Quality Specialist

Quality Specialist

The Quality Specialist serves as the primary quality authority for overnight operations, making real-time quality decisions to ensure products meet all food safety, sanitation, cGMP, and regulatory standards. This role manages product holds and investigations, leads quality responses during production issues, and partners closely with production and operations teams to maintain and continuously improve quality performance across the facility.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the on-shift Quality leader for overnight operations and make timely, real-time quality decisions.
• Ensure strict compliance with food safety standards, sanitation requirements, cGMPs, quality specifications, and all applicable regulatory requirements.
• Manage product holds, including initiation, investigation, disposition, and documentation within SAP and QualityOne systems.
• Identify, document, and drive resolution of deviations, non-conformances, and corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs).
• Lead the Quality response during production upsets, abnormal events, and process issues, including product containment, assessment, and disposition.
• Provide technical support, guidance, and coaching to Quality Lab Technicians and other quality personnel on shift.
• Act as the on-shift Quality leader, partnering with production and operations teams to maintain and reinforce quality standards.
• Participate in root cause investigations to determine underlying issues and support the implementation of effective corrective actions.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on enhancing product quality, food safety, and operational efficiency.
• Monitor, analyze, and communicate shift quality performance metrics to Quality Management in a clear and timely manner.
• Ensure effective shift-to-shift communication regarding open holds, deviations, quality concerns, and quality priorities.
• Support process, material, and operational improvements that enhance product quality and food safety across the facility.
• Represent the Quality function in shift meetings and actively promote a strong culture of quality throughout the facility.
• Use digital quality systems and data analytics to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure quality requirements are understood and integrated into daily operations.

Essential Skills

• Degree required, preferably in a scientific discipline such as food science, microbiology, chemistry, or a related field.
• 1–2 years of quality experience in food manufacturing preferred, with exposure to quality control and quality assurance practices.
• Strong understanding of food safety principles, including HACCP, FSMA, and USDA requirements (experience preferred).
• Experience with HACCP plans and food safety audits, with the ability to apply standards in a manufacturing environment.
• Solid analytical skills with the ability to interpret data, identify issues, and translate insights into actionable steps.
• Excellent math skills and strong written and verbal communication abilities to document findings and communicate with diverse teams.
• Demonstrated ability to lead in a fast-paced and challenging environment, making sound decisions under pressure.
• Computer proficiency, especially with Excel, Word, and PowerPoint, and comfort working with digital quality and data systems.
• Ability to work overnight shifts consistently and maintain high attention to detail throughout the shift.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with quality technicians and production workers, providing direction and support as needed.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience with HACCP plans, FSMA, and USDA programs preferred.
• Team leadership or supervisory experience is preferred but not required; ability to influence and guide others on shift.
• Experience with EWM and SAP systems, with the ability to provide relevant input and help deploy and train new digital quality systems.
• Flexible and highly motivated individual with the ability to adapt quickly and effectively to changing priorities and conditions.
• Basic knowledge of dry savory composition, sanitation principles, microbiology, and quality assurance policies and regulations.
• Experience with lean manufacturing principles and statistical analytics platforms is preferred.
• Applied knowledge of dry food manufacturing equipment and digital systems is preferred.
• Strong commitment to promoting a culture of quality and continuous improvement in a manufacturing environment.
• Interest in growing with a dynamic and expanding company and taking on increasing responsibility over time.

Work Environment

This position is based in a food manufacturing facility and focuses on overnight operations. The role will train on day shift for the first couple of weeks to ensure thorough onboarding and familiarity with processes and systems, then transition to the regular shift schedule of Sunday to Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. The Quality Specialist does not have direct reports but is expected to take a leadership role on shift and work closely with quality technicians and production workers. The environment is fast-paced and highly focused on food safety and product quality, with regular use of digital systems such as SAP, QualityOne, EWM, and data analytics tools. Collaboration with production, operations, and quality teams is frequent, and the culture emphasizes continuous improvement, strong communication, and a proactive approach to maintaining high quality standards.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Independence, MO.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $22.00 - $26.00/hr.

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.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Independence,MO.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 18, 2026.

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 View email address on click.appcast.io 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.