Quality Assurance Laboratory Manager

QA Laboratory Manager (Food Manufacturing)About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Laboratory Manager to lead the Chemistry and Microbiology laboratories at a large-scale food manufacturing facility. This individual will play a critical role in ensuring product quality, food safety, specification compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives across the plant.

The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in food manufacturing quality systems, laboratory operations, microbiology, and regulatory compliance while serving as a key partner to Operations, R&D, Supply Chain, and Quality teams.Key Responsibilities

Laboratory Leadership & Quality Assurance

• Manage daily operations of the Chemistry and Microbiology laboratories.
• Supervise and develop laboratory technicians, ensuring appropriate staffing, training, and performance management.
• Maintain compliance with food safety, quality, and laboratory standards.
• Investigate and troubleshoot out-of-specification results, including microbiological, chemical, ingredient, and packaging-related issues.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance teams to implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Ensure routine product evaluations and quality assessments are completed and documented according to established procedures.

New Product Launches & Commercialization

• Coordinate quality activities related to new product introductions, reformulations, and production trials.
• Collaborate with R&D, Operations, and Quality teams to support successful product launches.
• Evaluate production trial outcomes and provide recommendations for process improvements.
• Ensure products meet established specifications and food safety requirements before commercial release.
• Drive resolution of specification and compliance issues through cross-functional collaboration.

Specifications Compliance & Quality Systems

• Develop and maintain sampling plans for products and ingredients.
• Analyze laboratory data and trends to identify opportunities for quality improvement.
• Maintain quality databases and reporting systems, providing regular updates to plant leadership.
• Coordinate investigations and corrective action plans for specification deviations.
• Support implementation and monitoring of in-process quality controls.
• Generate and communicate quality performance metrics and reports.

Supplier Quality Management

• Support supplier quality monitoring programs and ingredient compliance activities.
• Review ingredient and packaging non-conformances and coordinate corrective actions with suppliers and plant stakeholders.
• Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to evaluate supplier performance.
• Maintain documentation related to supplier quality concerns and resolutions.
• Participate in supplier audits, inspections, and performance reviews as needed.

Product Release & Regulatory Compliance

• Oversee product release activities to ensure timely disposition of finished goods.
• Support internal audits, third-party audits, customer audits, food safety programs, and mock recall exercises.
• Assist with continuous improvement initiatives and operational excellence programs.
• Ensure compliance with food safety regulations, quality standards, and company policies.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum 3 years of experience in food manufacturing quality assurance, food safety, or laboratory management.
• Experience leading chemistry and/or microbiology laboratory operations in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong understanding of:
  • HACCP principles
  • Food Safety and Quality Management Systems
  • Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Actions
  • Laboratory testing methodologies
  • Regulatory and customer compliance requirements
• Experience supervising technical teams and managing laboratory workflows.
• Proficiency with quality reporting systems, databases, and manufacturing software platforms.

Preferred

• HACCP Certification
• PCQI Certification
• Experience supporting FDA-, USDA-, or SQF-regulated food manufacturing environments.
• Advanced data analysis and reporting experience.

Key Skills

• Quality Assurance
• Food Safety
• Food Manufacturing
• Laboratory Management
• Microbiology
• Chemistry
• HACCP
• PCQI
• Specifications Compliance
• Root Cause Analysis
• Corrective & Preventive Actions (CAPA)
• Supplier Quality
• Product Release
• Continuous Improvement
• Data Analysis & Reporting

Experience Level

Senior / Expert Level

This position offers the opportunity to lead critical quality and food safety initiatives while partnering with cross-functional teams to ensure the production of safe, high-quality food products in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Fayetteville, NC.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $90400.00 - $124300.00/yr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Individual base pay depends on work location and additional factors such as experience, job-related skills, and relevant education or training. Total pay may include other forms of compensation. In addition, we offer competitive health, dental, 401k and wellness benefits beginning on the first day of employment.

Job Type & Location

This is a Permanent position based out of Fayetteville, NC.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 11, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Fayetteville,NC.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.