Quality Assurance Associate (Food Manufacturing)

Hi, we're Nuts.com! Nuts.com is a self-funded, profitable, rapidly growing multi-channel DTC specialty food and wellness company with over 550 people on our team. We're changing the landscape of snacking on nuts, dried fruit, chocolate and more! We planted our roots in Newark, New Jersey during the Great Depression, selling premium nuts on Mulberry Street's open-air market. We've come quite a long way since then, taking our multi-generational family business online in 1999. Even after 96 years, we continue to pride ourselves in expertly sourcing the highest quality foods and treating our customers like family. What's our team like? We're driven, collaborative and entrepreneurial. Energy and passion power our business and we look for candidates who share in that excitement to help us continue to build something special. The role: The Quality Assurance Associate (Food Manufacturing) is responsible for the frontline monitoring of Food Safety and Quality policies, programs, and procedures. This role supports the facility in meeting quality assurance, food safety, and regulatory requirements by partnering with Operations to ensure the consistent production of wholesome, high-quality products. This position reports to the Quality Assurance Manager and serves as a key technical resource on the production floor, assisting in maintaining an "audit-ready" facility while ensuring constant compliance with SQF and FDA regulations. How you’ll make an impact • Report and document any food safety or quality issues to the QA Manager and/or SQF Practitioner immediately. • Conduct pre-operational inspections and review checklists to release production areas for daily use. • Perform swabbing (ATP, allergen, biological, etc.), product sampling, and other quality testing. • Conduct daily audits on Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to ensure compliance with 21 CFR 117 and Safe Quality Food (SQF) standards. • Inspect raw materials, work-in-progress (WIP), rework, and finished products; perform regular verifications including high-risk product checks and packaging audits. • Monitor the product hold-and-release process, providing documented reports and tracking data for non-conforming goods. • Assist in investigating deviations from procedures and customer complaints, and support root cause analysis to help prevent recurrence. • Support regular calibration and maintenance of essential facility equipment, such as scales and metal detectors. • Partner with the Sanitation team to verify effective cleaning and support operations staff with real-time food safety and product quality questions. • Actively support record-keeping programs (SafeFoods/EQMS/TraceGains) to ensure data integrity and accurate documentation. • Follow and enforce safety rules to prevent injuries; monitor the production floor for associate, visitor, and contractor GMP and Food Defense compliance. • Perform other tasks as assigned by FSQA management to support department and facility goals. What you’ll bring: • Bilingual in English and Spanish is strongly preferred • 2+ years of hands-on experience in a food manufacturing or packaging environment is desirable. • Ability to read, write, and speak English fluently to complete required safety documentation and reports. • Strong computer proficiency, including experience with Google Doc, Sheets, email, and Electronic Quality Management Systems (EQCMS). • Ability to work comfortably with handheld devices, scanners, and computers for real-time data entry. • Ability to handle fast-paced situations and use good judgment to make quick, common-sense decisions about product safety. • Great organizational skills and a focus on getting details right every time. • Ability to work well with a team while being independent enough