Quality Manager

Position Summary

The Quality Manager is responsible for building, implementing and continuously improving Northstar Recycling's internal Quality Management System (QMS), and for owning the company's specific quality program — a subset of the QMS, for a major food and beverage client, governing internal processes and outlets handling client material. This role partners with every department to document, standardize, and continuously improve how work is done, while also serving as the primary quality point of contact for this client, and the outlets that process their material. Success in this role requires exceptional attention to detail, sound judgment about what matters most, and the ability to communicate clearly and professionally with audiences ranging from outlet staff to external client quality teams.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Quality Management System (QMS)

• Design, build, implement and maintain Northstar's internal Quality Management System, establishing the structure, tools, and governance needed to support it long-term.
• Partner with every department to identify, capture, and document existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), converting informal or undocumented practices into standardized, approved procedures within the QMS.
• Establish and maintain version control and document control processes so that SOPs, workflows, forms, and quality records stay current, approved, and easily retrievable.
• Develop and maintain training records tied to SOPs, ensuring employees are trained in current procedures and that training completion is tracked and auditable.
• Manage a new incident and corrective action process, including intake, root-cause investigation, corrective/preventive action (CAPA) tracking, and closure verification.
• Lead or support investigations into quality incidents and non-conformances, driving root-cause analysis and ensuring corrective actions are effective and documented.
• Continuously assess and improve the QMS based on audit findings, incident trends, and operational feedback.

Specific Quality Program (External-Facing)

• Own and maintain the specific quality system as a clearly defined subset of the overarching QMS, ensuring it meets client specific requirements and expectations.
• Maintain all internal SOPs, as well as SOPs for any outlet that processes client material, keeping them current, version-controlled, and audit-ready.
• Serve as the primary quality liaison, managing external interactions, communications, and inquiries with professionalism and responsiveness.
• Develop and deliver quality training to outlets that handle client material, ensuring consistent understanding and execution of specific requirements.
• Coordinate and support quality audits and reviews, ensuring documentation, training records, and corrective actions are organized and readily available.
• Proactively identify and escalate quality risks related to client material handling, distinguishing critical issues from lower-priority items and driving timely resolution.
• Maintain trackers and dashboards, identify trends and risks, and support business review readiness.