Quality Assurance Technician
Position Summary
The Quality Assurance (QA) Technician is responsible for ensuring products are manufactured in compliance with company food safety, quality, customer, and regulatory requirements. This role performs routine inspections, monitoring, verification, sampling, documentation, and product evaluations throughout the production process.
The QA Technician works approximately 75 % of the shift on the production floor, providing real-time support to production while ensuring Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), HACCP requirements, and quality standards are consistently maintained.
The position requires strong attention to detail, sound judgment, effective communication, and the ability to work independently in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment.
Key Responsibilities
Food Safety & Quality Verification
- Perform routine production floor inspections throughout the shift.
- Verify compliance with GMP, HACCP, SQF, and company food safety procedures.
- Conduct pre-operational inspections before production starts.
- Complete in-process, product changeover inspections throughout production.
- Verify product weight, dimensions, temperature, appearance, packaging integrity, coding, and labeling etc.
- Collect retain and quality samples as required.
- Monitor critical process controls and complete required documentation.
- Verify sanitation effectiveness before production.
Product Inspection & Hold Program
- Identify non-conforming products, ingredients, or packaging materials.
- Place products or materials on QA Hold when required.
- Clearly communicate quality concerns to production supervisors.
- Assist with product disposition, rework verification, and release activities following QA Supervisor and Manger approval.
Documentation & Record Keeping
- Complete QA records accurately and legibly.
- Verify production paperwork for completeness and accuracy.
- Maintain inspection, monitoring, calibration, and verification records.
- Report deviations through scorecards immediately.
- Complete Corrective Action reports, Supplier NCRs in case of Food safety and Quality non-conformances.
- Create VQS’s (Visual Quality spec instructions) for existing and new products.
Production Support
- Provide real-time quality support to production teams.
- Communicate observations and corrective actions professionally.
- Support continuous improvement initiatives.
Compliance
- Ensure compliance with CFIA regulations, customer requirements, SQF standards, GMPs, sanitation procedures, allergen controls, and internal policies.
- Participate in internal audits and customer audit preparations as assigned.
Equipment Verification
- Verify measuring equipment calibration status.
- Perform routine verification of thermometers, scales, metal detectors, X-ray systems, and other QA equipment as assigned.
Other Duties
- Participate in QA meetings and training sessions.
- Support investigations, corrective actions, and special projects.
- Perform other quality-related duties assigned by the QA Supervisor or QA Manager.
Decision-Making Authority
The QA Technician is authorized to:
- Stop production temporarily when there is a critical food safety or quality concern.
- Place non-conforming products, ingredients, or packaging materials on QA Hold.
- Reject incoming materials that do not meet specifications (following established procedures).
- Escalate food safety or quality issues to QA Management.
- Recommend corrective/Preventive actions to production.
- Prevent release of products that fail established quality standards until management approval is obtained.
Expected Outcomes
The QA Technician is expected to:
- Ensure food safety and quality requirements are consistently met.
- Detect quality issues early to minimize rework and customer complaints.
- Maintain accurate and complete QA documentation.
- Support compliance with SQF, HACCP, GMP, and CFIA requirements.
- Promote a strong food safety culture on the production floor.
- Communicate quality concerns promptly and professionally.
- Contribute to continuous improvement and reduction of product non-conformances.
- Support efficient production while maintaining quality standards.
Qualifications
Education
- Diploma or Degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, Biotechnology, Quality Assurance, or a related field.
Experience
- Previous QA or food manufacturing experience is required.
Knowledge
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
- HACCP principles; HACCP certificate is an asset.
- Working knowledge of SQF or BRCGS.
- Food Safety fundamentals
- Intermediate Microsoft Office skills; work, excel and Outlook
Skills
- Strong attention to detail
- Excellent observation skills
- Good verbal and written communication
- Problem-solving ability
- Time management
- Ability to work independently and within a team
- Professional judgment and integrity
Working Conditions
- Approximately 75% of the shift is spent on the production floor.
- Frequent walking between production lines and QA checkpoints.
- Ability to work in refrigerated and freezer environments as required.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Occasional lifting of up to 20 kg (44 lbs).
Availability to workday, afternoon, night, weekends, and overtime when required
Pay: $21.00-$24.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Dental care
- Discounted or free food
- Life insurance
- On-site parking
- Vision care
Experience:
Language:
Work Location: In person
