About the role
The Senior Quality Technician is an experienced member of the Quality Assurance team responsible for supporting food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, customer requirements, and day-to-day production operations.
This position serves as a senior technical resource within the QA function and works closely with Production, Sanitation, Sales, Operations, laboratories, customers, suppliers, and other departments. Responsibilities include label review, regulatory compliance, specifications, customer complaints, traceability, environmental and finished-product testing programs, internal audits, corrective actions, customer portals, document verification, and quality data tracking and trending.
The Senior Quality Technician is expected to work independently on assigned responsibilities while remaining actively involved on the production floor, including performing pre-operational inspections and providing line support when operational needs require.
What you'll do
Quality Assurance & Production Support
- Perform routine and advanced quality assurance activities in support of food safety, product quality, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
- Conduct pre-operational inspections, including inspections beginning at approximately 4:00 a.m., as assigned.
- Provide hands-on QA support to production lines, including product, process, packaging, labeling, food safety, and quality checks.
- Assist Production and Operations with investigation and resolution of quality-related issues.
- Liaise with the Sanitation team regarding pre-operational findings, sanitation deficiencies, environmental concerns, corrective actions, and readiness for production.
- Conduct verification of required food safety, quality, sanitation, production, and regulatory documentation.
- Escalate significant food safety, quality, or regulatory concerns to QA management as appropriate.
Regulatory Compliance & Labeling
- Design, review, maintain, and print product labels to support applicable FDA and USDA requirements, customer requirements, and company labeling standards.
- Review labels and supporting documentation for completeness and accuracy prior to use.
- Assist with ongoing FDA, USDA, and other applicable regulatory compliance activities.
- Support regulatory inspections, audits, customer requests, documentation gathering, and follow-up activities as assigned.
- Maintain accurate and current quality and regulatory records.
Specifications & New Product Support
- Assist in the development, review, and maintenance of raw material, ingredient, packaging, and finished-product specifications.
- Review specifications for completeness, accuracy, consistency, and alignment with product and customer requirements.
- Assist with new product introductions and product development, including specifications, labeling, testing, documentation, and production start-up support.
- Coordinate with QA, Sales, Operations, Production, and other departments to ensure quality and regulatory requirements are addressed prior to product launch.
- Identify missing or inconsistent specification information and coordinate necessary corrections or updates.
Laboratory, Microbiological & Environmental Monitoring
- Manage and maintain the schedule for finished-product microbiological testing and environmental monitoring.
- Coordinate sample collection, submission to laboratories, tracking, and documentation of results.
- Monitor testing schedules to ensure required samples are completed within established frequencies and timeframes.
- Review results and promptly escalate out-of-specification, positive, unusual, or concerning findings in accordance with company procedures.
- Assist with investigations and corrective actions resulting from laboratory or environmental monitoring findings.
Corrective Actions & Internal Auditing
- Perform scheduled and as-needed internal facility audits covering food safety, GMPs, sanitation, quality systems, documentation, and regulatory/customer requirements.
- Document audit observations and communicate findings to responsible departments.
- Assist with the delegation, tracking, follow-up, and closure of corrective actions.
- Maintain corrective-action tracking systems and follow up with responsible individuals to ensure timely completion.
- Verify corrective actions have been implemented and supporting documentation is complete.
- Identify recurring issues and trends that may require additional investigation or preventive action.
Customer & Sales Support
- Assist with customer complaints, including investigation, documentation, supporting data, corrective actions, and follow-up.
- Communicate professionally with internal Sales personnel and other departments regarding specifications, customer requirements, documentation, complaints, and quality concerns.
- Assist in responding to customer requests for quality, food safety, regulatory, testing, and product information.
- Help identify and track recurring customer complaints and quality issues.
Customer Portals & Documentation
- Maintain customer and regulatory/compliance portals, including systems such as TraceGains, FoodLogiQ, SEDEX, and other customer-specific platforms.
- Upload and maintain specifications, certifications, questionnaires, audit documentation, test results, and other required information.
- Monitor portal requests and deadlines and coordinate internally to obtain missing documentation.
- Maintain organized, accurate, and readily retrievable records.
- Perform ongoing document verification to ensure required records are complete, accurate, and properly maintained.
Traceability
- Oversee and support the facility's traceability program.
- Conduct and document traceability exercises and mock recalls as assigned.
- Verify traceability documentation for raw materials, ingredients, packaging materials, work-in-process, and finished products as applicable.
- Identify traceability gaps or discrepancies and coordinate corrective follow-up.
Data Tracking, Spreadsheets & Trending
- Develop, maintain, and improve Excel spreadsheets, trackers, logs, and reports supporting QA and food safety programs.
- Compile and analyze data relating to customer complaints, microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, internal audits, corrective actions, production quality issues, and other QA metrics.
- Complete periodic tracking and trending reports.
- Identify recurring issues, patterns, or adverse trends and bring them to the attention of QA management.
- Assist in developing practical reporting tools that provide management with clear visibility into quality and food safety performance.
Additional Responsibilities
- Serve as an experienced QA resource to Quality Technicians and production employees when questions or issues arise.
- Support company, customer, and third-party food safety and quality audits as requested.
- Participate in investigations involving product quality, food safety, sanitation, customer complaints, or regulatory concerns.
- Maintain confidentiality of company, customer, supplier, and product information.
- Assist with special Quality Assurance and food safety projects as assigned.
- Provide production-line and operational support when business needs require.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as requested or assigned.
Qualifications
- Prior Quality Assurance or food safety experience in a food manufacturing or food-processing environment required.
- Demonstrated experience with FDA and/or USDA-regulated food products and processes strongly preferred.
- Experience reviewing product labels, specifications, quality records, and regulatory documentation.
- Experience working with microbiological testing, environmental monitoring, sanitation, and/or laboratory programs preferred.
- Experience conducting internal audits and managing corrective-action follow-up.
- Experience with customer complaints and communicating with customers, Sales, Operations, laboratories, or other external/internal stakeholders.
- Strong computer skills with demonstrated ability to create, maintain, and analyze Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and tracking systems.
- Experience with customer portals such as TraceGains, FoodLogiQ, SEDEX, or similar platforms preferred.
- Strong attention to detail and ability to recognize inconsistencies, missing information, and quality or compliance concerns.
- Ability to prioritize multiple responsibilities and follow items through to completion.
- Ability to communicate professionally and effectively across departments and levels of the organization.
- Ability to work independently while functioning effectively as part of the broader QA and Operations team.
Physical & Work Requirements
- Ability to work in a food manufacturing environment, including refrigerated and production areas.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and move throughout production and sanitation areas.
- Ability to wear required PPE and comply with GMP, food safety, sanitation, and workplace safety requirements.
- Ability and willingness to work flexible hours based on production needs, including early-morning pre-operational inspections beginning at approximately 4:00 a.m.
- Ability to provide hands-on production-floor support as needed.