Regional Quality Manager

This is a remote-based role located in the St. Louis, MO area, with travel required more than 50% of the time.

Make a Difference in YOUR Career!

Our vision is both simple and ambitious: to put our drinks on every table.  

We are the leading global independent beverage solutions provider. We serve a broad range of national and international retailers as well as Global, National and Emerging (GNE) brands. Our products are distributed worldwide from our production sites in Europe, North America, and Australia. Although our own branding may not appear on the labels of the beverages we produce, there is a good chance you are reading this while sipping one of our drinks.

Our ambition is to continually improve and it’s what keeps us at the top of our game. We are solutions-based. We are innovative. We seek out new challenges and conquer them.  This is our company ethos, but it’s our people’s too: Refresco is at the cutting edge of a fast-moving industry because we have passionate people pushing the boundaries of what’s best.

Stop and think: how would YOU put our drinks on every table?  

Summary:

The Regional Quality Manager is responsible for overseeing all quality assurance and food safety systems across multiple beverage manufacturing sites within the assigned region. This role ensures compliance with GFSI standards (e.g., SQF), regulatory agencies (FDA, CFIA), internal requirements, and customer expectations. The Regional Quality Manager provides leadership and strategic direction for quality performance, continuous improvement, and regulatory readiness, and supports the development and implementation of food safety and quality systems across the region.

Essential Functions:

• Quality & Food Safety Leadership:
• Lead and direct all Quality Assurance/Quality Control functions across regional plants.
• Ensure the execution of food safety, food quality, and regulatory compliance programs (SQF, HACCP, GMPs, FDA, CFIA, etc.).
• Serve as the regional SQF Practitioner, or support site-level SQF Practitioners to maintain SQF certification.
• Ensure robust implementation of Food Safety Fundamentals, Food Safety Plans, and Food Quality Plans across the region.
• Regulatory & Customer Compliance:
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of industry regulations and quality systems.
• Oversee the implementation and maintenance of policies aligned with SQF, FDA, CFIA, and customer-specific quality requirements.
• Ensure accurate documentation control and secure storage of SQF and regulatory documentation.
• Audits, Inspections & Non-Conformance Management:
• Champion internal and third-party audits including SQF, customer, and regulatory inspections.
• Drive CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action) programs across the region to resolve deviations and prevent reoccurrence.
• Support root cause analysis using tools such as 5 Whys or Fishbone diagrams.
• Systems & Standardization:
• Develop, implement, and maintain regional SOPs and ensure consistency across sites.
• Use SAP Quality Module for product and material traceability, testing, and documentation.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives in quality systems, sanitation, and compliance.
• People Development & Site Support:
• Provide training, coaching, and development of site quality teams.
• Collaborate with site leadership to align quality goals with production, maintenance, and engineering objectives.
• Lead by influence and promote a food safety culture throughout all levels of the organization.
• Resource Optimization & Safety:
• Ensure quality resource efficiency while upholding product and packaging standards.
• Enforce adherence to OSHA and environmental health and safety protocols.
• Participate in investigations related to product hold, recalls, or contamination events.
• This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Required Skills and Competencies:

• Strong understanding of beverage processing (carbonation,