Quality Control Technician Lead

Job Description Description:The QC Tech Lead plays a critical hands-on role in ensuring food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance at Home Run Inn Pizza's manufacturing facility. This role leads day-to-day QC technician activities on the floor, drives improvements to performance metrics, and helps ensure that products meet internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory requirements.Schedule: 3:30am-12pm Monday-Friday. Occasional weekends and off-shifts based on department needsESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESQuality & Food SafetyLead and support daily QC activities during productionMonitor and verify CPs, CCPs, cGMPs, and Sanitation activitiesWrite and revise SOPs, WIs, and Forms as neededServe as SME on all QC tasks and key performance indicators (KPIs)Supervise and perform routine product, ingredient, and packaging inspectionsMonitor compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and food safety protocolsPerform environmental monitoring, allergen verification, and hold/release activitiesMaintain accurate QC records, including test results, deviations, and corrective actions.Ensure proper documentation for audits and regulatory compliance. Identify, document, and escalate food safety or quality concernsSupports and promotes a culture of safety by ensuring compliance with all workplace health and safety requirements and reinforcing safe behaviors across the team.Leadership & TrainingServe as the lead resource for QC Technicians on assigned shiftTrain and coach QC Techs on procedures, documentation, and best practicesSchedule and assign daily tasks to QC team membersReport out KPIs to management in daily/weekly meetingsWork cross-functionally with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, and Warehouse teamsPromote a culture of food safety, accountability, and continuous improvementCompliance & Continuous ImprovementAssist with internal audits, customer audits, and regulatory inspectionsSupport traceability, mock recalls, and investigationsParticipate in root cause analysis for non-conformances and support corrective actions and preventive measures (CAPA)Ensure compliance with SQF, HACCP, FDA, USDA (if applicable), and state/local regulationsPerform other related duties as assigned.Requirements:To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.Must Have:3+ years of QC or Food Safety experience in a food manufacturing environmentPrior experience in a lead or senior QC technician roleWorking knowledge of HACCP, cGMPs, and FDA/USDA food safety regulationsStrong documentation and record-review skillsAbility to work on the production floor in cold/freezer environmentsComfortable leading without direct authority (lead-by-example style)Strong communication and problem-solving skillsPreferred:SQF Practitioner or internal auditor experienceExperience working with FDA/USDA inspectorsFamiliarity with frozen food or pizza productionBilingual (English/Spanish) a plusFood Allergen at the Plant: Wheat and DairyHome Run Inn Pizza is a fourth-generation family business that competes in both the restaurant and frozen food industries. Ideally you have one of our frozen pizzas in your freezer right now. Our primary goal at Home Run Inn Pizza is to be more than a participant in these industries. Our goal is to be a leader. We currently dominate the Chicago frozen pizza landscape, and we know exactly why. We've identified the key elements of our Chicago strategy and have decided it is time to become the leading tavern style pizza nationally!#HomeRunInn