Quality Assurance Manager – Supply Chain & Distribution

Be Part of a Tradition of Excellence At Francisco Foods, LLC, we're proud to continue a tradition of crafting authentic, award-winning cheeses using recipes and artisan techniques that have been passed down through generations. Our products are made with quality ingredients, attention to detail, and a commitment to excellence that has earned the trust of customers nationwide. Why You'll Love Working Here Competitive pay with opportunities for advancement Stable, growing food manufacturing company Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance Employer-paid Life & AD& D Insurance 401(k) Paid vacation and holidays Employee referral bonus program On-the-job training and opportunities to learn new skills work alongside a collaborative team that values quality, accountability, continuous improvement, and doing things the right way. About the Role As the Quality Assurance Manager Supply Chain & Distribution, youll play a critical role in protecting the safety, quality, and integrity of our products from our suppliers and co-packing partners all the way through warehousing, transportation, and delivery to our customers. Youll lead food safety and quality programs across a diverse portfolio of products while partnering with Operations, Supply Chain, Sales, Procurement, and Product Development. This is an opportunity to build and strengthen a company-wide food safety system, develop supplier and co-manufacturer quality programs, ensure cold-chain integrity, and help Francisco Foods maintain the highest standards of food safety, regulatory compliance, and product quality. What You'll Do Lead the assessment, development, and continuous improvement of Francisco Foods' company-wide food safety and quality systems, including HACCP/HARPC, SQF, GMPs, SOPs, SSOPs, allergen control, sanitation, environmental monitoring, traceability, and recall programs.Serve as the primary Quality Assurance contact for co-packing partners, including qualification, audits, program approval, specification compliance, production record review, product holds, dispositions, and releases.Develop and manage a risk-based supplier quality program, including supplier qualification, approval, audits, documentation, COA review, incoming material verification, corrective actions, and ongoing supplier performance.Own food safety and quality for warehouse, transportation, and distribution operations, with a strong focus on cold-chain integrity, temperature monitoring, sanitary transportation, product segregation, and prevention of cross-contamination.Ensure compliance with applicable USDA-FSIS, FDA, CDFA, SQF, and customer requirements, including requirements applicable to meat, dairy, and acidified/pickled products.Lead investigations of nonconformances, deviations, customer complaints, out-of-specification results, and food safety concerns, including root cause analysis, CAPA, and verification of corrective actions.Establish and monitor food safety and quality KPIs and performance metrics, identify trends, and communicate risks and opportunities to Company leadership.Support and lead customer, regulatory, third-party certification, supplier, and co-manufacturer audits, ensuring findings are appropriately addressed, documented, and verified.Partner with Sales, Procurement, Supply Chain, Operations, and Product Development on new products, suppliers, co-manufacturers, ingredients, packaging, and business opportunities to ensure food safety and quality requirements are established before implementation.Lead, coach, and develop assigned Quality Assurance personnel, while promoting a strong culture of food safety, accountability, compliance, and continuous improvement. What We're Looking For Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or a related field.5+ years of food industry experience in Quality Assurance or Food Safety, including at least 3 years in a management or supervisory role.Experience with food safety systems, HACCP/HARPC, GMPs, SQF, sanitation, allergen control, environmental monitoring, traceability, and recall programs.Experience with supplier quality, co-manufacturing, contract manufacturing, warehousing, transportation, or food distribution.Strong understanding of cold-chain management and sanitary transportation requirements.Experience working with USDA-FSIS and FDA-regulated products strongly preferred.Demonstrated experience conducting audits, identifying deficiencies, investigating quality issues, and implementing effective corrective actions.Strong analytical, problem-solving, project management, organizational, and leadership skills.Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to work effectively across departments and with external partners.Proficiency with Microsoft Office and electronic quality, documentation, and temperature-monitoring systems.Ability to travel to suppliers, co-packers, warehouses, customers, and other business locations as needed.SQF Practitioner, PCQI, and HACCP certifications required or ability to obtain within a reasonable period.Better Process Control School certification or experience with acidified/pickled products is preferred.Bilingual English/Spanish preferred. Your work directly impacts the safety and quality of the food we provide to our customers every day. You'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact by strengthening our food safety culture, developing strategic supplier and co-packer relationships, and building systems that support our continued growth.