Product Quality Manager

Position Summary

The Product Quality Manager leads the plant’s day-to-day product quality activities to ensure beef products consistently meet company standards and customer specifications. This hands-on role manages six Quality Assurance Monitors, verifies execution of quality checks, analyzes performance data, investigates product quality concerns, and partners with Operations and Sales (specifically the Product Manager) to improve consistency, reduce waste, and strengthen customer satisfaction.

The position reports to the Vice President of FSQA & Regulatory Compliance. Ownership of plant-wide food safety programs, HACCP, regulatory compliance, USDA relations, and regulatory or third-party certification programs remains with the Food Safety Manager and is outside the primary scope of this role.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Quality Operations

Lead daily quality assurance activities across receiving, fabrication, processing, packaging, labeling, storage, and shipping operations, as applicable.

Ensure products meet approved customer and company specifications for attributes such as appearance, trim, dimensions, weights, counts, packaging integrity, labeling accuracy, and workmanship.

Establish priorities for floor verification activities and ensure adequate QA coverage for production schedules.

Review completed quality records for accuracy, completeness, and timely escalation of deviations.

Evaluate quality-related product concerns and coordinate containment, hold, rework, release recommendations, or other disposition activities with authorized leaders.

Serve as a primary quality resource for production supervisors and employees during daily operations.

Quality Systems and Performance

Implement and maintain quality procedures, inspection standards, work instructions, sampling plans, and customer specification requirements.

Monitor quality performance data and identify trends, recurring defects, and opportunities for process improvement.

Lead root cause analysis and corrective action for product quality issues, customer complaints, specification failures, rework, and quality-related waste.

Verify that corrective actions are implemented, documented, and effective.

Support internal quality assessments and assist with customer audits or visits related to product quality.

Maintain organized, accurate, and retrievable quality records.

Customer and Product Quality

Coordinate the review, communication, and implementation of customer product specifications.

Investigate customer complaints and prepare clear, timely findings and corrective action responses.

Partner with Operations and Sales (specifically the Product Manager), and other functions to resolve product quality concerns.

Support new product introductions, specification changes, trials, and process validations from a product quality perspective.

Promote consistent execution of quality standards across shifts and production areas.

Leadership and Team Development

Directly supervise six Quality Assurance Monitors, including work assignments, scheduling, coaching, performance feedback, and development.

Ensure QA Monitors are trained and qualified to perform assigned inspections, tests, and documentation activities.

Set clear expectations and reinforce consistent, objective, and timely quality decisions.

Build effective working relationships with Operations while maintaining the independence and integrity of quality verification activities.

Model accountability, professionalism, respectful communication, and continuous improvement.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner closely with the VP of FSQA & Regulatory Compliance to execute assigned quality priorities and escalate issues with potential food safety or regulatory implications.

Collaborate with Operations, Sales (specifically the Product Manager), Maintenance, Sanitation, Warehousing, Purchasing, and Human Resources to address conditions that affect product quality.

Participate in production meetings, continuous improvement activities, and problem-solving teams.

Provide practical quality training and coaching to production employees and supervisors.

Scope Boundaries

The Quality Operations Manager supports, but does not own, the following areas unless specifically delegated by the VP of FSQA & Regulatory Compliance:

Plant-wide food safety program ownership

HACCP plan ownership and regulatory reassessment

USDA-FSIS liaison responsibilities and regulatory response ownership

SSOP, Food Defense, Food Fraud, recall, pathogen testing, and environmental monitoring program ownership

SQF, BRCGS, or other third-party certification program ownership

Regulatory interpretation and final regulatory compliance decisions

Qualifications

Required

Three to five years of quality assurance or quality operations experience in meat processing, food manufacturing, or a comparable production environment.

Demonstrated experience interpreting product specifications, performing or overseeing inspections, and resolving product quality issues.

Previous supervisory, lead, or team coordination experience.

Working knowledge of beef processing operations and quality control practices.

Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and documentation skills.

Ability to communicate effectively with employees, supervisors, managers, customers, and senior leadership.

Proficiency with Microsoft Office and the ability to learn quality, production, and ERP systems.

Preferred

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Animal Science, Agriculture, Operations, Business, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

Experience in a USDA-inspected meat processing facility.

HACCP training or certification.

Lean, Six Sigma, or structured root cause analysis training.

Experience with customer audits, complaint investigations, and corrective action systems.

Key Competencies

Product quality judgment and attention to detail

Floor presence and operational awareness

Leadership and employee development

Data analysis and problem solving

Customer focus and specification management

Cross-functional collaboration

Decisiveness, integrity, and accountability

Clear written and verbal communication

Key Performance Indicators

Customer complaint rate and repeat complaint reduction

Product specification compliance

First-pass quality and right-first-time performance

Quality-related product holds, rework, and waste

Corrective action completion and effectiveness

Accuracy and completeness of quality records

Quality verification completion and response time

Training and qualification status of QA Monitors

Physical Demands and Work Environment

Regularly works in refrigerated production environments and may be exposed to wet floors, noise, moving equipment, and varying temperatures.

Frequently walks and stands for extended periods throughout production and warehouse areas.

Must wear required personal protective equipment and comply with plant safety and hygiene requirements.

May occasionally lift or move up to 40 pounds.

May need to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, or extended hours based on production needs, customer issues, or special projects.