About this role
Join a team that nourishes life from farm to table! Upstate Niagara Cooperative, proudly owned by 200+ local family farms, is one of America's largest and most stable dairy cooperatives. Guided by farmer- and employee-led values, we process and market high-quality milk, yogurt, dips, sour cream, cottage cheese, and more under our trusted brands: Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Milk for Life®, and Intense Milk®. Here, you'll support sustainable farming, strong communities, and the mission to deliver fresh, local dairy to families every day.
The Manager of Plant Quality Assurance oversees the total quality program within the manufacturing plant. This includes documentation, compliance monitoring, auditing, and continuous improvement of food safety and quality systems. The role ensures conformance with internal policies, FDA regulations, GFSI standards, HACCP, GMPs, and customer specifications. The position also leads third-party and SQF audits and serves as the plant's QA lead in the absence of the Director of QA.
Key Responsibilities
Quality Systems Oversight
• Ensure QA policy and procedures manual is current.
• Manage QA Hold and Product Loss/Disposition programs.
• Perform and report trend analysis to support continuous improvement.
• Perform functions necessary to maintain food safety and quality systems, including regulatory and customer compliance.
Regulatory & Compliance
• Provide Regulatory Affairs review and approval of validation protocols, change orders, nonconformance reports, and related documentation.
• Participate in and support regulatory and customer audits.
• Maintain and follow up on Corrective Action Preventative Action Plans (CAPA) in line with GFSI and HACCP regulations.
Audit Leadership
• Lead third-party and SQF audits.
• Support internal auditing programs.
Team Leadership & Management
• Oversee employee schedules and assigned responsibilities within the Plant QA team.
• Manage direct reports: interviewing, hiring, training, performance appraisal, and reward and disciplinary actions.
• Address complaints and resolve problems
• Serve as acting Director of Quality Assurance in their absence.
Customer and R&D Support
• Serve as point of contact for customer inquiries, audits, and concerns.
• Support Research & Development on new projects and coordinate equipment/product validation.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Education and/or Experience
• Bachelors degree (B.S.) from a four-year college or university in Food, Dairy, or Natural Sciences preferred.
• Minimum Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree with an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Five to seven years of related experience and/or training.
• Active involvement in Quality Programs within the Food and Beverage industry.
• Knowledge of ISO Quality Management Systems, HACCP, and statistical process control preferred.
• Previous supervisory experience required.
• Strong personal computer skills preferred.
Skills
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and government regulations.
• Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
• Ability to effectively present information to groups, managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
• Ability to respond professionally and effectively to questions from managers, clients, customers, and the general public.
Working Conditions (Physical Demands)
• Frequently required to speak and hear.
• Occasionally required to stand, reach with hands and arms, and climb or balance.
• Regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 55 pounds.
• Requires close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions.
• Occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts and toxic or caustic chemicals.
Noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Pay:
$81,800 to $120,000.00 per year*
*The salary range listed for this position represents the good faith and reasonable minimum and maximum pay for this role at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors including, but not limited to, experience, skills, training, knowledge, education, and overall qualifications. The posted salary range reflects just one component of our total rewards package. Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.
Upstate Niagara Cooperative, Inc. is committed to equal employment opportunity for all, without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic.