Wild Zora Foods (wildzora.com) manufactures and distributes healthy, portable, and delicious foods made from free-range proteins blended with organic fruits & vegetables. From our federally inspected, USDA-certified facility in Loveland, Colorado, we prepare, freeze-dry, dehydrate, package, and ship nationwide — both for our own brands and as a co-packing partner.
We’re seeking a hands-on Quality Assurance Lead to own day-to-day food-safety and quality programs while partnering with leadership on sanitation, audits, certifications, and continuous improvement. The role blends senior-level technical work with policy leadership and plenty of roll-up-your-sleeves action on the floor.
What you’ll do
- Daily production support: Perform pre-op inspections, in-process quality and food safety verifications, and final product release checks (water activity, metal detector, label/lot accuracy, sensory). Verifying incoming ingredients for accuracy.
- Daily production personnel transition from raw to RTE: Observe employee behaviors and GMP transitions, ensuring cross-contamination is controlled and prevented.
- Own the HACCP plan: Verify and maintain CCP records, trend data, and drive timely CAPA for any deviations as well as maintain accurate HACCP plans.
- Lead sanitation verification: Employing visual inspection and ATP swabs to verify sanitation effectiveness, follow environmental monitoring programs, and clear post-clean-hold sign-offs. Support and lead sanitation methods, procedures, and conduct weekly facility sanitation audits.
- Audit & certification prep: Coordinate documentation and walkthroughs for USDA FSIS, FDA, third-party food safety audits (SQF/BRC), organic, and customer audits; host inspectors when on-site.
- Document control: Draft and update SOPs, SSOPs, and QA forms; manage change-control log.
- Training & coaching: Deliver GMP, allergen, and food-safety training to production staff (English & Spanish) and coach line leads on real-time quality checks and adherence to GMPs.
- Pest Control Management: Manage pest control program, reviewing reports and findings and implementing corrective actions when necessary.
- Mock recall & traceability drills: Run tests at least annually and lead continuous-improvement projects that tighten our recall targets.
- Cross-functional problem solving: Partner with R&D on new items, with Maintenance on equipment validations, and with Sales on customer quality questionnaires.
What you bring
- 3+ years QA experience in USDA meat or ready-to-eat food manufacturing (freeze-dry or dehydration a bonus).
- HACCP certification and working knowledge of FSIS/USDA regulations, GMPs, and PCQI requirements; SQF/BRC audit exposure preferred.
- Track record creating or improving QA documentation systems in a small- to mid-size plant.
- Comfortable with lab equipment (thermometer calibration, scale verification, etc.) and Excel/Google Workspace for record-keeping and basic data analysis; experience with digital QA platforms a plus.
- Bilingual English AND Spanish communication skills highly valued but not required.
- Natural coach who can gain trust on the line while holding standards firm — our culture is friendly but serious about food safety.
- Ability to work a minimum of 40-45 hour weeks with flexibility for occasional early-morning, evening, or weekend support when audits or 24/7 equipment issues arise.
- Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field helpful but not required if experience is strong.
What we offer
- Transparent pay: Salary (overtime-exempt under Colorado law), reviewed annually.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance 401(k) Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays.
- Family-owned culture focused on long-term growth—no venture-capital burnout here.
- Career path to QA Manager as we expand our freeze-dry co-packing lines and certifications.
Ready to help us keep Wild Zora’s products safe, tasty, and compliant while growing your own career?
Send your resume and a brief note about yourself — we’re excited to meet you!
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $50,000.00 - $60,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee discount
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
