Bakery Quality Assurance Manager

About Harvest Moon Baking Company

Harvest Moon Baking Company (HMBC) was born in 2006 in Denver, Colorado. What started as a homegrown bakery has stayed true to old-school baking traditions ever since. We use pure, simple ingredients with no artificial preservatives, focusing on quality, consistency, and craft in everything we make.

As we celebrate 20 years of baking, we're proud of how far we've come and grateful to the partners who've grown with us along the way.

Today, our handmade artisan selections are delivered to and served in restaurants across the United States. We say it, and we mean it: Thanks for letting us handle your buns.

Summary

The Quality Assurance Manager oversees all food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance programs within an SQF certified commercial bread manufacturing facility. This role ensures full adherence to FDA regulations, 21 CFR requirements for food manufacturing, OSHA safety standards, HACCP principles, and SQF Code Edition 9 and 10. The QA Manager leads the Quality Assurance department and directly manages the AM and PM QA Tech teams as well as the AM and PM Sanitation teams, ensuring effective cleaning, environmental monitoring, and hygienic zoning practices that protect product integrity and consumer safety.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain and continuously improve the facility's SQF Food Safety and Quality Management System, ensuring readiness for certification, surveillance, and customer audits.
• Ensure compliance with FDA Current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) under 21 CFR Part 117 (FSMA - Preventive Controls for Human Food).
• Oversee development, verification, and validation of HACCP plans, including hazard analysis, critical control points, monitoring, and corrective actions.
• Ensure compliance with OSHA workplace safety regulations, including employee training, documentation, and corrective action follow-up.
• Maintain regulatory documentation, including ingredient specifications, allergen controls, environmental monitoring records, and supplier verification programs.
• Serve as the primary contact for regulatory inspections, customer audits, and third party SQF audits.
• Lead the QA department in daily quality checks, line inspections, product testing, and verification activities.
• Oversee non-conformance investigations, root cause analysis, and implementation of corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Manage the facility's document control system, including SOPs, SSOPs, work instructions, and training materials.
• Ensure accurate calibration and maintenance of production monitoring equipment.
• Review and approve product formulations, labels, and packaging for regulatory and quality compliance.
• Directly supervise the Sanitation Supervisors, Team Leads, and Team Members for both AM and PM shifts.
• Oversee execution of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOPs) and master sanitation schedules.
• Ensure sanitation practices comply with CFR, FDA, SQF, and HACCP requirements for hygienic design, allergen control, and environmental pathogen prevention.
• Lead environmental monitoring programs (EMP), including swabbing, trend analysis, and corrective actions.
• Verify that cleaning chemicals, concentrations, and application methods meet company and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure sanitation staff receive ongoing training in safety, chemical handling, and food hygiene.
• Responsible for daily review and verification of GMP, production, and sanitation records as well as annual reviews and validation reports.
• Daily evaluation of the finished product
• Conduct GMP, SQF, and HACCP training and testing for all new hires and annually thereafter
• Responsible for site security and food defense management
• Adherent to attendance policy

Required Skills/Abilities

• Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Excellent time management skills with proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Solution-focused mindset.
• Ability to work efficiently, effectively, collaboratively, professionally, and respectfully in a stressful, fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrates the ability to make timely, well-reasoned decisions in high pressure situations, while using available information per operations guidelines and company policies while always keeping product quality and safety standards.
• Proven leadership skills with a positive teaching/mentorship style that promotes personal responsibility, accountability, and sense of pride in the work to be done.
• Working knowledge of all bakery production processes and stations.
• Working knowledge of all proper sanitation standards for bakery equipment
• Proficient in all MS Office programs

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree, food science preferred, or minimum 5 years' experience in an SQF-certified plant
• Preventive Controls Qualified Person (PCQI) certification is required
• ERP system experience
• Must be flexible to work hours as needed, including early mornings, nights, and weekends

Functional Backup

• Production Intelligence Manager - Assigned as backup SQF Practitioner

Working Conditions

• May occasionally need to work overtime and on Saturdays to fulfill orders
• Exempt employees will work 40+ hours as necessary, and the schedule may vary depending on the business and staffing needs
• Must be able to work on your feet for long periods of time (up to 8 hours)
• Position requires prolonged standing, bending, stooping, twisting, and lifting products and supplies weighing up to 50 lbs., as well as repetitive hand and wrist motion
• Position requires work with hot, cold, and hazardous equipment

Physical Requirements & Frequency

• Bend -Occasionally
• Climb/Crawl - Rarely
• Sit - Rarely
• Kneel - Rarely
• Squat - Occasionally
• Stand/Walk - Constantly

Mental Requirements & Frequency

• Communicate Orally - Constantly
• Evaluating - Frequently
• Perform Calculations - Occasionally
• Read/Comprehend - Regularly
• Reason/Analyze - Regularly
• Write - Occasionally

Benefits & Perks

• Salary Range: $80,000 to $90,000 annually
• Dental and Vision benefits after 60 days
• Health benefits for full-time employees
• 401(k) plans after 6 months of employment
• Up to 5 paid holidays per year
• 50% Employee Discount
• A fun work environment with great people!

*First Meridian Services utilizes E-Verify to confirm work eligibility within the US.

First Meridian Services is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or protected veteran status.