Job Summary

We are seeking a Quality Assurance Manager (Protein) for a direct hire opportunity in Monrovia, CA. This role is ideal for a hands-on food safety and quality leader with strong experience in protein manufacturing, USDA-inspected environments, SQF, HACCP, and regulatory compliance.

The Quality Assurance Manager will lead quality assurance and quality control programs in a fast-paced food manufacturing setting, ensuring products meet the highest standards for food safety, quality, labeling, sanitation, and customer expectations. This position offers the opportunity to make a direct impact on operational excellence while partnering closely with production, supply chain, operations, and executive leadership.

This is a strong opportunity for a proactive QA professional who enjoys building strong teams, improving systems, and fostering a culture of accountability, compliance, and continuous improvement. The environment values collaboration, strong leadership, training, and teamwork across departments.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead and maintain SQF, HACCP, GMP, SSOP, allergen control, supplier approval, and food safety management programs.
- Oversee all Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities to ensure product quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction.
- Serve as the primary contact for USDA, FDA, customer, and third-party audits while maintaining facility audit readiness.
- Manage microbiological testing, sanitation monitoring, pest control, calibration, corrective actions, and quality documentation.
- Review product labels, nutritional information, ingredient statements, formulations, and specifications for regulatory compliance.
- Lead, coach, and develop the Quality team, including the SQF Practitioner and Quality Control Technicians.

Compensation and Benefits

- Salary range: $120,000 to $160,000 per year.
- Job type: Direct hire.
- Location: Monrovia, CA.

Required Qualifications and Skills

- Lead food safety, SQF, HACCP, and regulatory compliance programs in a protein or food manufacturing environment.
- Manage internal, customer, USDA, FDA, and third-party audit readiness and corrective action programs.
- Oversee QA/QC team performance, training, documentation, testing programs, and product quality initiatives.
- Partner with operations and leadership to analyze quality trends, reduce risk, and drive continuous improvement.

- Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Food Technology, or a related scientific field.
- 5+ years of Quality Assurance and Food Safety leadership experience within a food manufacturing environment.
- Experience working in a USDA-inspected facility is required.
- HACCP Certified Practitioner certification is required.
- SQF Practitioner qualification and hands-on SQF program management experience are required.
- Strong knowledge of USDA, FDA, HACCP, GMP, SSOP, allergen control, sanitation, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
- Experience managing audits, corrective actions, microbiological testing, regulatory documentation, labeling compliance, and customer complaint investigations.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Word and Excel.
- Strong leadership, communication, problem-solving, organizational, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications

- Bilingual English/Spanish skills are highly preferred.
- Experience in protein, meat, poultry, or related food manufacturing environments is preferred.
- Experience leading quality teams in a fast-paced production environment is preferred.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

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https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf

The pay transparency policy is available here:
https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf

For temporary assignments lasting 13 weeks or longer, AppleOne is pleased to offer major medical, dental, vision, 401k and any statutory sick pay where required.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

AppleOne participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations as required by law. Learn more about the E-Verify program.
https://e-verify.uscis.gov/web/media/resourcesContents/E-Verify_Participation_Poster_ES.pdf

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles’ Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.