Quality Assurance Manager

**Quality Assurance Manager

**

📍 Pico Rivera, CA (100% On-Site)

💰 $100,000–$115,000 annually (DOE)

🏢 Full-Time: Monday - Friday

About the Role:

Mixed Nuts, Inc. (established in 1986) is a food manufacturing and packaging company in Pico Rivera, CA specializing in nuts, dried fruits, and snack products for National and private-label brands. The QA Manager owns all food safety, quality assurance, and sanitation programs for the facility. This is a hands-on leadership role — roughly two-thirds on the production floor and one-third administrative. You'll manage a team of QA technicians and supervisor, lead third-party and internal audits, maintain the HACCP plan and GFSI certification (SQF), and serve as the go-to for customer quality inquiries. We need someone who takes ownership, drives continuous improvement, and holds the line on food safety without needing to be told.

What You'll Do:

• Own and maintain the facility's HACCP plan, prerequisite programs, food safety SOPs, and GFSI-benchmarked certification (SQF)
• Manage day-to-day quality operations: floor inspections, CCP verification, receiving inspections, document review, and finished product release
• Prepare for and lead third-party audits (SQF, Code of Conduct, customer). Conduct monthly internal GMP audits and mock recalls. Drive all corrective actions to closure
• Oversee sanitation programs, environmental monitoring, pest management coordination, and equipment calibration
• Manage the approved supplier program — onboarding, risk assessments, documentation, and ongoing compliance monitoring
• Handle customer complaints from investigation through corrective action. Respond to customer requests for quality documentation, COAs, and product specs
• Maintain labeling and packaging compliance: master label binders, nutrition panels, ingredient/allergen statements, and regulatory formatting updates
• Train and develop QA technicians. Deliver GMP orientations, weekly food safety trainings, and annual training programs. Lead monthly food safety management review meetings

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (BS/BA) in Food Science, Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field
• PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) certification
• 5 years of food safety and quality assurance experience in a food manufacturing environment
• Hands-on experience developing and managing SOPs and Product Specifications
• Experience implementing or managing SQF practices and facilitating audits
• Working knowledge of FDA regulations (21 CFR Part 117), FSMA, cGMPs, and GFSI standards
• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills

Preferred:

• Bilingual English/Spanish (strongly preferred)
• SQF Practitioner, Lead Auditor, or HACCP certification
• Experience in nut, dried fruit, snack food, or CPG manufacturing
• Familiarity with allergen control programs, kosher certification, and Non-GMO verification

Work Environment:

• On-site food manufacturing facility
• Requires standing/walking for extended periods
• Exposure to dust and allergens (tree nuts, peanuts)
• Occasional lifting up to 30 lbs