Quality Supervisor

Job Description

Job Description

Position: Quality Control Supervisor

Department: Quality

Reports To: Senior

Direct Reports: Quality Control Technicians

☒ Exempt ☐ Non-exempt

Job Summary:

The Quality Control Supervisor provides daily leadership, technical guidance, and operational oversight to Quality Control Technicians supporting manufacturing and packaging operations. The position maintains a strong presence on the production floor, coordinates QC staffing and daily activities, reviews quality documentation, supports investigations, and ensures consistent execution of current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements, approved procedures, and company quality standards across shifts.

The Quality Control Supervisor coaches and develops QC personnel, provides real-time support for product and process quality concerns, and works cross-functionally with Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, and other Quality functions. The position escalates significant product, material, and compliance concerns to the Senior Quality Control Manager and supports timely implementation of corrective actions and process improvements.

Scope:

• Provide front-line leadership and serve as the primary operational escalation point for Quality Control Technicians during assigned shifts.
• Maintain production-floor coverage and support day and swing-shift operations based on business needs.
• Review and approve routine QC activities and dispositions within established procedures and formally delegated authority.
• Escalate out-of-specification results, significant deviations, material failures, and nonconformances requiring formal disposition to the Senior Quality Control Manager or designated Quality authority.
• Provide supervisory review and backup support for product-release activities only when assigned by Quality Management.

Job Duties & Responsibilities:

Leadership and Team Supervision

• Assign and prioritize daily work for Quality Control Technicians and ensure appropriate staffing and shift coverage.
• Monitor completion and quality of assigned work, including inspections, sampling, testing, line clearances, documentation, and follow-up activities.
• Provide ongoing coaching, technical guidance, and timely performance feedback.
• Participate in performance evaluations, employee development plans, and corrective action processes in partnership with the Senior Quality Control Manager and Human Resources.
• Support onboarding, training, qualification, and competency verification for QC personnel.
• Promote consistent application of procedures across day and swing shifts and facilitate effective shift handoffs.
• Serve as backup for routine technician activities when necessary to maintain operational coverage.

Production-Floor Quality Oversight

• Maintain a consistent presence on the production floor and provide immediate Quality guidance to Operations and QC personnel.
• Oversee line clearance, startup verification, in-process inspections, first-article inspections, sampling, retain activities, and assigned testing.
• Review manufacturing, blending, packaging, and QC documentation for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
• Ensure quality holds, quarantine controls, and material status controls are applied and documented in accordance with approved procedures.
• Coordinate environmental monitoring, sanitation verification, and other assigned compliance-monitoring activities.
• Communicate unresolved product, material, process, or documentation concerns to the Senior Quality Control Manager and affected departments.

Investigations and Quality Systems

• Support investigations and Quality Management System processes, including deviations, rework, out-of-specification events, nonconformance reports, root-cause investigations, and corrective and preventive actions.
• Gather relevant information, review production and QC records, assist with root-cause analysis, implement assigned corrective actions, and monitor effectiveness within the Supervisor’s area of responsibility.
• Support audit preparation and respond to assigned regulatory, customer, and certification audit requests.
• Identify trends, recurring issues, training gaps, and process-improvement opportunities and communicate recommendations to Quality Management.
• Conduct assigned SOP and process audits and communicate identified gaps to Quality Management.

Compliance and Cross-Functional Support

• Ensure compliance with applicable FDA requirements, including 21 CFR Part 111, and other food, labeling, and preventive-control requirements applicable to the facility’s products and operations.
• Promote compliance with cGMP, Good Documentation Practices, safety, sanitation, hygiene, and company policies.
• Collaborate with Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Document Control, and other Quality functions to resolve operational quality concerns.
• Maintain current training and demonstrated competency on procedures applicable to the position.
• Perform other duties as assigned by Quality Management.

Education and Experience

• High school diploma or GED required; associate or bachelor’s degree in a science, quality, manufacturing, or related field preferred.
• Three or more years of Quality Control or Quality Assurance experience in dietary supplement, food, pharmaceutical, or another regulated manufacturing environment.
• Previous supervisory, lead, or demonstrated team-leadership experience preferred.
• Experience reviewing manufacturing batch records, packaging documentation, in-process inspection records, and quality logs.
• Experience with encapsulation, coating, blending, or packaging operations preferred.
• PCQI certification and regulatory or certification audit experience, including NSF, SQF, FDA, or customer audits, preferred.

Required Qualifications:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Working knowledge of cGMPs, 21 CFR Part 111, Good Documentation Practices, investigations, nonconformance management, root-cause analysis, and CAPA principles.
• Ability to coach employees, set priorities, manage competing deadlines, and maintain consistent expectations across shifts.
• Sound judgment within established procedures and the ability to recognize and escalate higher-risk quality or compliance concerns.
• Ability to read, speak, and write English sufficiently to review regulated records and communicate quality requirements.
• Ability to perform basic mathematical calculations, including percentages.
• Effective written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel and the ability to learn company quality and production systems.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive employee and quality information appropriately.

Work Schedule and Physical Requirements:

• Ability to support day and swing shifts, including schedule adjustments based on operational needs.
• May be required to work occasional weekends, holidays, or extended hours to support production, investigations, or audits.
• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and work in manufacturing and warehouse environments while wearing required personal protective equipment.
• Ability to bend, reach, and perform routine production-floor observations and inspections.
• Ability to lift up to 25 pounds occasionally, or request appropriate assistance for heavier items.

Note: Employees may be cross-trained in any or all areas. At any point in time an employee may be asked by the manager to perform responsibilities outside the areas indicated above.

The SOPs necessary to perform the above responsibilities are listed on the Personal Training Record developed for this position.