Adjudication, Agriculture, Analysis Skills, Communication Skills, Continuous Improvement, Corrective Action, Database Administration, Detail Oriented, Document Management, Documentation, Documentation Standards, E Programming Language, Establish Priorities, FDA Requirements, Flexible Spending Accounts, Food Delivery, Food Microbiology, Food Production, Food Quality, Food Safety, Food Science, Hazard Analysis, Health Plan, Ingredient Selection, Internal Audit, Leadership, Legal, Medical Conditions, Medical Genetics, Onboarding, Organizational Skills, Performance Analysis, Problem Solving Skills, Process Development, Product Planning, Product/Service Launch, Project/Program Coordination, Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Quality Metrics, Regulatory Compliance, Regulatory Requirements, Requirements Management, Restaurant, Risk, Safety Training, Sales Qualification, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), Standards Development, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Systems Maintenance, Team Player, Time Management, Traceability, Trend Analysis, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Vendor/Supplier Evaluation, Vendor/Supplier Management, Vendor/Supplier Selection, Willing to Travel
Quality Assurance Specialist
Location: Los Angeles, CA (In-Office)
Travel: Up to 25% of the time
Sweetgreen is on a mission to build healthy communities by connecting people to real food. We passionately believe that real food should be convenient and accessible to everyone. Every day in each sweetgreen, our 5,000 team members make food from scratch, using fresh ingredients and produce delivered that morning. And in our local communities, we're committed to leaving people better than we found them. We're in the business of feeding people, and we're out to change what that means. Our teams are our most valuable ingredient, the heart of our company, the face of our brand, and what truly makes the sweetgreen experience special and unique.
Sweetgreen's Supply Chain Quality Assurance program is organized around five pillars: Specification Management, Supplier Qualification, Audit & Compliance, HACCP & CTQ, and Regulatory Compliance. At Sweetgreen, Quality sets the standards, and business teams own compliance.
The Quality Assurance Specialist is an individual contributor on the Supply Chain Quality Assurance team and the program's hands-on executor across all five quality pillars. The idea candidate will have experience turning category quality strategy into day-to-day execution, developing and maintaining specifications, processing supplier qualification documentation, coordinating audits and corrective actions, and supporting culinary hand-offs. This person will ensure the underlying records, specs, and compliance activities are accurate, complete, and on schedule. We are looking for a detail-oriented quality professional with strong fundamentals in food science, a collaborative mindset, and a passion for real food.
You will:
- Own and continuously evolve the ingredient and finished product specification and CTQ frameworks across the portfolio, setting the standards and methods that ensure accuracy, completeness, and alignment with Sweetgreen's quality standards, regulatory requirements, and culinary intent (Specification Management)
- Lead the supplier qualification process end-to-end, independently reviewing onboarding documentation, third-party audits, HACCP and Food Safety Plans, product specs, and allergen declarations, and making supplier approval recommendations (Supplier Qualification)
- Drive the supplier audit and compliance program, coordinating third-party and internal audits, adjudicating corrective actions to closure, and maintaining audit standards, schedules, and documentation (Audit & Compliance)
- Serve as the subject matter expert for HACCP and CTQ programs, conducting hazard analyses, defining critical control point documentation, and leading verification activities related to ingredient and supplier risk (HACCP & CTQ)
- Own Sweetgreen's regulatory compliance activities, including label and allergen review, FSMA 204 traceability documentation, and ingredient attribute standards (Regulatory Compliance)
- Lead the culinary hand-off process from supplier to restaurant, partnering with the Culinary and Supply Management teams to ensure new and modified ingredients meet quality, food safety, and operational requirements before launch
- Establish and maintain QA documentation systems and standards, including supplier certificates of analysis (COAs), letters of guarantee, allergen statements, and compliance records
- Analyze supplier quality performance using data from FoodLogiQ and other quality management systems, identifying trends and independently driving issues to resolution
- Develop process documentation, SOPs, and quality system enhancements, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the QA function's methods and techniques and supporting LTO and new product introduction (NPI) timelines
Desired traits:
- A subject matter expert who takes full ownership of specifications, documentation, and compliance activities with thoroughness and precision
- An independent operator who can prioritize and drive multiple workstreams across audits, specifications, and culinary
- A strong communicator who partners effectively across Culinary, Supply Management, and Operations to translate quality requirements into practical execution
- A food safety advocate with deep curiosity about ingredients, sourcing, and what it takes to deliver real food at scale
- A sustainability-minded professional with an interest in responsible sourcing, including regenerative agriculture, animal welfare standards, and greenhouse gas emissions reduction
- A continuous improvement mindset, comfortable with developing new standards, methods, and tools that strengthen the QA function
- This role requires spending up to 25% of the time traveling to visit suppliers, co-manufacturers, and distribution facilities
Desired experience:
- 4-5 years of experience in food quality assurance, food safety, or a related role within food manufacturing, foodservice, or restaurant supply chain; Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field, or equivalent work experience
- Demonstrated expertise in ingredient specification development and management, including COAs, allergen documentation, and nutritional labeling
- Experience leading or supporting supplier audit programs (SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000, or similar) and corrective action tracking
- Working knowledge of HACCP principles, food safety regulations (FDA, USDA), and quality management systems
- Strong organizational skills with proficiency in managing documentation, databases, and quality tracking tools; experience with FoodLogiQ or similar platforms preferred
- Exposure to culinary development processes, new product launches, or menu innovation within a restaurant or foodservice environment is highly preferred
What you'll get:
- Highly competitive pay + bonus plan
- Three different medical plans to suit your and your family's needs
- Dental and Vision insurance
- Flexible PTO plan
- 401k program
- Employee HSA and FSA
- Complimentary greens
- An opportunity to make a real impact on the people around you, both by growing them and by connecting them to real food
- To live the sweetlife and celebrate your passion + purpose
- A collaborative team of people who live our core values and have your back
- A clear career path with opportunities for development, both personally and professionally
- Free sweetgreen swag
Come join the sweetlife!
About sweetgreen
Sweetgreen is a national restaurant brand dedicated to building healthier communities by connecting people to real food. Since 2007, Sweetgreen has reimagined fast food to be fresh, flavorful, and rooted in relationships with farmers and communities. As we grow, we are committed to developing our people in our restaurants and at our support center, so that everyone can be part of the movement. When you join Sweetgreen, you not only invest in your own future but help create spaces where food, people, and purpose come together
Salary range for this role:
Starting salary range based on experience
$80,000—$93,000 USD
Sweetgreen provides equal opportunities for all employees and applicants, without regard to sex or gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, race (including traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles), religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, any service in the uniformed services of the United States, or any other consideration protected by federal, state, or local law.
California residents: Review our applicant privacy notice HERE.
sweetgreen participates in the federal government's E-Verify program to determine employment eligibility. To learn more about the E-Verify program, please click here. s
sweetgreen
our story
Founded in 2007, sweetgreen is a destination for simple, seasonal, healthy food. We believe the choices we make about what we eat, where it comes from and how it’s prepared have a direct and powerful impact on the health of individuals, communities and the environment. That’s why we’re building a transparent supply network, why we cook from scratch, and why we’re building a community of people who support real food.
We’re in the business of feeding people, and we’re out to change what that means.
our core values
These six core values embody our culture, spirit and dedication to doing what’s right. They keep us aligned and help us make decisions about everything from the food we serve to the way we design our stores.
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win, win, win
create solutions where the company wins, the customer wins, the community wins.
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think sustainably
make decisions that last longer than you will.
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keep it real
cultivate authentic food and relationships.
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add the sweet touch
create meaningful connections every day
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make an impact
leave people better than you found them.
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live the sweetlife
celebrate your passion and your purpose.
our mission
Our mission is to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. We know that sweetgreen is a critical link between growers and consumers, and we feel a responsibility to protect the future of real food. To that end, we’re committed to supporting small and mid-size growers who are farming sustainably, to creating transparency around what’s in your food and where it came from, and to creating more accessibility to healthy, real food for more people. Because here at sweetgreen, impact is not an arm of our business, it is our business, and it permeates everything we do, from what we source to who we hire and how we support local communities. We want to make an impact and leave people better than we found them, and we tailor our approach in each market to reflect the needs of the community.