Quality Assurance Manager - USDA Ready-to-Eat Manufacturing

Lead Food Safety. Build Quality Systems. Help Launch a Growing Manufacturing Operation.

Tamarack Foods is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to lead food safety, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance at our growing food manufacturing facility in Americus, Georgia.

Direct USDA experience in ready-to-eat food manufacturing is required for this position. Candidates must understand USDA inspection requirements, HACCP systems, sanitation controls, product disposition, regulatory documentation, and the food-safety risks associated with RTE production.

This is a hands-on leadership opportunity for a quality professional who has worked in a USDA-regulated RTE manufacturing environment and wants to play an influential role in strengthening systems, developing employees, and supporting operational growth.

The Quality Assurance Manager will establish and maintain quality standards, oversee the daily work of the Quality Assurance team, and ensure products are manufactured safely, consistently, and in compliance with USDA, SQF, customer, certification, and company requirements.

Essential Responsibilities

USDA Regulatory and Food-Safety Leadership

• Serve as the facility's subject-matter expert for USDA requirements governing ready-to-eat food manufacturing.

• Ensure the facility consistently meets USDA inspection, documentation, sanitation, labeling, process-control, and product-safety requirements.

• Maintain a state of USDA, SQF, customer, and third-party audit readiness throughout the facility.

• Ensure all processes and procedures protect the safety, quality, legality, and integrity of finished RTE products.

• Exercise and delegate authority to place products on hold or stop production when USDA, food-safety, sanitation, GMP, HACCP, SQF, or quality requirements are not being met.

• Communicate effectively and professionally with USDA inspection personnel regarding RTE operations, regulatory findings, corrective actions, and supporting documentation.

• Promote a strong culture of food safety, accountability, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance.

• Lead Preserved Identity Programs and support related USDA, customer, certification, and third-party audits.

Quality Systems and Process Oversight

• Direct the Quality Assurance team in monitoring and verifying:

  • Incoming ingredients, packaging, and other materials.

  • Product formulations and processing procedures.

  • RTE production and conversion processes.

  • Facility and equipment conditions.

  • Employee adherence to established food-safety requirements.

  • Finished-product quality, safety, and regulatory compliance.

• Ensure compliance with product specifications, process sheets, standard operating procedures, sanitation standard operating procedures, HACCP plans, USDA label approvals, and company policies.

• Verify that RTE products are manufactured according to applicable USDA requirements and validated food-safety controls.

• Maintain and oversee Preserved Identity Programs, including Gluten-Free, Hormone-Free, Antibiotic-Free, and other applicable product claims.

• Serve as the primary contact for the Gluten-Free Certification Organization and continuously maintain and improve the facility's gluten-free program.

• Ensure pest-control inspections and GMP audits are completed according to established company standards.

Sanitation and RTE Compliance

• Review pre-operational and operational SSOP results to confirm cleaning and sanitation activities meet established standards and USDA requirements.

• Verify that sanitation controls appropriately address the elevated food-safety risks associated with ready-to-eat production.

• Ensure USDA, GMP, SQF, SSOP, HACCP, and applicable FSMA programs are properly implemented, documented, maintained, and updated.

• Identify potential food-safety or regulatory risks and partner with operational leaders to implement timely corrective and preventive actions.

• Collaborate with the Director of R&D and Technical Services and the Regulatory Specialist, when applicable, to create, revise, and maintain SOPs, SSOPs, HACCP plans, USDA programs, GMP policies, and other controlled documents.

• Support investigations and corrective actions involving USDA noncompliance records, sanitation findings, product holds, foreign-material concerns, labeling issues, and other RTE food-safety risks.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, coach, schedule, and develop employees within the Quality Assurance department.

• Ensure QA employees and production associates receive appropriate training on USDA requirements, RTE food safety, product-quality standards, sanitation controls, and GMP expectations.

• Conduct team meetings and communicate expectations clearly and consistently.

• Provide timely coaching, performance feedback, and documented corrective action when necessary.

• Build team capability by reinforcing accountability, regulatory awareness, and sound decision-making.

• Review and approve Quality Assurance employee timecards on a biweekly basis.

Performance and Continuous Improvement

• Review quality indicators and verify compliance with company, customer, SQF, and USDA standards.

• Establish, monitor, and report key performance indicators related to food safety, RTE product quality, sanitation, audit performance, regulatory compliance, and continuous improvement.

• Analyze trends and recurring quality concerns to determine root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.

• Partner with Operations, Sanitation, R&D, Regulatory, Maintenance, and senior leadership to improve product quality and manufacturing performance.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Direct quality assurance or food-safety experience in a USDA-regulated ready-to-eat manufacturing facility is required.

• Candidates whose experience is limited to FDA-regulated manufacturing and who do not have USDA RTE experience will not meet the minimum requirements for this position.

• Minimum of three years of food-processing or food-manufacturing experience.

• Minimum of one year of supervisory or team-leadership experience.

• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual certification.

• HACCP certification for food manufacturing.

• SQF Practitioner certification or the ability to obtain certification within 90 days of employment.

• Thorough working knowledge of USDA requirements for RTE products, including inspection expectations, HACCP, SSOPs, sanitation controls, regulatory documentation, product holds, corrective actions, and label compliance.

• Strong knowledge of food-manufacturing GMPs, sanitation practices, food-safety systems, and quality-control principles.

• Ability to confidently interact with USDA inspection personnel and respond appropriately to regulatory concerns.

• Ability to make timely, well-supported decisions involving food safety, product disposition, and production operations.

• Strong leadership, communication, documentation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work effectively across departments in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in food science, biological sciences, food technology, microbiology, or a related discipline.

• Experience with USDA-regulated battered and fried protein products.

• Experience supporting USDA inspections, SQF certification audits, customer audits, and third-party certification programs.

• Experience managing Preserved Identity Programs, including gluten-free certification.

• Working knowledge of statistical analysis and continuous-improvement methodologies.

• Experience developing or revising HACCP plans, SOPs, SSOPs, USDA programs, and regulatory documentation.

Important Experience Requirement

USDA experience in ready-to-eat food manufacturing is an essential qualification-not simply a preference. Applicants should clearly identify their USDA-regulated RTE experience on their résumé, including the products manufactured, their responsibilities, and the number of years they worked in that environment.

Why Join Tamarack Foods?

This position offers the opportunity to help shape the quality systems and food-safety culture of a growing USDA-regulated manufacturing operation. The successful candidate will have meaningful influence over RTE food safety, quality standards, regulatory compliance, employee development, and the continued growth of the Americus facility.

Tamarack Foods offers:

• Competitive compensation.

• Medical and dental insurance.

• A 401(k) savings plan with employer match.

• Profit sharing.

• A supportive, team-oriented working environment.

• Complimentary food products.

About Tamarack Foods

Tamarack Foods is a family-owned food manufacturing company based in Americus, Georgia, and a sister company to B&D Foods in Boise, Idaho.

Our Americus facility is being fully renovated to produce battered and fried protein products under USDA inspection. We are seeking professionals who understand the operational discipline and regulatory accountability required in a USDA-regulated RTE environment.

Our employees are the foundation of our business. We are committed to providing competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, professional growth opportunities, and a workplace where employees feel supported, respected, and valued.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Tamarack Foods is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diverse backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives.