Quality Assurance Manager

Company Description

BKON is a highly specialized coffee extraction company with a patented brewing technology called RAIN® (Reverse Atmospheric Infusion®). BKON is innovating the future of cold coffee for brands that value flavor-conscious consumers. RAIN’s superpower is its ability to produce optimal flavor outcomes at high concentrations, enabling brands to deliver café-fresh drink experiences from shelf-stable packaged products. BKON's extraction expertise and partner-obsessed approach is helping catapult brands to cold coffee greatness.

Role Description

This is a full-time, on-site opportunity for a QA Manager at our manufacturing facility. The QA Manager will oversee our Food Safety & Quality (FSQ) programs across internal operations and co-manufacturing partners. This role is critical to ensuring our products consistently meet the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance while supporting innovation and growth.

If you’re passionate about food safety, thrive in a hands-on production environment, and enjoy building systems that scale, we’d love to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

Food Safety & Quality Systems

• Develop, implement, and maintain food safety and quality programs to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, company standards, and customer specifications
• Lead and reinforce GMP, sanitation, microbiology, and food safety practices across the organization
• Partner with a third-party food safety consultant to maintain and continuously improve BKON’s SQF program

Audits & Compliance

• Lead all third-party audits (regulatory, SQF, and customer-driven)
• Conduct internal audits and support external audits to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards
• Evaluate and approve new co-manufacturers, including conducting on-site audits as needed

Quality Control & Lab Oversight

• Oversee QA lab operations, including supervision of QA Technician(s)
• Ensure proper sampling and testing of production runs (e.g., Brix, pH, NTU, density)
• Coordinate with third-party labs for environmental and finished product testing
• Maintain accurate documentation of quality data and sensory evaluations
• Provide Certificates of Analysis for outbound products

Production & Supplier Quality

• Inspect inbound materials for quality and documentation compliance
• Support and collaborate with co-manufacturing partners to ensure adherence to BKON quality standards
• Manage relationships with third-party vendors (sanitation, pest control, lab services)

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with R&D and Sales teams on product development, customer samples, and quality requirements
• Review and approve customer documentation and specifications
• Schedule and oversee customer sample production, QA testing, and cupping sessions

Training & Culture

• Develop and deliver training programs on GMPs and food safety practices
• Lead monthly food safety meetings to communicate updates, findings, and improvements
• Champion a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement

Leadership Responsibilities

• Supervise and develop QA team members
• Manage daily QA workflows, including lab scheduling and sample coordination
• Recruit, train, and evaluate team performance
• Provide coaching, feedback, and performance management support

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 2+ years of Quality Assurance and Quality Control experience, including proficiency in testing procedures and tools
• Strong analytical skills for test result interpretation and process optimization
• Experience in creating and implementing quality protocols and standards
• Leadership and team management skills, with experience training teams on quality measures
• Ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including production and engineering
• Detail-oriented with strong organizational and documentation skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Quality Management, or a related field
• SQF Practitioner/HACCP certification
• Q-grader or equivalent experience in coffee sensory analysis
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance related to food and beverage industries is a plus

Compensation

• $80K-$90K, depending upon experience
• Health, dental & vision
• PTO plan