Quality Manager-Beverage Operations

Essential Functions

This position is responsible for:

• Approaching work with a Continuous Improvement (CI) mindset and engaging in Mid Valley Family Foods’ Mission Statement to identify, value, prioritize, resource and sustain improvement opportunities.
• Owning and promoting a Safety Culture by ensuring a safe work environment and promoting proper safety behavior.
• Serving as an example of living our Mid Valley Family Foods Core Values & Purpose.
• Building and supporting cross-functional relationships with a commitment to Operational Excellence.
• Developing teams into high-performing groups that work effectively together and cross-functionally.
• Leading beverage quality assurance, food safety, laboratory, sanitation verification, and quality system activities.
• Ensuring compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA, PMO/HTST, Juice HACCP, customer specifications, and applicable regulations.
• Owning the site Quality Management System for beverage operations, including procedures, SOPs, work instructions, verification records, documentation controls, internal audits, and record-retention practices.
• Overseeing laboratory testing, environmental monitoring, calibration, data integrity, and documentation accuracy.
• Analyzing complaints, holds, nonconformances, audit findings, process deviations, and quality trends to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
• Leading root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) that reduce re-occurrence, improve process capability, and protect product integrity.
• Serving as a technical escalation point for sanitation, pasteurization, CIP, filler hygiene, validation/verification activities, product disposition, customer concerns, and regulatory questions.
• Partnering with cross-functional teams to resolve quality issues, support equipment and process validations, verify process changes, provide QMS inputs for management review, and ensure quality is built into daily operating decisions.
• Leading, coaching, and developing quality supervisors, technicians, laboratory personnel, and other assigned team members.
• Providing clear expectations, technical guidance, coaching, and performance feedback to build capability and accountability.
• Ensuring role clarity, backup coverage, and cross-training for critical quality, lab, documentation, sanitation verification, and audit-readiness responsibilities.
• Building a culture of food safety, product integrity, continuous improvement, and disciplined execution across beverage operations.
• Supporting internal and external audits, including customer, regulatory, certification, and brand audits.
• Carrying out all duties in accordance with Mid Valley Family Foods policies and all applicable Federal, State, County, and local regulations related to the processing, packaging, sale and merchandising of beverage products.
• Knowing, understanding, adhering to, and enforcing all company policies, GMPs, and procedures.
• Maintaining appropriate dress and personal appearance standards, including required PPE and hygiene practices in laboratory and production areas.
• Excellent attendance and punctuality are an essential function of this position.
• Other responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

Mandatory Job Requirements

To be eligible for this position, an individual must possess the following requirements to perform the essential job functions:

• Must be able to stand and walk for extended periods when working in the plant, laboratory, and warehouse areas.
• Must be able to work in a laboratory setting as well as production, sanitation, and warehouse environments, including confined and elevated spaces during inspections and audits.
• Must possess strong mathematics and data-analysis skills to interpret laboratory, quality, and process data.
• Must possess strong reading and writing skills to interpret regulations, standards, and technical documentation.
• Must possess the following speech, vision and auditory characteristics:
  • Speech level sufficient to convey technical information clearly, including in a high-noise plant environment.
  • Vision sufficient to perform laboratory testing, read gauges and charts, inspect product and packaging, and review documentation.
  • A sense of taste and/or smell may be required to evaluate product quality characteristics.
  • Hearing, while wearing ear protection, sufficient to be aware of hazardous conditions in the plant.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds and fulfill other physical requirements of the position detailed in the “Physical Requirements” section.
• Must be able to work a full shift and additional hours, including occasional evenings or weekends, as demanded by audits, investigations, or business needs.
• Must be able to contribute to a safe work environment.
• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Dairy Science, or related field preferred; equivalent food or beverage manufacturing experience may be considered.

Minimum — Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, microbiology, chemistry, biology, dairy science, or related field preferred; equivalent food or beverage manufacturing experience may be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of quality assurance, food safety, sanitation, or laboratory leadership experience in food, beverage, dairy, juice, tea, or refrigerated manufacturing.
• Supervisory or management experience leading quality supervisors, technicians, laboratory personnel, or cross-functional quality initiatives.
• Working knowledge of SQF, HACCP, GMPs, FDA food safety requirements, sanitation verification, internal/customer audits, CAPA, and documentation control.
• Experience with pasteurized beverage, juice, tea, dairy, or refrigerated product manufacturing preferred.
• Strong understanding of micro, physical, and chemical testing; environmental monitoring; calibration; process validation; sanitation verification; product holds; product disposition; and root-cause analysis.
• Ability to analyze quality and operational data, identify trends and risks, and support a fast-paced, 24/7 manufacturing environment.
• Knowledge of FSSC/ISO, HTST, PMO, Juice HACCP, PQCI, pasteurization, CIP/COP, filler sanitation, and beverage manufacturing requirements preferred.
• Experience supporting internal, customer, regulatory, certification, and brand audits.
• Ability to use trend analysis, complaint data, nonconformance data, audit results, and operational performance metrics to drive measurable improvement.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to translate technical requirements into clear expectations for production, sanitation, maintenance, warehouse, and quality teams.

Mid Valley Family Foods offers its Team Members a team-oriented work environment, competitive salary, and an excellent benefit package including medical/dental/vision benefits and 401(k) retirement plan.