Quality Control Lab Manager Jobs in Addison, IL (NOW HIRING)

Job Title: Quality Control Manager / Director of Quality & Food Safety

Job Description

The Quality Control Manager / Director of Quality & Food Safety provides enterprise-level leadership for all quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs within a manufacturing environment. This role ensures best-in-class product integrity, drives continuous improvement initiatives, and aligns quality systems with business objectives and customer expectations. As a key member of the leadership team, this individual partners cross-functionally to support operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. The position oversees food safety systems, audit readiness, preventive controls, laboratory operations, and crisis management while developing and mentoring a high-performing quality organization.

Responsibilities

• Provide enterprise-level leadership for quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance programs across a manufacturing environment.
• Design, implement, and maintain robust quality systems that ensure best-in-class product integrity and compliance with internal and external standards.
• Oversee food safety systems, including HACCP, GMP, GFSI (with emphasis on BRC), allergen control, sanitation, environmental monitoring, and food defense programs.
• Lead audit readiness efforts and manage customer, regulatory, and third-party audits to successful outcomes.
• Direct and support FDA inspections, including routine and for-cause inspections, FDA swab-a-thons, and the development of responses to FDA-483 observations.
• Manage complex customer complaints by leading internal investigations, determining root cause, implementing corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and preparing detailed reports and presentations.
• Lead external customer interactions related to quality issues, including conference calls and presentations, particularly for high-value and high-impact complaints.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives by developing and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) and implementing statistical process control (SPC) across operations.
• Lead root cause analysis and CAPA processes to address non-conformances and systemic issues, ensuring sustainable corrective actions.
• Collaborate closely with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain teams to align quality and food safety programs with operational and business objectives.
• Provide customer-facing quality leadership, including crisis management and enterprise risk mitigation related to product quality and safety.
• Oversee laboratory operations, including method execution, equipment calibration, and data integrity, to ensure reliable and compliant testing.
• Develop, mentor, and manage a high-performing quality organization, including supervisors, coordinators, and quality technicians.
• Set performance expectations, provide coaching and feedback, and support professional development for quality team members.
• Support multi-site quality oversight, ensuring consistency of quality systems and standards across locations.
• Contribute to the integration of quality systems into new product commercialization initiatives.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable regulatory requirements and industry standards, including FDA, USDA, FSMA, and GFSI schemes.
• Partner with leadership to influence strategic decisions related to quality, food safety, and brand protection.
• Prepare and present executive-level updates on quality performance, risks, and improvement initiatives.
• Lead and support crisis management activities related to product quality, recalls, and significant customer issues.

Essential Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related Life Sciences field.
• 5–12+ years of progressive quality or food safety leadership experience in food or consumables manufacturing.
• Demonstrated enterprise-level quality and food safety leadership in manufacturing environments.
• Strong expertise in HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and GFSI programs, with BRC experience preferred.
• Proven experience leading audits and regulatory inspections, including customer, regulatory, and third-party audits.
• Hands-on experience with FDA inspections, including routine and for-cause inspections, FDA swab-a-thons, and drafting responses to FDA-483 observations.
• Extensive experience managing complex customer complaints, including investigation, root cause determination, corrective actions, and external communication.
• Experience handling a significant volume of customer complaints (greater than 10 per month) and high-value complaints in the range of $100,000 to $1,000,000 or more.
• Strong capability in continuous improvement, KPI development, and implementation of statistical process control (SPC).
• Proven leadership in root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) management.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate cross-functionally with Manufacturing, R&D, and Supply Chain teams.
• Experience in customer-facing quality leadership and crisis management.
• Experience in sanitation programs, allergen control, environmental monitoring, and food defense.
• Experience with laboratory oversight, including calibration, data integrity, and quality of analytical results.
• Strong executive-level communication skills and stakeholder management abilities.
• Experience in crisis management and enterprise risk mitigation related to quality and food safety.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field.
• Multi-site quality leadership experience in manufacturing environments.
• Experience integrating quality systems into new product commercialization processes.
• Pest control certification.
• Advanced data analytics skills and experience developing dashboards for quality performance and trends.
• Familiarity with FDA, USDA, and FSMA regulations and their practical application in manufacturing operations.
• Experience with other regulatory agencies, such as USDA, especially in handling non-routine regulatory matters.
• Professional certifications in quality, food safety, or related disciplines (such as HACCP, GFSI, or quality management) are beneficial.
• Demonstrated ability to influence leadership and drive change in complex, fast-paced environments.

Work Environment

The role operates within a fast-paced, complex manufacturing environment that runs nearly 24/7 with three shifts that this position supports. The Quality Control Manager / Director of Quality & Food Safety reports into corporate quality leadership and has direct responsibility for a team that includes three supervisors, one Quality Coordinator, and twenty-two quality technicians. The position involves a high degree of cross-functional collaboration and frequent interaction with leadership across operations, R&D, and supply chain. The work setting combines on-site production floor presence, where close engagement with manufacturing processes and sanitation programs is required, with strategic office-based work focused on systems, analytics, and leadership activities. The role includes approximately 10–30% travel to support multi-site oversight, conduct audits, and engage with customers. The environment emphasizes innovation, safety, and excellence, and offers a highly visible leadership platform to shape enterprise-level quality and food safety strategy while driving continuous improvement and long-term brand integrity.

This is a Permanent position based out of Chicago, IL.

The pay range for this position is $100000.00 - $130000.00/yr.

Medical, dental, and vision coverage Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital plans 401(k) retirement plan (pre-tax and Roth options) Voluntary life insurance and AD&D Short-term and long-term disability Health Savings Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Time Off / Leave (PTO, vacation, or sick leave)

This is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.

This position is anticipated to close on Jun 29, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email actalentaccommodation@actalentservices.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.