Quality Assurance Lead

Lead Food Safety. Drive Quality. Make an Impact.

Are you passionate about food safety and quality excellence? Do you thrive in a fast-paced manufacturing environment where your expertise directly impacts product integrity and consumer trust? We are seeking a Quality Assurance Lead to help champion our food safety culture, support our growing operations, and lead a team dedicated to delivering high-quality products every day.

This is an exciting opportunity for a quality professional who enjoys being hands-on on the production floor, mentoring team members, and partnering across departments to continuously improve food safety and quality systems.

About the Role

As the Quality Assurance Lead, you will play a key leadership role in ensuring our products consistently meet regulatory requirements, customer expectations, and internal quality standards. You will oversee quality monitoring activities, environmental and allergen testing programs, equipment calibrations, and documentation processes while providing guidance and support to QA Technicians.

Success in this role requires strong technical knowledge, sound decision-making abilities, and a commitment to creating a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.

What You"ll Do

Food Safety & Quality Oversight

• Lead quality assurance activities on the production floor to ensure compliance with food safety regulations and company standards.
• Monitor production processes and verify adherence to product specifications, quality requirements, and food safety protocols.
• Perform daily calibrations of scales, thermometers, and other quality-related equipment to ensure accurate measurements.
• Investigate and resolve quality deviations, equipment issues, and out-of-specification findings.
• Escalate critical food safety concerns, including Critical Control Point (CCP) deviations, for immediate corrective action.

Testing & Verification

• Conduct and support environmental monitoring activities, including environmental swabbing programs.
• Perform ATP verification and allergen testing while maintaining accurate documentation of results.
• Troubleshoot issues identified during testing and implement corrective actions to reduce food safety risks.

Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain thorough and accurate quality records to support traceability, audits, and regulatory compliance.
• Verify completion and accuracy of production records, line checks, inspection reports, and quality documentation.
• Support internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Document product holds, quality incidents, and corrective actions in accordance with company procedures.

Leadership & Team Development

• Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to Quality Assurance Technicians.
• Conduct onboarding, training, and retraining activities related to food safety and quality standards.
• Identify development opportunities and help build technical capabilities across the QA team.
• Make informed decisions regarding product disposition, inspections, and quality-related concerns.

Continuous Improvement

• Partner with Production, Operations, and other departments to resolve quality issues and prevent recurrence.
• Support initiatives that strengthen food safety programs, improve operational performance, and enhance product quality.
• Contribute ideas and recommendations in an environment that values collaboration and innovation.

What We"re Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 2-3 years of Quality Assurance experience within food manufacturing.
• 3+ years of overall food manufacturing experience, ideally within bakery, pizza, or related food production environments.
• 1+ year of leadership or supervisory experience with demonstrated success leading teams.
• Associate degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, quality systems, and audit requirements.
• Understanding of HACCP principles and Preventive Controls for Human Food (PCQI) requirements.
• Experience conducting calibrations, environmental monitoring, ATP testing, and allergen verification.
• Excellent documentation, communication, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to confidently enforce food safety standards and make quality-related decisions in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bakery or pizza manufacturing experience.
• PCQI and/or HACCP certification.
• Educational background or coursework in Chemistry, Food Science, Microbiology, or related disciplines.
• Experience supporting audits, regulatory inspections, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Why Join Us?

Growth Opportunities - Advance your career in a growing organization that invests in employee development.

Professional Certifications - Gain opportunities to earn valuable industry certifications such as PCQI and HACCP.

Leadership Exposure - Work in a transparent, open-door culture where leadership is accessible and employee input is valued.

Meaningful Impact - Play a critical role in protecting consumers and maintaining the highest food safety standards.

Collaborative Environment - Be part of a team committed to quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Work Environment & Schedule

• Shift: Second Shift (Typically 2:00 PM - 10:30 PM)
• Shift Differential: Available for second and third shifts
• Work within a modern food manufacturing environment producing pizza and bakery products.
• Split your time between the production floor and QA office areas conducting inspections, testing, documentation, and team support.
• Join a collaborative quality team consisting of Quality Technicians, a Quality Supervisor, and the Quality Assurance Lead.

Ready to Take the Lead in Quality Excellence?

If you"re a quality-focused leader who is passionate about food safety, team development, and continuous improvement, we"d love to hear from you. Apply today and help us deliver safe, high-quality products that customers can trust.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Bourbonnais, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $23.00 - $25.00/hr.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Bourbonnais,IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Jul 30, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.