QA - Lead

Red River Commodities is a leading processor of sunflower seeds and specialty grains, specializing in high-quality, nutritious food products. We pride ourselves on our sustainable practices, innovation, and commitment to delivering superior products to our customers. Our team shares core values focused on quality, innovation, responsibility, and community. We work hard, play harder, embrace authenticity, and always support one another to achieve our goals. Location: 4040 7th Ave N, Fargo, ND 58102

Position Summary The Quality Assurance Lead coordinates day-to-day quality activities within the production facility and helps ensure products meet company standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations. This hands-on role performs and reviews inspections and testing, supports audit readiness and corrective actions, provides daily guidance to quality and production employees, maintains accurate records, and escalates significant quality or food-safety concerns to Quality leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Daily Quality Leadership and Coordination

• Provide day-to-day work direction and technical guidance to quality employees as assigned.
• Coordinate inspection, sampling, testing, documentation, and production-support priorities for the shift or work area.
• Monitor completion and accuracy of assigned quality activities and communicate issues to Quality leadership.
• Serve as a point of contact for routine production quality questions and escalate significant concerns promptly.

Quality Inspections and Product Testing

• Conduct and support inspections of raw materials, in-process products, and finished goods.
• Monitor production processes and equipment for deviations from standard operating procedures and quality requirements.
• Perform or verify quality testing that may include moisture content, purity, and foreign-material detection.
• Review test results and quality data to identify trends, deviations, or potential risks.

Documentation and Reporting

• Maintain and review complete records of inspections, tests, quality-control measures, reports, and logs.
• Prepare and review quality documentation, including certificates of analysis and quality reports.
• Verify that documentation is accurate, timely, legible, and compliant with established procedures.
• Communicate quality results, deviations, open actions, and documentation concerns to Quality leadership and Operations.

Compliance, Audits, and Food Safety

• Support compliance with GMP, HACCP, company policies, food-safety requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Participate in internal audits, inspections, traceability exercises, and other quality-verification activities.
• Lead investigation, documentation, follow-up, and closure of assigned corrective and preventive actions
• Reinforce safety, sanitation, personal protective equipment, and food-safety expectations during daily work.

Quality Issue Investigation and Resolution

• Identify and investigate quality concerns with Production and Quality employees.
• Support root-cause analysis, containment, corrective action, and prevention of recurrence.
• Coordinate cross-functional corrective actions with Production, Maintenance, Sanitation and Operations to ensure timely completion and effectiveness verification.
• Recommend practical improvements that strengthen product quality and operational efficiency.

Training and Employee Support

• Provide training and guidance to quality and production employees on standards, inspection methods, documentation, and best practices.
• Support onboarding and skill development for quality employees as assigned.
• Provide timely coaching when procedures or documentation requirements are not followed.
• Support a collaborative culture focused on quality, food safety, and continuous improvement.

Sample and Equipment Control

• Coordinate collection, identification, retention, preparation, and disposition of samples according to procedure.
• Maintain testing and inspection equipment in clean, organized, and working condition.
• Monitor calibration status and report equipment concerns or supply needs that could affect quality activities.

Qualifications

• Experience in quality assurance or quality control preferred, ideally within food manufacturing or a related production environment.
• Strong understanding of food-safety regulations, GMP, HACCP, and quality-assurance principles.
• Experience providing daily work direction, training, or peer leadership preferred.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical ability, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong organization and documentation skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Ability to communicate clearly and work effectively with Quality, Production, and Operations employees.
• Basic computer skills and ability to learn quality-record, testing, and reporting systems.

Work Environment and Conditions

• Work is performed primarily in a production facility with exposure to machinery, noise, dust, allergens, wet areas, and variable temperatures.
• The position requires frequent standing, walking, bending, reaching, and other physical activity throughout the workday.
• Regular production-floor presence is required to perform inspections, testing, employee support, and quality verification.
• Required personal protective equipment and facility safety, sanitation, food-safety, and security procedures must be followed.
• Work schedules may include early, late, extended, weekend, or off-shift hours based on production schedules, audits, investigations, or quality needs.

Company Benefits At Red River Commodities, we value our employees and are committed to providing a supportive and rewarding work environment. As a member of our team, you will enjoy a competitive salary, comprehensive health benefits, and opportunities for career growth and development. Below are some additional benefits that we offer.

• On-demand pay available through Tapcheck
• Paid time off
• Paid Holidays
• 401k & company match
• Profit Sharing
• Employee Assistance Program

Red River Commodities and its subsidiaries are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected characteristic as outlined by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all employment practices within our organization. Red River Commodities makes hiring decisions based solely on qualifications, merit, and business needs at the time. We are committed to maintaining a legal and compliant workplace. As part of our hiring process, Red River Commodities participates in the E-Verify program.