QC & QA Manager Plascene Inc. Oxnard, CA Job Details Full-time $100,000 - $120,000 a year 22 hours ago Benefits Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Military leave Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance 401(k) matching Life insurance Qualifications Customer communication Customer returns handling Team supervision Compliance audits & assessments English Quality management Manufacturing facility experience Quality assurance Bachelor's degree HACCP Quality control SQF Practitioner (SQFI) Managing product quality assurance teams Factory experience Process management Production process auditing Manufacturing company experience Food safety auditing Customer complaint resolution

Full Job Description Summary:

The QC & QA Manager leads all quality assurance, quality control, and food safety activities for Plascene's packaging manufacturing operations in Oxnard, California, and at future Plascene sites, serving food-contact packaging customers. This position owns and maintains the Quality Management System (QMS) and the GFSI-certified food safety program (SQF/BRCGS), establishes inspection and testing requirements from incoming materials to finished goods, holds the authority to stop production and hold product, ensures compliance with customer and regulatory requirements, and drives continuous improvement. Experience with PET or plastics packaging, or food-contact manufacturing a plus. The QC & QA Manager leads the quality team across all shifts and serves as the primary quality and food safety representative for customers, suppliers, auditors, certification bodies, and internal stakeholders.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Quality Management System & Food Safety

• Build, maintain, and continuously improve the Quality Management System (QMS), including SOPs, work instructions, quality procedures, forms, document control, and change control.
• Serve as the designated SQF Practitioner (or BRCGS equivalent), responsible for the food safety and quality plan, the HACCP-based hazard analysis, and maintaining the plant's GFSI certification.
• Establish and enforce Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) for food-contact packaging, including personnel hygiene, housekeeping, and sanitation of production and storage areas.
• Own foreign-material and contamination control, including glass and brittle plastic, metal, and loose-material controls, and oversee the pest control program and contractor.
• Ensure quality and food safety procedures and standards are consistently implemented across all shifts, crews, and production areas.
• Ensure compliance with applicable customer specifications, company standards, certification requirements, and regulatory requirements. Inspection & Testing
• Establish inspection and testing standards for incoming materials, in-process products, finished products, and packaging.
• Define sampling plans (including AQL), test methods, and acceptance criteria based on customer specifications and product risk.
• Ensure inspection and testing requirements are clearly defined, documented, and consistently followed on every shift.
• Maintain appropriate calibration and control of inspection, measurement, and testing equipment.
• Review quality data and inspection results to identify trends, recurring issues, and opportunities for improvement by production line, product, and tooling. Process Control & Quality Authority
• Approve first-article inspection at every production order start, tooling change, and material or color change before release to full production.
• Define in-process sampling frequencies and apply statistical process control (SPC) to critical product and process characteristics.
• Ensure traceability by lot, time, and production line, from incoming materials to finished goods, including retained samples for each production order.
• Enforce line clearance at changeovers to prevent mixing of products, colors, or materials.
• Hold the authority to stop any production line or hold product when quality or food safety is at risk; production may restart only after QC sign-off. Audits & Compliance
• Lead internal quality and food safety audits against the

SQF/BRCGS

code, and coordinate customer, certification, supplier, and regulatory audits.

• Prepare audit documentation, responses, corrective action plans, and follow-up activities through closure.
• Maintain current

SQF/BRCGS

certification, customer compliance documentation, quality questionnaires, and related records.

• Ensure food-contact and product safety compliance of materials and finished products, including applicable FDA regulations and California Proposition 65, with supplier declarations kept current.
• Maintain verification records for recycled-content and other packaging regulatory requirements. Nonconforming Product & CAPA
• Manage nonconforming products, including hold tagging, segregation, investigation, disposition, sorting, rework, scrap, and release decisions, with traceability by lot, line, and production time.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) activities.
• Use structured problem-solving tools such as 5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa, 8D, and other appropriate methodologies.
• Monitor corrective actions to ensure they are implemented effectively and prevent recurrence. Customer Quality
• Serve as the primary quality contact for customers regarding quality issues, complaints, corrective actions, and quality documentation.
• Investigate customer complaints and returns using retained samples and production records, identify root causes, develop corrective actions, and provide timely written responses.
• Work closely with customers and internal teams to resolve quality issues and maintain customer satisfaction.
• Issue Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and maintain approved specification sheets and customer-specific test requirements for each product. Quality KPIs & Continuous Improvement
• Develop and report quality KPIs, including PPM defect rate, first-pass yield, internal rejects by line and defect type, scrap, customer complaints, returns, audit results, and corrective action status.
• Present monthly quality performance reports and improvement plans to leadership.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects, scrap, customer complaints, and quality-related costs. Production & Process Support
• Work closely with Production, Engineering/Technicians, Maintenance, and Shipping to prevent defects and resolve quality issues quickly.
• Participate in new product introductions, new tooling qualification, process changes, trials, and validation activities to ensure quality requirements are met.
• Review and approve quality-related production documentation and process changes, as appropriate.
• Define quality and food safety requirements for new lines and new sites, including inspection setup, equipment qualification, and quality staffing. Team Leadership
• Hire, train, coach, schedule, develop, and evaluate quality personnel.
• Establish clear responsibilities, performance expectations, and accountability for quality team members across all crews and shifts, aligned with the QC career-level structure.
• Maintain current job descriptions, training records, qualification records, and competency requirements for quality positions, and ensure GMP and food safety training for all plant personnel.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• In-depth knowledge of quality management systems (ISO 9001 or equivalent), GFSI food safety codes (SQF or BRCGS Packaging), HACCP, GMP, inspection methods, statistical process control (SPC), and audit practices.
• Skilled in root-cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) methodologies, including 5 Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, and 8D problem-solving.
• Ability to learn manufacturing processes quickly and trace product defects to their process root causes.
• Ability to analyze quality data, identify trends, and present clear KPI reports and improvement recommendations to leadership.
• Ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold accountable a quality team across multiple shifts.
• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced manufacturing environment, manage changing priorities, and perform effectively with minimal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with customers, suppliers, auditors, and internal stakeholders.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills when evaluating nonconforming products and determining hold, release, or disposition actions under time-sensitive conditions.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications; experience with SAP or other ERP, quality management, or manufacturing systems preferred.

Qualifications/Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of quality experience in manufacturing, including at least 2 years successfully managing people.
• Experience leading internal audits and hosting customer or certification audits.
• SQF Practitioner training and HACCP certification, or the ability to obtain both within 6 months of hire.

Preferred:

plastics, packaging, or food-contact manufacturing experience.

Preferred:

ISO 9001

experience and hands-on SQF or BRCGS audit hosting experience.

Preferred:

ASQ certification (CQE, CQA, or CMQ/OE).

Preferred:

experience managing quality across multiple shifts.

Preferred:

bilingual in English and Spanish or Vietnamese. Must be able to travel between warehouses.

ADA/FEHA REQUIREMENTS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Must meet OSHA Safety Standards and be able to work safely around operating machinery. While performing the duties, the employee is exposed to QC lab and a manufacturing plant environment that requires walking, standing, stooping, squatting and sitting for various lengths of time. Turning, twisting, reaching, pulling, pushing, grasping. Using computer terminals, using measuring tools. PPE requirements may change based on location. This includes wearing protective safety clothing, ear plugs, hand protection. Noise factor is that of machines running in a manufacturing environment. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds. Occasional early, late, or weekend hours are required to cover night shifts, audits, or customer issues. Must be able to travel between warehouses. The vision requirements include satisfactory close vision, distant vision, computer vision. The Company will reasonably accommodate any employee with a disability, provided it will not pose an undue hardship to the Company. The Company does not discriminate on the basis of any characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Pay:

$100,000.00 - $120,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) matching Dental insurance Health insurance Life insurance Military leave Paid time off Parental leave Vision insurance Application Question(s): How many years of experience in QA do you have? How many years of experience in QC do you have?

Education:

Bachelor's (Required)

Work Location:

In person