Quality Assurance Manager

As the Quality leader, you will oversee quality assurance for a diverse portfolio of food and beverage brands, ensuring all products meet established specifications and exceed customer expectations. This role requires a manager who thrives in a dynamic environment while maintaining a strong focus on product safety and quality. You will apply your advanced QA expertise to lead and develop a team of skilled professionals including unionized employees while collaborating effectively with cross-functional stakeholders to support organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Leadership & Compliance

· Lead the team to successfully navigate GMP, GFSI, CFIA, and external customer audits.

· Oversee internal audits, inspection processes, documentation, and reports to ensure compliance with standards and specifications.

· Work directly with CFIA to correct non‑conformances during annual GMP/FSEP audits and investigate CFIA-generated consumer-related complaints.

· Ensure all food safety policies, procedures, and principles of HACCP and SQF are implemented and adhered to plant-wide to maintain audit readiness.

· Ensure HACCP and Food Safety systems remain updated to reflect changes in plant processes, equipment, ingredients, suppliers, and products.

Quality Systems Management

· Support the plant’s leadership team by providing updates on Quality KPIs to highlight gaps or risks in product quality and safety systems.

· Lead RCA processes with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot and create corrective actions for product quality or production-related issues.

· Identify FSQA risks and develop proactive and preventative mitigation plans.

· Work with Corporate Quality Specialists to ensure required certifications and approvals are in place for all new products and ingredients.

Operational Excellence

· Develop and manage the facility Quality budget, including capital expenditures.

· Assist in company-wide initiatives related to cost targets while ensuring quality standards are achieved and maintained.

· Collaborate with production and maintenance teams to improve production processes, enhance finished product consistency, and reduce consumer complaints.

· Ensure the Sanitation Team performs duties to the highest standards to meet Food Safety, QA testing, and EMP requirements.

Continuous Improvement & Cross-Functional Collaboration

· Conduct monthly Quality and GFSI meetings with other departments to prepare for audits.

· Ensure recipes, labels, packaging, and processes are compliant with company standards and specifications established by Marketing, R&D, and Regulatory teams.

· Oversee mock recalls, traceability exercises, and mass balance activities to verify system effectiveness and role readiness.

· Work directly with the QA Director to implement corporate quality initiatives.

· Prepare KPI reports and participate in plant and corporate-level performance meetings.

People Leadership & Culture

· Provide direction and maintain focus within the QA team to meet organizational priorities and strategic goals.

· Coach and develop members of the quality team to grow technical and quality competencies.

· Develop a positive, inclusive working culture based on honest communication and active team member involvement.

· Performance management, coaching and mentoring of employees to ensure GMP requirements are followed at all times

Qualifications

Education & Certifications

· Degree in Food Science or equivalent or a related field

Experience

· A minimum of 5 years of in Quality Assurance, Food/Beverage Manufacturing

· Experience of working within unionized facility and managing unionized employees

· Experience with regulatory bodies such as CFIA

· Experience running RCAs and cross-functional problem-solving.

· Experience of leading Customer Audits and other 3rd party audits

· Proven background implementation and maintaining quality programs

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

· Strong knowledge of HACCP, GMP, GFSI schemes (SQF, BRC, ISO), and food safety principles.

· Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.

· Strong communication, leadership, and collaboration skills.

· Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and relevant QA/production systems.

Working Conditions

· Business Hours between 8am - 6pm (37.5hrs variable)

· Unionized environment with QA Union employees

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $95,000.00-$115,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Casual dress
Dental care
Employee assistance program
Extended health care
Life insurance
On-site parking
Paid time off
Profit sharing
RRSP match
Vision care
VRSP
Application question(s):

Do you have at least 2 years working as a Manager in a Unionized setting?
Language:

English (required)
Work Location: In person