Quality Assurance Specialist

At Lakeside Foods and our family of companies, we're committed to providing wholesome foods to enrich people's lives through food. We are a culture that pursues our vision of growth and innovation with passion, confidence, and commitment. We are strongest together - valuing collaborative contribution, transparency and new ideas to enable change and growth. We are committed to an inclusive and respectful environment that promotes a healthy work-life balance, and there's a seat at the table for you. Lakeside Foods is seeking a Quality Assurance Specialist to support Corporate Quality Assurance activities, including consumer complaint management, supplier approval, customer quality support, and maintenance of quality‑related databases. This role also provides administrative and technical support to the QA team and partners cross‑functionally with Sales, R D, and Operations. What You'll Get Competitive pay based on experience
Affordable, market‑leading medical, dental, and vision insurance
401(k) retirement plan with company match
Paid vacation and personal time
Paid training and professional development opportunities
A collaborative corporate office environment
Long‑term growth opportunities with a stable, family‑owned company What You'll Do
Consumer Complaints & Customer Support Manage consumer complaint responses, including documentation, data accuracy, trending, and reporting
Respond to Quality Assurance inquiries received via website, email, and telephone
Identify potential quality issues and escalate concerns as appropriate Supplier Approval & Product Support Maintain the TraceGains supplier approval database, including setup of new suppliers and items
Coordinate with suppliers to obtain required documentation
Support product and process development activities, including sample preparation and nutritional updates
Assist with maintenance of the nutritional information database
Support plant or warehouse audit activities as needed
Perform data entry and reporting for corporate lot grading activities Customer Information & Documentation Maintain and update customer quality, food safety, and specification data in customer portals
Complete customer questionnaires, specifications, and information requests
Respond to Sales requests related to product specifications and customer requirements
Create and maintain customer specifications
Generate Certificates of Analysis (COAs) as required
Coordinate shipment of customer samples
Complete QA portions of New Product Request documentation Additional Responsibilities Understand and apply FDA regulations and Lakeside Foods Quality System requirements
Support customer and R D sample evaluations
Review customer labels for accuracy
Serve as backup for other QA Specialists
Maintain confidentiality of company information
Perform other duties as assigned What You'll Bring
Education & Experience Associate degree or equivalent experience
Experience in customer service, particularly consumer complaint handling
Experience with FDA and USDA labeling requirements
Experience with TraceGains and Genesis / ESHA software preferred
Experience auditing food facilities and working knowledge of HACCP principles preferred Why Lakeside Foods
Founded in 1887, Lakeside Foods is a family‑owned company with a long tradition of quality, integrity, and food safety excellence. We invest in our people and provide opportunities to grow while making a meaningful impact across our brands and customers. Lakeside Foods and our family of companies welcomes people of all backgrounds and the varied ideas they bring to the workplace. Being an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer is part of our heritage and culture. We recruit, hire and promote employees based on qualifications and merit, without regard to race, religion, age, gender, disability, marital or veteran status. Lakeside Foods participates in E-Verify.
Equal Opportunity Employer, including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities