Head of Quality

About MiLa

MìLà is a Chinese food company. Our teams work tirelessly to enhance delicious products that we all enjoy at home While MìLà is a Chinese food brand, it's really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures.

Our mission is to build something that feels authentically and uniquely true to our roots as a Chinese-American-founded brand. Something we can own, but that's also meant to be shared. One of the things we love about Chinese food is that it's traditionally served family-style—shared with everyone gathered at the table. MìLà is a Chinese food brand, but it's really a celebration of the power of food to bring us together, share our stories, and discover new flavors and cultures.

Core Values

Explore our core values here:

About the Role

This is a pivotal leadership role for someone passionate about shaping and driving a strong food safety and quality culture. We're looking for a visionary leader who can:

• Define what "great" looks like in quality and food safety across the organization
• Build trust and alignment at all levels, from the production floor to external stakeholders
• Inspire teams to prioritize operational excellence, compliance, and continuous improvement

The ideal candidate will have 5-7 years of progressive experience in food quality assurance, strong regulatory knowledge (FDA, USDA, FSMA), and proven leadership skills to foster collaboration and cultural change. If this sounds like the kind of opportunity that excites you, then read on

Job Summary

Under the general supervision of the Plant Manager, the Head of Quality is responsible for overseeing all aspects of food quality and safety within the organization. This role ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, maintains the highest quality standards, and drives continuous improvement initiatives across the company's frozen food manufacturing operations in Sumner, WA, and Monterey Park, CA.

This person will lead in all the below competencies: Communication & Ownership, Visionary, Proactivity, Commitment Follow Through, & Work Ethic to build an industry-leading Quality program.

Duties/Competencies

Communication & Ownership

• Tailor communication to effectively convey quality-related goals, processes, and outcomes to diverse audiences, including production workers, USDA inspectors, and leadership
• Translate technical concepts into actionable insights for cross-functional teams, ensuring clarity and alignment
• Maintain a visible, hands-on presence on the production floor to ensure alignment between quality protocols and day-to-day operations
• Be a champion for truth through both data and common sense
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for all quality and food safety processes, fostering trust and collaboration with hourly workforce, regulatory inspectors, and vendors
• Perform quality checks and inspections while building rapport and engagement with team members at all levels
• Works closely with R&D to take over fully commercialized products to ensure our restaurant quality standards continue to be met and are strong enough to push back and have conversations when they know we may not be able to hit commercialization specs

Visionary

• Define and articulate a clear vision for quality, food safety, and operational excellence, ensuring alignment with company goals
• Inspire and rally employees at all levels around a shared standard of "great," building a culture of ownership and pride in quality
• Lead by example to instill best practices and a long-term mindset for continuous improvement across the organization
• Conduct regular one-on-one meetings with direct reports, fostering alignment with department goals and company OKRs
• Establish, review, and enforce in a collaborative manner Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to quality, sanitation, and safety protocols in manufacturing

Proactivity

• Proactively identify quality and safety issues, presenting actionable solutions to leadership and ensuring rapid resolution
• Monitor production processes for potential risks or inefficiencies, addressing concerns before they escalate

Commitment Follow Through

• Uphold accountability by consistently delivering on commitments, deadlines, and quality improvement initiatives
• Ensure corrective actions and process improvements are implemented as planned and tracked to completion

Work Ethic

• Demonstrate a strong personal commitment to quality and operational excellence by being present during critical production times
• Lead by example, consistently maintaining high standards for performance and attention to detail

General Duties

• In conjunction with Plant Manager, will stand-up a lean Quality Pillar
• Develop and implement the company's Quality Management System (QMS) to maintain compliance with FDA, USDA, FSMA, and other regulatory and food safety standards at both sites
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including Operations and R&D, to ensure product quality and successful implementation of new products or processes
• Lead & manage audits, certifications (e.g., SQF, BRC), and customer-specific quality programs, ensuring timely compliance and readiness
• Oversee quality assurance testing, inspections, and the implementation of HACCP plans
• Lead root cause analyses and preventive action planning for non-conformance issues
• Ensure compliance with labeling regulations, ingredient specifications, and allergen management protocols
• Train and mentor the quality team, fostering professional growth and promoting a culture of continuous improvement
• Travel as needed (up to 10%) for audits, supplier visits, or training initiatives
• Onsite presence required 100% of the time
• Other duties as assigned

What Success Looks Like

30 days

• Learn the process from inbound raw material to outbound finished good
• Develop a rapport with the team
• Spend Time on all three shifts
• Understand the CCP's, FSQA checks
• Conduct Quality Checks on the Floor
• Sensory- What makes our product so special
• Understand our HACCP/Food Safety Plan, SQF Audit from Previous Year, Customer Complaint log, etc.

60 days

• Gap Analysis
• Conduct Food Safety Meetings
• Respond to Customer Complaints
• Staff Assessment
• Create Action Plan

90 days

• Review FSQA Training Program
• Drive the Journey of Culture rather than compliance for FSQA with the plant team via Quality Pillar Leadership
• Execute Action Plan
• Participate in the Quarterly SQF Audit Readiness Exercise
• Travel to California Site

Required Skills & Abilities

• Lean/TPM Experience
• Extensive knowledge of food safety standards, including HACCP, GMPs, and FSMA requirements
• Proficiency in quality systems and auditing frameworks (e.g., SQF, BRC, ISO 22000)
• Strong problem-solving skills, including experience with root cause analysis and CAPA processes
• Excellent managerial and supervisory skills, with a proven ability to lead and develop teams.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Experience with food manufacturing ERP systems and quality software tools (e.g., TraceGains, SafetyChain)

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, or a related field required; Master's degree preferred
• 5-7 years of progressive experience in food quality assurance within a manufacturing environment, preferably frozen food or CPG
• 3+ years of managerial experience overseeing quality teams in a manufacturing setting

Why Should You Join Us?

• Employer-funded health benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance. MiLa covers 75% of employee premiums & 25% of dependent premiums
• Voluntary/optional employee-paid group insurance for Life & AD&D (with guarantee issue amounts at time of hire), Hospital, and Short Term Disability
• Great company culture ENPS is above industry standard