Quality Control Manager

Job Title: Quality Control Manager

Job Description

The Quality Control Manager provides enterprise-level leadership for all quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs within a manufacturing environment. This role ensures best-in-class product integrity, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and aligns quality systems with business objectives and customer expectations. As a key member of the leadership team, this individual partners cross-functionally to support operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. The position oversees food safety systems, audit readiness, preventive controls, laboratory operations, and crisis management while developing and mentoring a high-performing quality organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide enterprise-level leadership for quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs across a manufacturing environment.
• Ensure best-in-class product integrity by maintaining robust quality and food safety systems that meet internal standards and customer requirements.
• Oversee food safety systems, including HACCP, GMP, GFSI (with emphasis on BRC), sanitation, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and food defense.
• Lead audit readiness and manage customer, regulatory, and third-party audits and inspections to ensure full compliance with applicable standards.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by developing and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and implementing statistical process control (SPC).
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) processes to address non-conformances and systemic issues.
• Partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain to support operational excellence and integrate quality into daily operations.
• Provide customer-facing quality leadership, including managing escalations, complaints, and crisis situations to protect brand integrity and customer trust.
• Oversee laboratory operations, including testing programs, calibration, and data integrity, to ensure accurate and reliable results.
• Develop, mentor, and manage a high-performing quality team, including supervisors, coordinators, and quality technicians, through coaching and performance management.
• Support the integration of quality systems into new product commercialization and process changes to ensure compliance and product safety.
• Contribute to enterprise risk mitigation and crisis management planning and execution related to quality and food safety events.
• Collaborate with leadership to align quality and food safety strategies with overall business objectives and long-term organizational goals.
• Maintain strong executive-level communication, providing clear updates, reports, and recommendations on quality and food safety performance.
• Support multi-site quality oversight and customer engagements through periodic travel and on-site visits.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related Life Sciences discipline.
• 5–12+ years of progressive quality or food safety leadership experience in food or consumables manufacturing.
• Demonstrated enterprise quality and food safety leadership within manufacturing environments.
• Expertise in HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and GFSI schemes, with BRC experience preferred.
• Proven experience leading audits and regulatory inspections, including customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Strong experience in regulatory compliance and audit management.
• Experience with continuous improvement, KPI development, and SPC implementation.
• Proficiency in root cause analysis and leading CAPA processes.
• Experience overseeing laboratory operations, including calibration and data integrity.
• Crisis management and enterprise risk mitigation experience related to quality and food safety.
• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to influence and manage stakeholders at multiple levels.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain teams.
• Experience in team development, coaching, and performance management of quality professionals.
• Knowledge of sanitation, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.
• Hands-on experience in quality control and quality assurance within manufacturing.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field.
• Multi-site quality leadership experience in manufacturing environments.
• Experience integrating quality systems into new product commercialization.
• Pest control certification.
• Advanced data analytics and dashboard development skills.
• Familiarity with FDA, USDA, and FSMA regulations.
• Experience in customer-facing quality leadership and crisis management.
• Certifications or experience aligned with quality roles such as QC, QCM, or CQM.
• Experience in Chemistry and food safety within manufacturing settings.

This is a Permanent position based out of Chicago, IL.

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $130000.00/yr.

Medical, dental, and vision coverageCritical Illness, Accident, and Hospital plans401(k) retirement plan (pre-tax and Roth options)Voluntary life insurance and AD&DShort-term and long-term disabilityHealth Savings Account (HSA)Transportation benefitsEmployee Assistance Program (EAP)Time Off / Leave (PTO, vacation, or sick leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.

This position is anticipated to close on May 20, 2026.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Actalent, diversity and inclusion are a bridge towards the equity and success of our people. DE&I is embedded into our culture through:

• Hiring diverse talent
• Maintaining an inclusive environment through persistent self-reflection
• Building a culture of care, engagement, and recognition with clear outcomes
• Ensuring growth opportunities for our people

Actalent is an equal opportunity employer.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services. For more than 40 years, we’ve helped visionary companies advance their goals. Headquartered in the United States, our teams span 150 offices across North America, EMEA, and APAC—with four delivery centers in India led by 1,000+ extraordinary employees who connect their passion with purpose every day.

Our Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai delivery centers are hubs of engineering expertise, with core capabilities in mechanical and electrical engineering, systems and software, and manufacturing engineering. Our teams deliver work across multiple industries including transportation, consumer and industrial products, and life sciences. We serve more than 4,500 clients, including many Fortune 500 brands. Learn more about how we can work together at actalentservices.com.