Quality Manager

Company Description At American Carton Company, we're more than a business - we're family. We laugh together, celebrate together, and yes, work together. We're looking for people who are the very best at what they do and are willing to help us grow. We want to become more efficient and effective in every step of our process, and that means we need the right team.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Management System & Certifications

· Serve as the site's lead authority for SQF, ISO 9001, FSC, and SFI certification programs; maintain certification in good standing and host all external audits.

· Own the QMS, including document control, records control, management review, internal audit program, and corrective/preventive action.

· Establish and enforce in-process quality standards across printing, die-cutting, folding, gluing, and finishing operations.

· Approve press OKs on critical jobs and define escalation paths for color, structural, or substrate deviations.

Customer & Supplier Quality

· Lead the customer complaint program: investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and customer-facing response.

· Manage customer specifications, artwork approvals, color standards, and first-article approvals.

· Own the supplier quality program for paperboard, inks, coatings, adhesives, and other inputs, including supplier qualification, scorecards, and non-conforming material handling.

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

· Ensure all food-contact cartons meet applicable FDA, food-contact substance, and customer-specific regulatory requirements.

· Maintain HACCP/food safety plans, allergen controls (where applicable), pest control, sanitation, and GMP programs supporting SQF compliance.

· Oversee declarations, migration data, and compliance documentation requested by customers.

Team Leadership & Culture

· Lead, develop, and schedule the Quality Team across all shifts; ensure adequate inspection coverage and clear escalation procedures.

· Build a shop-floor quality culture through training, coaching, and visible standards at every workstation.

· Track and publish KPIs (internal defect rate, customer complaints, waste, cost of quality, etc.) and present results in quarterly management reviews.

· Lead or sponsor continuous improvement projects targeting waste reduction, makeready quality, and first-pass yield.

Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor's degree in Packaging, Printing, Engineering, Food Science, or a related technical field; equivalent industry experience considered.

· Minimum 5–7 years of quality experience in folding carton, paperboard packaging, commercial print manufacturing, or a related field, with at least 2 years in a leadership role.

· Demonstrated experience leading or managing company audits.

Preferred

· Working knowledge of sheet-fed offset printing, die-cutting, folding/gluing, and finishing operations.

· Proficient with SPC, root-cause analysis tools, and statistical software.

· SQF Practitioner certification and current HACCP training.

· Experience with vision inspection systems and MIS/ERP color and quality modules.

· Six Sigma Green Belt or higher; Lean Manufacturing experience.

Skills & Competencies

· Decisive on the floor; comfortable making press-side calls under time pressure.

· Strong written communication for audit documentation, customer correspondence, and procedure writing.

· Able to translate technical print and structural requirements between customers, sales, pre-press, and production.

· Calm and effective during third-party audits and customer visits.

· Detail-oriented but able to keep sight of throughput, cost, and customer impact.