Product Quality Assurance Specialist

Product Quality Assurance Specialist New Cibo Vita LLC Totowa, NJ Job Details Full-time $76,000 - $85,000 a year 12 hours ago Benefits Paid holidays Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Paid time off Vision insurance Life insurance Qualifications Quality control corrective actions Food safety management Quality assurance within food and beverage industry Regulatory compliance Corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) Sensory evaluation Bachelor's degree Food industry Root cause analysis Cross-functional collaboration Cross-functional communication

Full Job Description About Us:

Cibo Vita is a leading innovator in the wellness and nutrition sector, dedicated to enhancing lives through premium, health-conscious products. We compete in a range of snacking and confection categories, including fruit snacks, dried fruit, snack nuts, and trail mixes. Our diverse portfolio includes several owned brands and a robust private label business, supporting top-tier retail partners across the U.S.

Job Summary:

The Product Quality Assurance Specialist will serve as the quality guardian of the R D-to-market process, ensuring every product that reaches the consumer is consistently produced to specification, approved manufacturing process, and quality standard. Working closely with the R D Manager and cross-functional teams, this role is responsible for evaluating post-launch product performance, assessing competitor benchmarks, and managing complaint and deviation reviews. The role requires a strong analytical mindset, technical expertise in product quality evaluation, and the ability to translate market insights into actionable improvements that uphold the company's quality standards.

Responsibilities:

Post-Launch Market Evaluation:

Assess realworld product quality against development benchmarks to ensure products in market consistently meet formulation and quality standards. Conduct structured sensory and technical evaluations of launched products at defined intervals to identify quality drift or deviations. Document audit findings and communicate results to the R D Manager and relevant stakeholders with recommended corrective actions.

Competitor Product Evaluation:

Benchmark competitor products against internal quality and formulation standards to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Conduct systematic evaluations of competitor offerings, including ingredient composition, sensory attributes, and overall product quality. Synthesize competitive insights and present findings to the R D and Marketing teams to inform innovation and portfolio strategy.

Complaint Evaluation:

Review and investigate consumer complaints and quality deviations captured internally and externally, conducting root cause analysis to determine corrective actions. Maintain a structured complaint tracking system, ensuring all issues are logged, categorized, and resolved in a timely manner. Collaborate with Product Development, Operations, and Regulatory teams to implement corrective and preventive actions resulting from complaint investigations. Identify recurring quality trends from complaint data and proactively escalate systemic issues.

Quality Standards and Documentation:

Ensure all quality evaluation activities are documented thoroughly and aligned with internal quality standards and regulatory requirements. Maintain and update quality assurance protocols, evaluation templates, and audit records to support traceability and compliance. Support the development and enforcement of product quality specifications in collaboration with the Regulation and Product Development teams.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Partner with the Product Development & Commercialization team to provide quality feedback during scaleup and launch execution phases. Work with the Project Management function to ensure quality milestones are incorporated into project timelines and gate reviews. Communicate quality findings and recommendations clearly across departments to drive a culture of quality and continuous improvement.

Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in food science, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related field (Master's degree is preferred).

Requirements:

Minimum of 5 years of experience in product quality, quality assurance, or a related role within the food industry. Strong technical knowledge of food product formulations, quality evaluation methods, and sensory assessment. Proven ability to conduct root cause analysis and implement effective corrective actions. Excellent analytical and problemsolving skills, with a detailoriented approach to identifying and resolving quality issues. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively across crossfunctional teams. Knowledge of food safety regulations, quality assurance standards, and complaint management systems.

What do we offer:

Medical, Dental and Vision Benefits Life Insurance 401K PTO Company Paid Holidays Career advancement and training About New Cibo Vita LLC Cibo Vita is a CPG manufacturer located in Totowa, NJ, with a focus on high-quality, innovative, "better for you" snacks. Cibo Vita primarily operates under its flagship brand, Nature's Garden, which has a national presence.