Sr Quality Manager Candidate

SEEKING A ROLE AS: Quality Manager for a Food Processing employer. Experience in Meat, Egg and Dairy processing.

IN LOCATION: Chicago, Illinois metro area.

SKILLS & ACHIEVEMENTS: A Quality Assurance/Food Safety leader with deep expertise across USDA/FDA compliance, HACCP/GFSI programs, and contract manufacturing qualification across multiple facilities. Known for building scalable quality systems, strengthening supplier performance, and driving cost-saving outcomes through rigorous investigations and data-driven risk management.

• Quality & Food Safety Leadership: HACCP plan development and validation studies; EMP program overhauls; GFSI topics and best-practice training across contract manufacturing facilities

• Co-Man & Supplier Risk Management: Standardized qualification, onboarding, and performance review processes; developed Supplier Quality Manual and co-man expectations; improved internal supplier risk scores by moving 4 co-mans from “medium” to “low”

• Regulatory Expertise: USDA FSIS and LSAS support; USDA and FDA regulatory expertise; led Foreign Supplier Verification Program for imported European butter products

• Audit Readiness & Investigations: Gap audit templates and co-man gap audits to support third-party audit readiness; main investigator driving food safety and quality complaint investigations

• Team Development & Direct Leadership: Managed quality assurance leadership teams including a group of 2 supervisors and 7 technicians (Chicago Meat Authority) and a supervised team of 10 quality assurance technicians (OSI Group)

• Revenue/Cost Impact: Saved egg employer over $300,000 by identifying alternative waste streams for bulk butter that did not meet production specifications; saved meat employer over $300,000 within the first three months by identifying labeling and production quality errors

• Product & Label Technical Assurance: Led reviewer for FDA/USDA nutritional facts panels and finished product labels with special claims; supported product development from conceptualization to launch (co-man qualification auditing, scale-ups, specs)

EDUCATION: Master of Food Safety and Technology — Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, IL (Graduated: 12/17/2016); also holds Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry — Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), Chicago, IL (Graduated: 08/15/2015).

COMPENSATION: Base salary expectation is dependent on responsibilities, but likely in the $135,000-150,000 range plus incentives.

If you are interested in speaking with this Food Safety/Quality Assurance leader who:
• Is looking to lead a Quality Assurance/Food Safety team
• Is looking to help you standardize and strengthen quality systems, improve audit readiness, and reduce risk through measurable food safety and quality metrics—in ways she has done for other employers
• Is capable of delivering HACCP/GFSI program leadership, regulatory assurance, complaint investigation rigor, and team development, thenContact:
Laurie Hyllberg
laurieh@kinsa.com
Worksite Preference:Open
Employment Preference:Permanent