Quality Assurance Technician

The Quality Assurance Technician role is responsible for ensuring all products produced during the shift meet all product standards and if it does not, take all appropriate steps to see that it is corrected. This individual must be confident in their decisions and comfortable defending them in a fair and friendly manner.

We are seeking a detail-oriented and proactive Quality Assurance Technician to help ensure our products consistently meet the highest standards of quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance. This role is ideal for a food safety professional who is passionate about maintaining product integrity, driving continuous improvement, and maintaining a strong food safety culture in a growing food manufacturing environment. The Quality Assurance Technician will support daily production operations through inspections, audits, reporting, and cross-functional collaboration. The successful candidate will bring a strong food safety foundation, exceptional attention to detail, and the confidence to make sound decisions that protect product quality and consumer safety. This position offers an excellent opportunity for someone looking to expand their leadership capabilities while contributing to a culture of quality, accountability, and operational excellence.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Conduct internal quality and food safety audits to verify compliance with company standards, regulatory requirements, and customer expectations.
• Monitor production line quality checks, including weight verification, labeling accuracy, lot code traceability, defect identification, and corrective action follow-up.
• Manage monitoring, calibration, and verification plans
• Organize and Schedule laboratory pickups for sample plans
• Liaise regularly with the Senior Manager of Quality Assurance and interdepartmental staff (Ie. Production, shipping, procurement, maintenance, and sanitation)
• Perform organoleptic (sensory) evaluations of finished goods
• Assist in trailer inspections and verify temperature monitoring records to ensure cold-chain integrity and shipping compliance.
• Maintain accurate and organized quality documentation, including inspection reports, non-conformance records, job aids, and product specifications.
• Partner with production, warehouse, and leadership teams to identify risks, resolve quality concerns, and strengthen food safety practices.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to enhance quality systems, reduce defects, and improve operational performance.
• Serve as a quality resource on the production floor by reinforcing food safety standards, GMPs, and quality expectations.
• Support labeling processes by coordinating updates, verifying label accuracy, and maintaining compliance with regulatory and customer requirements.
• Assist Quality Assurance leadership with audit readiness, compliance activities, and initiatives that support product consistency and operational excellence.
• Be able to create and update product specifications across all departments.
• Must be comfortable using Microsoft Office, OneDrive, SharePoint, Excel and Outlook
• Demonstrate leadership through accountability, effective communication, problem-solving, and a commitment to driving a strong food safety culture.
• Demonstrate a proactive problem-solving mindset by identifying quality and food safety issues, conducting Root Cause Analysis (RCA), and partnering with cross-functional teams to implement effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Investigate non-conformances, customer complaints, process deviations, and product quality concerns to determine root causes and drive sustainable solutions.
• Track corrective actions through completion and verify effectiveness to prevent recurrence while supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

Do you have a valid Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) Certification certification?, Do you have experience in SharePoint?, * 1-2 years of experience in food manufacturing, food safety, quality assurance, production, or a related environment preferred.

• Strong understanding of food safety principles, quality systems, and regulatory compliance requirements.
• Experience in dairy manufacturing or food processing is highly desirable.
• Cold-chain experience preferred.
• Basic HACCP or PCQI is preferred
• Strong organizational, analytical, and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, make informed decisions, and manage priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated initiative, ownership, and leadership potential

Physical Requirements

The following physical requirements are representative of those that must be met to perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made for individuals with qualifying disabilities.

• Ability to work in cold temperature environments.
• Ability to lift to 50 pounds and perform physically demanding tasks as needed.

Work Environment

This role operates across warehouse, production, and office environments. The position requires exposure to a fast-paced manufacturing setting, including freezer and cooler areas. Candidates must be comfortable working independently, collaborating across teams, and making quality-related decisions that support food safety and operational success.

Pulled from the full job description

• 401(k)
• Health insurance
• Vision insurance
• Health savings account
• Dental insurance
• Life insurance, Weekend availability is required. Hours are 2:00pm-10:00pm

Additional Role Note:

The duties of this position may change from time to time. PopUp Bagels reserves the right to add or delete duties and responsibilities at the discretion of PopUp Bagels or its managers. This job description is intended to describe the general work level. It is not intended to be all-inclusive.

PopUp Bagels is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, age, ancestry, creed, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding or related condition, unemployment status, gender identity or expression, transgender status or gender dysphoria, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, national origin, citizenship, disability, covered veteran and/or military status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, familial status as that term is described under other protected statuses or any other characteristic as protected under applicable federal, state and local law.

PopUp Bagels conducts pre-employment screenings in compliance with local, state, and Federal laws, and utilizes eVerify to confirm U.S. Employment eligibility.

Pay: $23.00 - $25.00 per hour, * 401(k)

• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Vision insurance

PopUp Bagels is not just a bagel company-we're a cultural movement. Our stores are small, our vibes are loud, and our energy is contagious. From signature neon and iconic bullhorns to our "Not Famous but Known" mirror, we've reimagined not just how a bagel is created, but how it's enjoyed: Grip, Rip and Dip! With a cult-like following, massive social presence, and unparalleled collaborations with top companies, partners and Brand Ambassadors PopUp Bagels is defining a new food lifestyle brand.