The Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) Analyst is responsible for ensuring the quality and food safety of raw materials and packaging materials supplied to Kevin’s Natural Foods. This role safeguards product integrity by leading supplier qualification, risk assessments, audits, and continuous improvement initiatives while driving supplier performance and maintaining inbound material quality. The SQA Analyst serves as a key cross-functional partner across Procurement, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, and Quality teams to establish and maintain supplier quality programs, support new product introductions, and ensure compliance with applicable quality and food safety standards.
The Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) Analyst is responsible for ensuring the quality and food safety of raw materials and packaging materials supplied to Kevin’s Natural Foods. This role safeguards product integrity by leading supplier qualification, risk assessments, audits, and continuous improvement initiatives while driving supplier performance and maintaining inbound material quality. The SQA Analyst serves as a key cross-functional partner across Procurement, R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, and Quality teams to establish and maintain supplier quality programs, support new product introductions, and ensure compliance with applicable quality and food safety standards.
What You’ll Do:
- Own supplier qualification, approval, onboarding, and ongoing performance management to ensure compliance with quality and food safety requirements.
- Establish and maintain supplier quality processes, policies, metrics, and technical documentation to support material quality and continuous improvement.
- Perform Quality and Food Safety (Q&FS) risk assessments for low-, medium-, and high-risk raw materials and packaging, ensuring microbiological, chemical, and physical risks are identified and translated into material specifications and verification programs.
- Collect and review supplier documentation, certifications, and technical information to support material risk assessments and evaluate supplier controls used to manage identified risks.
- Partner with Procurement and suppliers to review, align, and maintain material specifications, risk assessments, and quality expectations.
- Collaborate with Quality and Food Safety teams to establish inbound verification programs and material testing requirements based on risk assessments.
- Partner with Procurement, R&D, and Operations to support ingredient and packaging changes, innovation projects, and new product launches.
- Monitor and improve inbound raw and packaging material quality through KPIs, supplier performance metrics, verification activities, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Conduct supplier audits, initial assessments, and ongoing evaluations of low-, medium-, and high-risk suppliers to verify the effectiveness of quality systems, food safety controls, and regulatory compliance.
- Represent Kevin’s Natural Foods at supplier facilities and ensure suppliers maintain approved status and defined verification plans.
- Lead investigations related to raw material quality issues, non-conformances, and deviations using root cause analysis to determine disposition and drive effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
- Establish and maintain processes for supplier-related non-conformance investigations in collaboration with Quality and Food Safety teams.
- Manage change control activities impacting material quality and food safety and maintain supplier risk assessments and approved supplier status.
- Drive supplier development initiatives and leverage performance trends and data to improve supplier capability, support sourcing strategies, and provide recommendations to management.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure consistent product quality and business continuity.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
What You'll Need:
- Bachelor’s degree in food science, Chemistry, Microbiology, or a related field preferred.
- 3–5 years of experience in Quality Assurance, Food Safety, Supplier Quality, or related technical functions within the food industry.
- Experience managing supplier quality programs, supplier relationships, and material quality systems.
- Strong background auditing supplier facilities and Quality Management Systems.
- Strong understanding of Quality and Food Safety standards, including HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, and ISO 22000.
- Experience performing ingredient and material risk assessments and developing verification programs.
- Experience investigating material quality issues and driving corrective actions through root cause analysis.
- Proven problem-solving, analytical, and project management skills.
- Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and build strong supplier relationships.
- Strong communication, organization, and collaboration skills.
- HACCP certification required.
- Lead Auditor certification (FSSC 22000 or equivalent) preferred.
- GMP and ISO 22000 training preferred.
- Ability to travel up to 50%, including occasional short-notice travel.
Competencies:
- Functional and Technical Expertise in Quality Management
- Problem Solving and Analytical Thinking
- Collaboration and Stakeholder Management
- Independent Decision-Making
- Integrity and Accountability
Healthy, Diverse Teams Breed Innovation:
Kevin’s Natural Foods is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We deeply believe that diverse backgrounds and experiences make better teams, and we seek to attract talent from all walks of life. The team at Kevin’s is smart, humble, and passionate and we value a work environment that fosters personal development and opportunities to move within our small, but quickly growing organization.
More About Kevin’s Natural Foods:
Kevin’s Natural Foods is a line of healthy entrées, sides, and sauces, on a mission to make clean eating delicious and accessible. Kevin’s guilt-free, sous-vide entrées and sides, and signature certified paleo, keto, and gluten-free sauces allow health-conscious home cooks to whip up delicious meals in five minutes or less.
With restaurant-quality ingredients and recipes, Kevin’s products are readily available on the shelves at leading grocery retailers nationwide including Costco, Whole Foods, Albertsons, HEB and Publix. All Kevin’s products contain no refined sugar, artificial ingredients, grains, or soy, and are made with antibiotic- and hormone-free meat. A true market disruptor, Kevin’s Natural Foods is the first clean refrigerated entrée brand.
Salary Pay Rate: $90,000.00- $115,000.00 + Bonus + Benefits
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https://www.everify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/IER_RightToWorkPoster%20Eng_Es.pdf
https://www.everify.gov/sites/default/files/everify/posters/EVerifyParticipationPoster.pdf
