Quality Assurance Manager- Dairy
- $140,000 - $160,000
- Scioto Mills, IL
Own quality at a growing dairy plant, report straight to the COO, and build the team your way.
A bit about us:
About Us
We're an established, family-rooted food manufacturer making specialty cheese and dairy products for retail and foodservice customers across the country. Our plant just west of Freeport, IL runs three shifts and keeps growing, and we've built our name on consistent quality and people who take pride in what they make.
We're an established, family-rooted food manufacturer making specialty cheese and dairy products for retail and foodservice customers across the country. Our plant just west of Freeport, IL runs three shifts and keeps growing, and we've built our name on consistent quality and people who take pride in what they make.
Why join us?
Why Join Us
- You'll own quality for the whole plant and report straight to the COO, with no layers between you and the people who make decisions
- You'll build the team and the programs your way, not just keep someone else's running
- We're growing, adding capacity, and investing in equipment and people, so your work will show up in real results
- We're a close, family-rooted company where leadership knows your name and your ideas get heard
- We're known for quality, and we back that up with real resources
- Competitive base salary, annual bonus, and full benefits
- A stable, long-tenured team in a growing part of the food industry
Job Details
Quality Assurance Manager
Lead food safety and quality for a growing dairy plant, and report directly to the COO.
About Us
We're an established, family-rooted food manufacturer making specialty cheese and dairy products for retail and foodservice customers across the country. Our plant just west of Freeport, IL runs three shifts and keeps growing, and we've built our name on consistent quality and people who take pride in what they make.
Why Join Us
Job Details
Position: Quality Assurance Manager
Location: Near Freeport, IL (on site)
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Schedule: Full time, on site, with presence across all shifts as needed
What You'll Do
What You'll Bring
Zip Code: 61044
Keywords: Quality Assurance Manager, SQF, Food Safety
Lead food safety and quality for a growing dairy plant, and report directly to the COO.
About Us
We're an established, family-rooted food manufacturer making specialty cheese and dairy products for retail and foodservice customers across the country. Our plant just west of Freeport, IL runs three shifts and keeps growing, and we've built our name on consistent quality and people who take pride in what they make.
Why Join Us
- Own the quality function, with a direct line to the COO and a real voice in how the plant runs
- Build and shape the team and programs instead of just maintaining them
- Join a company that's investing in its people, equipment, and capacity
- Small company feel where your work is seen and your decisions matter
- Competitive base salary, bonus, and full benefits
Job Details
Position: Quality Assurance Manager
Location: Near Freeport, IL (on site)
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer
Schedule: Full time, on site, with presence across all shifts as needed
What You'll Do
- Lead the plant's food safety and quality programs, including SQF, HACCP, GMPs, prerequisite programs, and FSMA preventive controls
- Manage, train, and develop the QA team, including the Assistant QA Manager, QA technicians, and lab staff
- Serve as SQF Practitioner and lead customer, third party, and regulatory audits from preparation through corrective action closeout
- Act as the plant's main contact with state and federal dairy inspectors
- Oversee raw milk receiving, in process testing, finished product release, and lab programs (micro, chemistry, and sensory)
- Own environmental monitoring, including pathogen sampling, trending, and corrective actions
- Manage sanitation verification, allergen control, foreign material control, and the pest control program
- Lead complaint investigations, root cause analysis, CAPA, holds, and recall and traceability exercises
- Maintain specifications, labels, and documentation, and approve and monitor suppliers
- Partner with production, maintenance, and sanitation leaders on all shifts to build a strong food safety culture on the floor
- Track and report quality KPIs to leadership and drive continuous improvement
What You'll Bring
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Dairy Science, Microbiology, or a related field
- 5+ years of quality experience in food manufacturing, with at least 2 years leading a QA team
- Dairy or cheese plant experience strongly preferred
- Hands on SQF experience; SQF Practitioner, HACCP, and PCQI certifications preferred
- Experience hosting regulatory and customer audits with strong results
- Working knowledge of FDA, FSMA, PMO, and state dairy regulations
- A leader who's visible on the floor and comfortable across a three shift operation
- Bilingual in English and Spanish is a strong plus
Zip Code: 61044
Keywords: Quality Assurance Manager, SQF, Food Safety
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Sometimes Jobot is required to perform background checks with your authorization. Jobot will consider qualified candidates with criminal histories in a manner consistent with any applicable federal, state, or local law regarding criminal backgrounds, including but not limited to the Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring and the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.
Information collected and processed as part of your Jobot candidate profile, and any job applications, resumes, or other information you choose to submit is subject to Jobot's Privacy Policy, as well as the Jobot California Worker Privacy Notice and Jobot Notice Regarding Automated Employment Decision Tools which are available at jobot.com/legal.
By applying for this job, you agree to receive calls, AI-generated calls, text messages, or emails from Jobot, and/or its agents and contracted partners. Frequency varies for text messages. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can reply STOP to cancel and HELP for help. You can access our privacy policy here: jobot.com/privacy-policy