Reporting to the Plant Quality Manager, you will lead first shift quality assurance activities at our St. Elmo, Illinois food manufacturing facility. You will supervise two or more quality assurance technicians while providing technical guidance, scheduling support, and hands‑on leadership across all aspects of food quality and food safety. Our St. Elmo plant was recognized as Plant of the Year in 2025 and produces approximately 19 million cases of syrup, dressing, and barbecue sauce annually, including iconic brands such as Mrs. Butterworth’s, Log Cabin, Open Pit, Hunt’s, Wish‑Bone, and Western. You will partner closely with operations to ensure products are manufactured in compliance with company policies, food safety programs, and Food and Drug Administration regulatory requirements, supporting a culture of continuous improvement.

Expected hours: 1st shift – 6:30am to 4:00pm

A Taste of Your Responsibilities

• Coordinate quality assurance activities, including audits, training, and supply purchasing.

• Provide technical guidance, coaching, and training to Quality Assurance team members.

• Monitor and verify Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) critical control points in accordance with established policies and procedures.

• Support SQF and other regulatory or customer audits, including audit preparation, participation, and follow-up activities.

• Conduct Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and sanitation audits in production and warehouse areas.

• Partner with Operations teams to identify, investigate, and resolve quality and food safety issues.

• Verify that operational control systems are functioning properly and are consistently followed.

• Place product on hold, release product, or manage product disposition in alignment with policies and procedures.

• Evaluate damaged, returned, and incoming products to ensure compliance with quality and food safety standards.

• Coordinate the investigation and resolution of customer complaints.

• Ensure Statistical Process Control (SPC) practices are effectively implemented and maintained.

• Perform analytical reviews of product data, metrics, and trends to support continuous improvement.

• Support the evaluation of new equipment installations and equipment repairs from a quality and food safety perspective.

Ingredients Required for Your Success

• Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Microbiology, Chemistry, Food Science, or a related field; education may be substituted with equivalent years of experience.

• 3+ years of quality and food safety experience, preferably within food manufacturing.

• Previous experience leading, supervising, or coordinating the work of a quality or food safety team.

• Complete understanding of food safety guidelines and regulations, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), and safe manufacturing procedures.

• Demonstrated experience working with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) programs.

• Working knowledge of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations.

• Familiarity with fundamentals of Total Productive Maintenance and sanitation.

• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and collaboration skills.

• Experience working within large corporate manufacturing organizations in a mid-sized plant environment.

• Strong organizational, analytical, computer, and measurement skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

Physical Requirements

More information about essential tasks and the facility will be shared during the hiring process. This role will require you to be in our manufacturing facilities. When visiting these sites, the physical requirements below may apply:

• You may be required to walk around the facility, climb stairs/ladders, kneel, or perform repetitive tasks that require hand‑eye coordination.

• You may be required to lift or carry materials that can vary in weight and size.

• This is a manufacturing environment with large, moving equipment. Noise levels can be high, and temperatures may vary.

Relocation assistance is available for this role. Preference will be given to local candidates if applicable.

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Compensation 

The annual salary listed above is the expected offering for this position. An employee’s actual annual salary will be based on but not limited to: location, relevant experience/level and skillset, while balancing internal Conagra employees’ equity. Conagra Brands will comply with applicable law regarding minimum salaries for exempt employees.

Our Benefits

We care about your total well-being and will support you with the following, subject to your location and role:

• Health: Comprehensive healthcare plans, wellness incentive program, mental wellbeing support and fitness reimbursement

• Wealth: Great pay, bonus incentive opportunity, matching 401(k) and stock purchase plan

• Growth: Career development opportunities, employee resource groups, on-demand learning and tuition reimbursement

• Balance: Paid-time off, parental leave, flexible work-schedules (subject to your location and role) and volunteer opportunities

Our Company

At Conagra Brands, we have a rich heritage of making great food. We aspire to have the most impactful, energized and inclusive culture in food. As a member of our 18,000+ person team across 40+ locations, you are empowered to reach your potential, make an impact and own your career. We're in the business of building champions – within our people and our iconic brands like Birds Eye®, Slim Jim® and Reddi-Wip®.

Our focus on innovation extends beyond making great food, it also reflects our commitment to embracing new solutions that positively impact our team, the communities we serve and the health of our planet. Foodies Welcome.

Conagra Brands is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, ethnic or national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, pregnancy, leave status, disability, veteran status, genetic information and/or any other characteristic or status protected by national, federal, state or local law. Reasonable accommodation may be made upon request.