Location: Cabot, Vermont 05647
Work Arrangement: 100% Onsite
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Experience Level: Mid-Level Management
Reports To: Quality Assurance Director
Base Salary: $96,000–$106,000
Annual Incentive: Based on Company and Individual Performance
Relocation Assistance: Partial Assistance Available
Travel: Not Required
Visa Sponsorship: Not Available
Lead Food Safety and Quality for an Award-Winning Dairy Operation
A respected, farmer-owned dairy manufacturer is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead food safety, quality assurance and laboratory operations at its manufacturing facility in Cabot, Vermont.
This position is responsible for ensuring that cheese and cultured dairy products consistently meet customer, regulatory and internal quality standards. The Quality Assurance Manager will lead the site’s QA team, maintain critical food-safety systems and oversee laboratory testing, regulatory compliance, audits, environmental monitoring and continuous-improvement activities.
This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership opportunity within a 24/7 manufacturing operation. The successful candidate will combine strong dairy or food-manufacturing expertise with an excellent understanding of microbiology, HACCP, SQF, sanitation and regulatory compliance.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Assurance Leadership
• Lead the plant’s food-safety and quality-assurance function.
• Directly manage the QA Supervisor and Plant Sanitarian.
• Provide indirect supervision and technical leadership to laboratory technicians.
• Develop team capabilities through coaching, training and performance feedback.
• Ensure appropriate QA and laboratory staffing across a 24/7 production environment.
• Promote a culture of accountability, food safety, continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Partner with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Supply Chain and plant leadership.
Food-Safety Systems
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve the plant’s food-safety and quality systems.
• Administer HACCP, SQF, GMP, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, food defence, pest control, sanitation, allergen prevention, product traceability and recall-readiness programmes.
• Serve as the site’s primary SQF Practitioner.
• Ensure food-safety programmes remain current, documented and effectively implemented.
• Interpret and implement applicable regulatory requirements.
Laboratory and Dairy Product Quality
• Oversee testing of raw milk, manufactured products and plant samples.
• Manage laboratory staffing, methods, supplies, equipment calibration, documentation and facility standards.
• Maintain State-Certified Producer Testing Laboratory requirements.
• Review test results, address exceptions and report trends to plant and quality leadership.
• Provide technical quality expertise for cheese and cultured dairy products.
• Oversee in-process and finished-product testing.
• Maintain Hold, Release, Rework and Reject programmes, with authority for final product-disposition decisions.
Audits, Environmental Monitoring and CAPA
• Lead customer, SQF, FDA, USDA, state regulatory, Kosher, Halal and third-party audits.
• Prepare documentation, corrective-action plans and follow-up evidence.
• Maintain continual audit readiness.
• Manage the pathogen environmental-monitoring programme.
• Lead investigations into out-of-specification findings.
• Develop, manage and verify corrective and preventive actions.
Recall, Complaints and Documentation
• Maintain the plant’s recall manual and execute mock recalls and traceability exercises.
• Manage consumer and customer complaint programmes.
• Conduct structured root-cause analysis and coordinate corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain QA policies, procedures and records.
• Deliver HACCP, SQF, GMP, food-safety, hygienic handling and sanitation training.
• Develop and report quality metrics and KPIs.
• Support continuous-improvement initiatives and measurable gains in quality and reliability.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology or another relevant scientific discipline.
• At least five years of experience within food manufacturing or dairy production.
• At least five years of management or senior supervisory experience.
• Strong technical knowledge of cheese and cultured dairy products.
• Excellent understanding of food microbiology, food science, HACCP, SQF or an equivalent certification system, GMP and sanitation.
• Experience implementing QA metrics and KPIs.
• Experience leading food-safety, quality or regulatory programmes in manufacturing.
• Strong knowledge of laboratory testing and quality-control processes.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, leadership and communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word and Windows-based applications.
• Ability to work onsite in Cabot and accommodate flexible hours when operationally necessary.
• Current authorization to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.
Preferred Qualifications
• HACCP certification.
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certification.
• SQF Practitioner or related SQF certification.
• Experience leading SQF, FDA, USDA or state regulatory audits.
• Experience maintaining a certified dairy or producer-testing laboratory.
• Environmental-monitoring and pathogen-control experience.
• Experience managing Kosher or Halal certification.
• Continuous-improvement, project-management, root-cause analysis and CAPA experience.
• Experience within a 24/7 cheese or cultured-dairy manufacturing operation.
The Ideal Candidate
The strongest candidate will demonstrate successful QA leadership within dairy or complex food manufacturing, strong knowledge of cheese, cultured products and raw-milk testing, ownership of HACCP, SQF and GMP programmes, leadership of regulatory and customer audits, and experience managing environmental monitoring, complaints, corrective actions and plant-quality metrics.
Work Environment
This role operates within an active dairy-manufacturing and laboratory environment. Conditions may include fluctuating temperatures, production noise and required personal protective equipment. The position involves frequent sitting, standing and walking, along with occasional climbing, stooping, kneeling or crouching. Candidates must be able to lift objects weighing up to approximately 45 pounds when required.
Culture and Benefits
The organization is a farmer-owned cooperative built around family, sustainability, integrity, teamwork, respect and pride in producing high-quality dairy products.
The comprehensive benefits package may include medical, dental, vision and life insurance, retirement benefits, paid time off, wellness and assistance programmes, professional-development opportunities and an annual performance-based incentive.
Interview Process
• Microsoft Teams interview with People and Culture.
• Microsoft Teams interview with organizational leadership.
• Onsite plant tour and team meeting for final candidates.
Equal Opportunity
The organization is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers qualified applicants without discrimination based on any status protected under applicable federal, state or local law.