LaSalle Network is partnering with a global leader in food manufacturing, that is currently hiring for a Food Quality Lead for their Vermont facility. This role is a key quality leader responsible for ensuring that products are designed with quality and customer value at the forefront while also managing customer feedback, complaints, and technical documentation requirements.
This position partners closely with Customer Care, CI&TS, Sales, Engineering, and Plant Operations to integrate quality principles into product design, manufacturing processes, and facility capabilities. The Food Quality Lead will drive initiatives that enhance customer satisfaction, reduce quality complaints, and strengthen continuous improvement across the factory.
Food Quality Lead Responsibilities:
- Monitor and analyze customer feedback, complaints, and quality performance metrics to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
- Partner with cross-functional teams including production, engineering, and customer service to investigate quality issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
- Support Customer Care by providing technical input and feedback to resolve customer cases and complaint investigations.
- Ensure quality standards are incorporated into product design and development processes through timely input during product transfers and new product introductions.
- Collaborate with product development, engineering, and project teams to ensure customer requirements are clearly understood and integrated into product and process design.
- Participate in NPI and product transfer project reviews to conduct quality risk assessments, identify potential manufacturing or process issues, and recommend improvements.
- Lead cross-functional teams in root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective action initiatives related to design or process quality issues.
- Promote a strong culture of quality, customer focus, and compliant innovation through training, awareness programs, and project team engagement.
- Conduct regular reviews of customer quality performance and present findings to factory leadership.
- Lead customer-driven quality improvement initiatives and serve as the connection point between factory operations and regional customer quality teams.
- Ensure customer expectations and regulatory compliance requirements are clearly communicated and consistently met at the factory level.
- Participate in customer audits and support initiatives to improve customer satisfaction and quality performance.
- Partner with the QA Performance and Projects Manager on new initiatives and projects that align with customer expectations and quality objectives.
- Serve as a quality culture advocate across the facility.
Food Quality Lead Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Food Science, Industrial/Business Engineering, or a related discipline; engineering degrees with 5+ years of food quality assurance experience will also be considered.
- Minimum of 5 years of experience in quality, CI&TS, operations, engineering, or process roles within food manufacturing or a similar industry.
- Experience interacting directly with customers, including managing complaint investigations, supporting customer documentation, and responding to technical inquiries.
- Experience with Management of Change and commercialization or new product launch processes.
- Demonstrated continuous improvement experience.
- Formal training in Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) standards, preferably FSSC 22000 or BRC.
- ASQ certification is a plus.
- Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMP, pathogen environmental monitoring, and sanitary facility/equipment design.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, analytical thinking, and the ability to lead cross-functional teams.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
- Flexibility in working hours and availability to support a 24/7 manufacturing facility when required.
Thank you for your time and consideration for this Food Quality Lead opportunity. We look forward to reviewing your resume!
Thank you,
Kelly Wagner
Director
LaSalle Network
Pay Range: Up to $115k base with 5% bonus, relocation and sponsorship also offered at this time
Benefits include: medical, dental and vision as well as others
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LaSalle Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer m/f/d/v.
LaSalle Network is the leading provider of direct hire and temporary staffing services. For over two decades, LaSalle has helped organizations hire faster and connect top talent with opportunities, from entry-level positions to the C-suite. With units specializing in Accounting and Finance, Administrative, Marketing, Technology, Supply chain, Healthcare Revenue Cycle, Call Center, Human Resources and Executive Search. LaSalle offers staffing and recruiting solutions to companies of all sizes and across all industries. LaSalle Network is the premier staffing and recruiting firm, earning over 100 culture, revenue and industry-based awards from major publications and having its company experts regularly contribute insights on retention strategies, hiring trends and hiring challenges, and more to national news outlets.
LaSalle Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer m/f/d/v.
LaSalle Network is the leading provider of direct hire and temporary staffing services. For over two decades, LaSalle has helped organizations hire faster and connect top talent with opportunities, from entry-level positions to the C-suite. With units specializing in Accounting and Finance, Administrative, Engineering, Marketing, Technology, Supply Chain, Revenue Cycle, Call Center, Human Resources and Executive Search, LaSalle offers staffing and recruiting solutions to companies of all sizes and across all industries.