Quality Assurance Manager - Starwest Botanicals, Inc.

Quality Assurance Manager

Role Summary

Starwest Botanicals is an industry leader within the organic herb, botanical, spice, and tea industry. With nearly 50 years of experience, Starwest has grown to become a global player in the wholesale ingredient space. The company is proudly based in Sacramento, California.

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for overseeing the development and execution of quality and compliance systems for the Company. Manage members of the quality team embedded in manufacturing and warehouse operations.Ensure company adherence to federal, state, and local food safety regulations. Maintaining food safety and quality certifications such as SQF, organic, and Kosher. Develop and execute employee training programs. Disposition agricultural raw materials for use in production. Champion a true food safety and quality culture at the Company. Build a highly skilled quality team. This position is located in Sacramento, California.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the implementation and recertification of third-party quality audits such as SQF, organic and Kosher.
• Develop and execute a comprehensive food safety and quality strategy that aligns with the Company’s goals and objectives.
• Staying abreast of changes in food safety regulations and ensure the Company’s practices meet or exceed relevant standards such as FDA, Health Department, FSMA, and HACCP.
• Design and maintain robust quality systems, including quality control processes, critical control points, testing procedures, and risk mitigation.
• Manage the disposition of agricultural raw materials for use in production.
• Collaborate with the operations team to implement quality standards from raw material receiving to finished goods storage, and contribute to production planning and scheduling where applicable.
• Identify areas of improvement in quality processes and lead initiatives to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and optimize product quality.
• Provide training and guidance to employees on quality standards, procedures, best practices, and continuous improvement to foster a culture of quality excellence.
• Conduct internal audits and coordinate external inspections to assess compliance with quality standards and address non-conformities.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to monitor and track quality metrics, analyze data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Work cross-functionally with other functions such as global procurement, operations, R&D and sales to address quality, regulatory, and product concerns and contribute to new product development.
• Review packaging and labeling of finished goods to ensure compliance.
• Analyze processes, identify trends, and continuously evaluate manufacturing programs and processes for improvement.
• Comply with all federal, state and local regulatory requirements.
• Other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years of experience as a quality leader within the food and beverage industry is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in relevant field such as food sciences, quality management, or engineering.
• Experience with FDA, GMP certifications, third-party food safety audits, HACCP, CCPs, and FSMA required.
• Must be able to work unsupervised in a highly complex and evolving work environment.
• Must be highly proficient in Microsoft Office, Excel, database management, spreadsheet creation, email, internet.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Provides constructive and timely feedback to improve performance to various stakeholders.
• Manage an hourly team of 10-20 employees.

Physical Demands

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer.
• Must be able to lift up to 25 pounds at times.

Travel Required

• Travel between company facilities within the Sacramento, CA area.
• May be required to attend training and industry events as directed by supervisor.

Work Location and Reporting Relationship

• This position requires the candidate to be on site in Sacramento, CA daily.
• Work from home or remote work is not available for this position.
• This position reports to the Director of Quality.

Other Responsibilities

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

Starwest Botanicals is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. All aspects of employment decisions will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of any status protected under federal, state, or local law. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for our colleagues.