QA Operations Relief

QA Operations Relief

Pay Rate: $33.80 per hour. Plus $2.00 shift differential when applicable.
Schedule: Monday through Friday, 6:00PM – 2:30 AM.

When providing coverage for an absent QA Operations Technician, this position will transition to a 12-hour rotating 2-2-3 schedule (5:00 AM – 5:00 PM or 5:00 PM – 5:00 AM), including every other weekend and holiday coverage as needed. Must be able to work daylight and night shift.

Role Focus:

The QA Operations Relief is a critical role that supports plant operations through Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Sanitation, and Operational Excellence. This position is primarily responsible for ensuring compliance with food safety regulations, sanitation standards, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and Land O'Lakes quality systems while promoting a culture of continuous improvement throughout the facility.

The QA Operations Relief serves as the technical expert for Quality and Sanitation, partnering closely with Production, Maintenance, Engineering, and Distribution to maintain product quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency. In addition to daily Quality responsibilities, this position serves as the designated relief for QA Operations Technicians, providing leadership and direction to facility teams.  

This role is part of our Dairy Food business who creates dairy products that stand for real, simple goodness.   We believe there’s power in every drop of milk our farmers produce, and by improving production and finding innovative uses for that milk, we add a little good to people’s lives.   

Essential Responsibilities

Quality Assurance & Food Safety

• Conduct sanitary environmental monitoring and microbiological sampling according to established SOPs.
• Collect product, ingredient, environmental, and investigative samples to support quality investigations, customer requests, and regulatory requirements.
• Perform routine GMP inspections throughout the facility and communicate findings with cross-functional teams.
• Conduct pre-operational inspections, invasive red tag inspections, and equipment cleanliness verification prior to production startup.
• Verify CIP (Clean-in-Place) systems and sanitation effectiveness through inspections, testing, and microbiological swabbing.
• Monitor Critical Control Points (CCPs), Preventive Controls, and quality parameters while ensuring compliance with HACCP and food safety programs.
• Review, verify, and approve quality and sanitation documentation for completeness and accuracy.
• Ensure compliance with Land O'Lakes EQMS requirements and all internal quality systems.
• Support customer audits, third-party inspections, regulatory inspections, and internal audits.
• Participate in root cause investigations, corrective action development, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Follow up on Action Register items to ensure timely completion and documentation.
• Partner with Operations and Maintenance to proactively resolve quality and sanitation concerns.
• Support product trials, process validations, and product changeovers through documentation, setup, monitoring, and verification.
• Serve as the facility's War on Water Champion by promoting water conservation initiatives and responsible resource utilization.
• Maintain compliance with all GMPs, food safety policies, sanitation procedures, and company standards.

• Train, coach, and mentor employees performing sanitation and cleaning responsibilities.
• Deliver Quality Assurance and Food Safety training to plant personnel.
• Reinforce GMP compliance, sanitation practices, food safety expectations, and quality standards.
• Promote accountability by addressing quality concerns and coaching employees toward continuous improvement.
• Foster collaboration between Quality, Production, Maintenance, and Operations teams.
• Serve as a technical resource for Quality and Sanitation best practices throughout the facility.

• Lead Root Cause Analysis for production failures and process deviations.
• Additional duties may be assigned by your supervisor or manager.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Associate's Degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant manufacturing experience preferred.
• Minimum of 3–5 years of experience in dairy manufacturing, food manufacturing, quality assurance, sanitation, or production operations.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision while balancing multiple priorities.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and time management skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to safety, food s