’re on a mission to raise the bar for supplier quality, consistency, and reliability.

That’s where you come in.

As Supplier Quality Assurance Manager, you’ll take ownership of supplier performance across ingredients, packaging, and co-manufactured products. You’ll build the systems and relationships that keep quality risks low and customer confidence high — from auditing and qualification through to onboarding and ongoing improvement.

You’ll lead a small, capable team and play a hands-on role in driving how the business manages its suppliers day-to-day. Sometimes that means jumping on a plane to visit a grower in the desert or a packaging partner struggling to meet spec — seeing the challenge firsthand, and helping them fix it. Other times, it’s about building smarter systems, sharper metrics, and stronger accountability across a network of vendors that touches every part of production.

What’s exciting here is the transformation. The foundations are in place — modern quality systems, new technology, and strong executive support — but the potential is far greater. You’ll work closely with Procurement, R&D, and Operations, influencing how new ingredients are sourced, validated, and launched into the business. It’s a blend of science, process, and partnership.

You’ll need solid experience in supplier quality assurance within U.S. food manufacturing, a working understanding of regulatory frameworks like FDA, USDA, or GFSI, and the confidence to build relationships that balance collaboration with accountability.

If you’re the kind of person who can spot a risk before it becomes a problem, who believes quality starts long before the factory floor, and who gets genuine satisfaction from helping suppliers and teams get it right — this is your opportunity to lead that charge.