Quality Assurance

Mountanos Family Coffee & Tea Company is a leading coffee roasting and packaging company dedicated to delivering high-quality coffee products to customers nationwide. Our commitment to excellence and innovation has positioned us as a preferred partner for national accounts and co-packing services. We pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and dynamic work environment where team members can thrive and contribute to our ongoing success.

Job Overview

The Quality Assurance & Control (QAC) Manager is responsible for maintaining and enhancing the quality of our coffee products by acting both proactively (Quality Assurance) and reactively (Quality Control). This role is focused on preventing defects by improving processes and systems, and identifying and correcting defects in finished products. The QAC Manager monitors the entire roasting process, from raw beans to the final product, ensuring compliance with Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and other food safety and quality standards. This role develops and implements continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a keen eye for detail, a deep understanding of coffee quality parameters, the ability to work collaboratively and as a leader within our production team and cross-functionally with various departments to ensure the quality of our products. The QAC Manager will maintain an organized and detailed documentation for SQF compliance. The QAC Manager will perform these functions in alignment with Mountanos Family Coffee & Tea Company’s values, with safety as a priority, and in full compliance with applicable regulatory guidance and industry standards. This is a full-time, exempt position that reports to the President.

Key Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Perform regular inspections of raw coffee beans, roasted coffee, and packaging materials to ensure they meet established quality standards.
• Conduct sensory evaluations (cuppings) to assess the flavor profile, aroma, and overall quality of the coffee.
• Utilize analytical tools and equipment to test moisture content, bean density, and other quality metrics.
• Monitor roasting processes, including temperature profiles and roasting times, to ensure consistency and quality.
• Document and analyze roasting data to identify trends and areas for improvement.
• Ensure compliance with Safe Quality Foods (SQF) and other food safety and quality standards, industry regulations, and company policies.
• Maintain accurate records of quality control checks, test results, and any corrective actions taken.
• Collaborate with the production team to identify opportunities for process optimization and quality enhancement.
• Work with production, packaging, maintenance, and logistics teams to ensure seamless integration of quality assurance activities.
• Support the development and launch of new products by conducting quality assessments and providing feedback on quality assurance and control measures.
• Develop and implement quality improvement initiatives based on data analysis and feedback.
• Provide training to staff on quality standards, procedures, and best practices. Develop training documentation and Standard Operating Procedures.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, encouraging employees to contribute ideas for enhancing product quality and process efficiency.
• Stay updated on industry trends and advancements in coffee quality assurance.
• Ensure processes comply with SQF standards.Participate in annual audit preparation and 3rd party audits.
• Collaborate with managers to gather and transform technical and functional information into fit-for-purpose Standard Operating Procedures.
• Investigate and resolve quality issues reported by customers, implementing corrective actions to prevent future occurrences.
• Work closely with the sales and customer service teams to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.
• Support new and ongoing partnerships to ensure Mountanos Family Coffee & Tea quality standards are embedded and ongoing performance is monitored.
• Identify opportunities for system improvements and enhancements.
• Accurately analyze in-process and finished products;inform, involve, and consult necessary stakeholders regarding abnormal or opportunistic results/trends and complete and implement corrective/preventive actions.
• Perform other duties as required or assigned.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor's Degree in a related field or any combination of education and/or experience from which comparable knowledge, skills, and abilities have been acquired.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in quality assurance within the food and beverage industry, preferably in coffee roasting.
• Relevant certifications in quality assurance or food safety are a plus. SQF certification is preferred.
• Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) training, preferred.
• Familiar with a variety of coffee roasting, processing, and distribution concepts, practices, and procedures.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Understanding of supply chain management concepts.
• Knowledge of lean manufacturing principles, workflow optimization, or continuous improvement methodologies.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities; knowledge of root-cause analysis or other complex problem-solving techniques.
• Experience developing and revising standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Strong communication skills to interact with cross-functional teams.
• Strong writing skills and experience in translating complicated information into clear, concise content for both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent sensory evaluation skills.
• Proficiencyin quality assurance and control methodologies and tools.
• Excellent organizational and time management skills.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy in record-keeping, and commitment to maintaining high standards.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Position requires extensive sitting, some bending, lifting (up to 25 pounds), stooping and stretching. Effective eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer keyboard, a photocopy machine, telephone, calculator, and other office equipment is also required. The noise level in the work environment is moderate.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Mountanos Family Coffee & Tea provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.