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Senior Manager, Operations Quality Engineer

Northlake IL

About Misfits Market:

Misfits Market is a mission-driven, high-growth startup dedicated to reducing food waste and making shopping for sustainable, high-quality groceries easier and more affordable. We deliver organic produce, high-quality meats and seafood, plant-based proteins, dairy, bakery, wine, and other grocery items to nearly every zip code in 48 states at up to 30 percent off traditional grocery store prices. In 2022, Misfits Market acquired sustainable e-grocer Imperfect Foods and now leverages its in-house transportation network to deliver directly to consumers with one of the most carbon-efficient grocery delivery models on the market. By tackling inefficiencies in the food system, our passionate and motivated team of problem solvers helps save an average of 500,000 pounds of food per week from waste or lesser outcomes, with an all-time savings of 190+ million pounds of food.

As Misfits we support our customers and mission by embracing our core values of

Prioritizing our Customers                             

Doing more with less

Thinking Differently         

Respecting one another                             

Moving deliberately and quickly                   

Taking initiative and delivering 

About Role:

The Senior Manager, Operations Quality Engineering is a leadership position responsible for the strategic direction, daily operations, and long-term success of the company’s Quality and Food Safety department. This role oversees the Quality Engineer II (QE II), Quality Assurance Supervisors, and Quality Technicians to ensure total compliance with Safe Quality Food (SQF) standards, National Organic Program (NOP) requirements, and Fulfilled By Misfits (FBM) initiatives. The Manager serves as the primary SQF Practitioner and HACCP Coordinator, maintaining the integrity of the facilities Food Safety and Quality Plans.

Responsibilities: 

1. Leadership & Strategic Management

  • Team Development: Manage, coach, and mentor Quality Engineers (QE II) and Quality Supervisors, focusing on high-level problem-solving and process improvement rather than tactical tasks.
  • Succession Planning: Guide supervisors and engineers through the manager promotion track, ensuring they achieve required SQF Certifications.
  • OKR & KPI Management: Define and track departmental Objectives and Key Results (OKRs), such as achieving a 95% target score on SQF audits and maintaining 100% compliance for organic audits.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Operations, Merchandising, and Operational Excellence teams to champion a collaborative food safety culture.
  • Defect Reduction: Investigate internal errors (picking mistakes, damaged goods) and external customer complaints. Perform root cause analysis to prevent these issues at the source.

2. Food Safety & Compliance (SQF/HACCP)

  • SQF Practitioner: Lead the development, implementation, and maintenance of the SQF system (Editions 9/10).
  • HACCP Leadership: Lead the multidisciplinary HACCP team, coordinate monthly meetings, and perform mandatory validation checklists for all Food Safety Plans.
  • Audit Readiness: Serve as the primary point of contact for third-party, regulatory (FDA/USDA), and customer audits.
  • CAPA & RCA Oversight: Trigger and manage Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) for audit non-conformances, customer complaints, or product recalls.

3. Operational Quality Control

  • Final Disposition Authority: Serve as one of the few authorized personnel permitted to provide systematic release for held products and equipment.
  • Traceability Excellence: Oversee mock recall and mock trace exercises (one step forward, one step back) to ensure a target recovery rate of 100% (+/- 2%).
  • Sanitation & GDP Monitoring: Monitor the effectiveness of daily hygiene and monthly Good Distribution Practices (GDP) audits, ensuring facility-specific SOPs (e.g., color-coded waste disposal) are followed.

Gold Standard Program: enhance and implement the Gold Standard, Box experience program, leveraging consumer insights and data driven controls to continuously improve customer experience.

4. Technical & Systems Management

  • System Revamp: Partner with cross-functional teams to improve Jalapeño WMS functionality, including photo documentation for QC functions and enhanced transaction history tracking in line with FDA Traceability requirements.
  • Data Analysis: Utilize advanced tools like Tableau, SQL, and Statistical Process Control (SPC) to analyze quality trends and roll up Voice of the Customer (VOC) reports.
  • Enhanced Platforms: Identify and deploy new electronic Food Safety and Quality Management System.

Skills & Qualifications:

  • Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Industrial, Mechanical, Manufacturing), Food Science, Supply Chain, or a related technical field.
  • Experience: Greater than 5 years of experience in a Quality Assurance, Continuous Improvement, or Process Engineering role within a manufacturing, food production, or high-volume fulfillment environment.
  • Technical Skills: * Strong proficiency in Data Analysis and Statistical Process Control.
    • Experience with Project Management methodologies.
    • Knowledge of Lean Six Sigma principles (Green Belt is a plus).
  • Food Safety: Familiarity with FDA, USDA-AMS & FSIS, GFSI, FSMA regulations, HACCP Certified, and SQF Practitioner Certified.
    • Spanish as a second language
  • Soft Skills: Exceptional communication skills—ability to translate technical quality concepts into clear instructions for warehouse associates.
  • Regulatory Knowledge: Deep familiarity with USDA (AMS/FSIS) and FDA regulatory requirements.
  • Physical Requirements: Ability to spend 50% of time on the warehouse floor in cold environments (36°F and below).

Details of Position & Benefits:

  • Salary range: $100,000 - $110,000 / year
  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) 
  • Annual Misfits grocery box credit of $1200 paid in weekly installments
  • Life insurance
  • Paid vacation time
  • Paid holidays 
  • Paid sick days
  • Commuter benefits

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