Quality Manager

• Greater Los Angeles, CA area
• Salary Range: $80,000 - $100,000 + bonus

A global leader in packaging industry is seeking an experienced and proactive Quality Manager to serve as a key member of the Site Leadership Team. This role is responsible for managing and continuously improving quality systems, food safety, and forest sustainability programs while ensuring excellence in customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and audit performance.

The Quality Manager will have the following responsibilities:

• Serve on the Site Leadership Team, supporting site safety, quality, and food safety initiatives
• Own and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS), including ISO 9001, SQF, food safety, and FSC/forest sustainability programs
• Lead government, customer, third‑party, and internal audits (SQF, ISO 9001, IMS, FSC), ensuring audit readiness and effective CAPA
• Develop and maintain risk‑based, cost‑effective inspection and testing programs aligned with regulatory, customer, and food‑contact packaging requirements
• Ensure food‑contact packaging compliance, overseeing material approval, in‑process controls, and finished goods conformance
• Prepare for and lead SQF system audits, HACCP programs, internal audits, and management reviews
• Act as the primary quality contact for customers, managing complaints, root cause investigations, corrective actions, and customer visits
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and CI on new product introductions and equipment startups to ensure food safety and compliance by design
• Manage supplier qualification and monitoring, incoming inspection, quality holds, and material release processes

The Ideal Quality Manager will have the following qualifications:

• 3+ years of progressive Quality leadership experience in a highly regulated manufacturing environment, with direct ownership of QMS, compliance, and continuous improvement
• Packaging industry experience strongly preferred, specifically food‑contact packaging; backgrounds in Food & Beverage, Plastics, Injection Molding, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, or similarly regulated manufacturing considered
• Bachelor's degree in Quality, Engineering, Food Science, Chemistry, or related technical field preferred (or equivalent experience)
• SQF Practitioner certification with hands‑on experience supporting SQF, FSMA, GMP, HACCP, and customer or regulatory audits or similar hands on experience
• Working knowledge and application of ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, including document control, internal audits, management review, CAPA, and continuous improvement
• 3-5 years of supervisory or people‑management experience within a manufacturing quality organization, including training, coaching, and performance development
• Proven experience leading internal, external, customer, and third‑party audits, including root cause analysis, CAPA, risk assessment, and nonconformance management
• Strong understanding of quality tools and methodologies, such as SPC, FMEA, PPAP, change management, and supplier quality, with Lean / Six Sigma exposure a plus
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate cross‑functionally across operations, engineering, supply chain, and corporate leadership
• Comfortable acting as the primary quality interface with customers, auditors, suppliers, plant leadership, and executive stakeholders
• Strong customer communication and presentation skills, with a focus on issue resolution, compliance, and customer satisfaction