Quality Assurance Supervisor - USDA Ready-to-Eat Manufacturing

Lead Quality on the Floor. Develop the Team. Protect the Product.

Tamarack Foods is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Supervisor to provide hands-on leadership for our Quality Assurance Leads and Technicians at our food manufacturing facility in Americus, Georgia.

Direct quality assurance or food-safety experience in USDA-regulated ready-to-eat manufacturing is required. This position requires practical knowledge of USDA inspection requirements, RTE food-safety controls, HACCP, sanitation, GMPs, SQF systems, and regulatory documentation.

The Quality Assurance Supervisor will establish expectations, monitor production quality, develop QA employees, and ensure food-safety and quality requirements are consistently followed throughout daily operations. This individual must be able to teach, coach, and enforce USDA, HACCP, SQF, SSOP, and GMP requirements on the production floor.

The position will also assist the Safety Manager for approximately 10 hours each week and serve as the backup to the Quality Assurance Manager when needed. This position reports directly to the Quality Assurance Manager.

Essential Responsibilities

USDA RTE and Quality Oversight

• Help ensure the safety, quality, legality, and integrity of products manufactured in a USDA-regulated RTE environment.

• Monitor production activities to verify compliance with USDA requirements, product specifications, process sheets, SOPs, SSOPs, HACCP plans, and approved USDA labels.

• Provide daily, floor-level leadership regarding USDA requirements for ready-to-eat manufacturing.

• Identify food-safety, sanitation, regulatory, or product-quality concerns and escalate them promptly to the Quality Assurance Manager.

• Ensure prescribed manufacturing processes and quality procedures are consistently followed.

• Help maintain audit and inspection readiness throughout the facility.

• Communicate professionally with USDA inspection personnel when assigned or authorized to do so.

Team Leadership and Scheduling

• Directly supervise Quality Assurance Leads and Quality Assurance Technicians.

• Coach, motivate, train, and develop members of the Quality Assurance team.

• Establish clear performance expectations and provide timely verbal and written feedback.

• Address performance concerns and administer disciplinary action in coordination with the Quality Assurance Manager and Human Resources.

• Plan and maintain QA staffing schedules for all assigned areas.

• Coordinate coverage for vacations, absences, production demands, and schedule changes.

• Conduct team meetings and communicate food-safety, quality, regulatory, and operational priorities.

• Serve as the department leader in the absence of the Quality Assurance Manager.

Food-Safety Programs and Regulatory Compliance

• Serve as a departmental resource for USDA, SQF, GMP, SSOP, and HACCP requirements.

• Confirm that required food-safety and quality systems are properly implemented and followed during daily operations.

• Serve as the backup for the facility's HACCP program.

• Monitor pre-operational and operational SSOP results to verify that cleaning and sanitation meet established requirements and are acceptable to USDA.

• Ensure QA Leads, QA Technicians, and other assigned employees are properly trained on food-safety standards, quality expectations, USDA requirements, and GMPs.

• Verify that pest-control inspections and GMP audits are conducted according to company standards.

• Support investigations and corrective actions involving sanitation findings, product holds, regulatory concerns, labeling issues, or other RTE food-safety risks.

Documentation and Continuous Improvement

• Review QA records for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with company and USDA requirements.

• Monitor quality indicators and assist with tracking departmental key performance indicators.

• Identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve product quality, sanitation, employee performance, and regulatory compliance.

• Collaborate with Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, Safety, and other departments to resolve quality and food-safety concerns.

• Work with the Director of R&D, Regulatory Specialist, Quality Assurance Manager, and other corporate QA personnel when updating SOPs, SSOPs, HACCP plans, USDA programs, GMP policies, and related procedures.

• Support internal, USDA, SQF, customer, and third-party inspections or audits.

Safety Support

• Assist the Safety Manager for approximately 10 hours each week.

• Support assigned safety inspections, documentation, employee training, incident follow-up, and corrective-action activities.

• Reinforce safe work practices while performing daily quality and production-floor responsibilities.

• Help identify and communicate potential workplace hazards.

• Maintain a clear distinction between food-safety requirements and occupational-safety responsibilities while supporting both programs.

Additional Responsibilities

• Serve as backup to the Quality Assurance Manager when required.

• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Direct experience working in quality assurance or food safety within 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 qualifications.

• Thorough working knowledge of USDA requirements for RTE products.

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

• Minimum of two years of supervisory, lead, or people-management experience.

• HACCP certification or the ability to obtain certification within six months of employment.

• SQF Practitioner certification or the ability to obtain certification within six months of employment.

• Working knowledge of GMPs, sanitation practices, SSOPs, HACCP systems, product specifications, and quality-control procedures.

• Ability to teach and consistently enforce food-safety, quality, sanitation, and USDA requirements in daily operations.

• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to manage staffing requirements and adjust schedules according to production needs.

• Ability to handle sensitive employee matters professionally and confidentially.

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

Preferred Qualifications

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

• An equivalent combination of education and relevant experience may be considered in place of a bachelor's degree.

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

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

• Experience reviewing or updating HACCP plans, SOPs, SSOPs, USDA programs, and regulatory documentation.

• Knowledge of statistical analysis and continuous-improvement practices.

• Experience supporting workplace safety programs in a manufacturing environment.

Important Experience Requirement

USDA RTE manufacturing experience is an essential requirement-not merely a preference. Applicants should clearly identify their USDA-regulated ready-to-eat experience on their résumé, including the products manufactured, their specific responsibilities, and the length of that experience.

Why Join Tamarack Foods?

This position offers the opportunity to take an active leadership role in the daily quality and food-safety performance of a growing USDA-regulated manufacturing operation. The Quality Assurance Supervisor will have meaningful responsibility for developing the QA team, strengthening operating standards, supporting inspection readiness, and protecting the quality and safety of every finished product.

Tamarack Foods offers:

• Competitive compensation.

• Medical and dental insurance.

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

• Profit sharing.

• A supportive, team-oriented work environment.

• Complimentary food products.

About Tamarack Foods

Our Americus facility is being fully renovated to produce battered and fried protein products under USDA inspection. We are building a team of experienced professionals who understand the discipline, urgency, and accountability required in USDA-regulated RTE manufacturing.

Our employees are the foundation of our business. We are committed to competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, professional development, and a workplace where employees are 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.