Senior Quality Manager Jobs in Arizona
Senior Quality Manager jobs in Arizona are in active demand, with the strongest concentration in aerospace and defense manufacturing, semiconductor fabrication, and medical device production, industries where rigorous quality oversight is non-negotiable at every level. Phoenix, Tucson, and Chandler are the primary hiring markets, anchored by established employers such as Honeywell, Raytheon, and Intel, all of which maintain large Arizona operations requiring experienced quality leadership. The most in-demand specialties include AS9100 aerospace quality systems, ISO 13485 medical device compliance, and semiconductor process quality engineering. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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JOB SUMMARY
The Senior Manager of Quality & Food Safety is responsible for the leadership, development, execution, and continuous improvement of Mama Lola’s Quality and Food Safety Management Systems.
This position serves as the senior operational leader for all matters involving food safety, product quality, regulatory compliance, customer specifications, supplier quality, certification programs, sanitation verification, product release, investigations, corrective and preventive actions, and continuous improvement of quality systems.
The Senior Manager is expected to provide strong, independent leadership and maintain the authority necessary to protect Mama Lola’s products, customers, consumers, and brand.
This position has the authority to place product on hold, stop production, prevent product release, reject incoming materials, and escalate food safety or quality concerns directly to executive leadership whenever product integrity may be compromised.
The successful candidate must be comfortable operating in a fast-paced food manufacturing environment and equally capable of leading on the production floor, managing technical systems, interacting with customers and regulators, developing employees, and providing clear fact-based recommendations to senior management.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Quality & Food Safety Leadership
- Lead the Mama Lola’s Quality and Food Safety department and establish clear expectations, accountability, priorities, and performance standards for the team.
- Maintain an independent Quality and Food Safety function capable of objectively evaluating manufacturing operations and product compliance.
- Develop a strong plant-wide food safety and quality culture in partnership with Operations, Maintenance, Sanitation, Supply Chain, Sales, Product Development, and Executive Leadership.
- Ensure food safety and product quality concerns are promptly identified, investigated, documented, escalated, and resolved.
- Serve as a senior technical resource to executive leadership regarding food safety, regulatory, customer, supplier, and product quality matters.
- Establish departmental KPIs and routinely report trends, risks, corrective actions, and system performance to executive management.
SQF & Food Safety Management System
- Serve as the facility's designated SQF Practitioner.
- Maintain compliance with current SQF Code requirements and ensure continued certification readiness.
- Maintain, review, verify, and continuously improve the facility's Food Safety Plan and supporting prerequisite programs.
- Lead HACCP/HARPC and preventive-control activities as applicable.
- Ensure hazards are properly identified, assessed, controlled, monitored, verified, and documented.
- Maintain audit readiness at all times rather than preparing solely in advance of scheduled audits.
- Coordinate SQF certification audits, customer audits, regulatory inspections, organic certification audits, and other third-party assessments.
- Lead responses and corrective actions resulting from audits, inspections, or identified system deficiencies.
Regulatory Compliance
Ensure facility and product compliance with applicable requirements including, as appropriate:
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements
- Food Safety Modernization Act requirements
- Current Good Manufacturing Practices
- Preventive Controls for Human Food
- Food labeling requirements
- Allergen-control requirements
- Traceability and recall requirements
- USDA National Organic Program requirements
- Applicable state and local regulatory requirements
- Customer-specific and retailer-specific food safety standards
Maintain awareness of regulatory changes and proactively identify potential impacts to Mama Lola’s operations and products.
Quality Assurance
- Establish and maintain finished-product, in-process, raw-material, packaging, and operational quality standards.
- Ensure QA inspection and verification activities are properly designed, performed, documented, and reviewed.
- Oversee product release and disposition processes.
- Ensure non-conforming materials and products are appropriately identified, segregated, placed on hold, investigated, and dispositioned.
- Maintain effective product hold and release procedures with documented authorization and traceability.
- Establish meaningful process controls and quality metrics rather than relying solely on finished-product inspection.
- Analyze quality data for trends and initiate corrective action before recurring issues become customer complaints or significant operational failures.
Investigations, Corrective Actions & Root Cause Analysis
- Lead significant food safety, quality, customer complaint, and process-failure investigations.
- Ensure investigations establish actual root cause rather than simply documenting symptoms or immediate corrections.
- Utilize structured problem-solving methodologies including 5-Why, Fishbone, DMAIC, statistical analysis, or other appropriate root-cause tools.
- Develop and oversee Corrective and Preventive Action programs.
- Establish responsible parties, completion dates, effectiveness verification, and escalation procedures for corrective actions.
- Ensure corrective actions address systemic weaknesses and prevent recurrence.
- Conduct historical data and trend reviews when necessary to determine the scope and duration of potential problems.
Customer Complaints & Customer Quality
- Lead investigation and response to significant customer and consumer complaints.
- Ensure complaint responses are accurate, timely, technically defensible, and supported by objective evidence.
- Identify recurring complaint trends and initiate preventive action.
- Support Sales and Customer Service with technical information requested by customers.
- Participate in customer meetings when food safety, regulatory, specification, or quality expertise is required.
- Review and approve customer technical questionnaires and food safety documentation.
Supplier Quality Management
- Develop and maintain an effective Supplier Approval and Supplier Quality Management Program.
- Establish risk-based approval requirements for ingredient, packaging, and applicable service suppliers.
- Ensure supplier documentation remains current, including specifications, Certificates of Analysis, Letters of Guarantee, allergen documentation, certifications, and regulatory documentation.
- Monitor supplier performance and initiate corrective actions for recurring or significant supplier failures.
- Coordinate supplier investigations when incoming materials may contribute to finished-product quality or food safety issues.
- Work closely with Supply Chain to establish technically appropriate supplier specifications and acceptance criteria.
Specifications & Document Control
- Maintain accurate and controlled specifications for:
- Raw materials
- Ingredients
- Packaging materials
- Work-in-process products
- Finished products
- Customer-specific products
- Ensure formulas, specifications, labels, allergen declarations, processing requirements, and technical documentation remain aligned.
- Maintain effective document-control and record-retention programs.
- Ensure obsolete documents are removed from use and only approved current revisions are available to employees.
Labeling & Regulatory Review
- Provide technical review of ingredient statements, allergen declarations, product claims, nutritional information, and other regulated label information.
- Review proposed ingredient, process, supplier, or formula changes for potential regulatory and labeling impacts.
- Coordinate with customers and internal departments regarding private-label requirements.
- Escalate unresolved regulatory or legal questions to executive leadership and, where appropriate, qualified outside regulatory or legal counsel.
Sanitation & Environmental Controls
- Provide Quality and Food Safety oversight of sanitation systems and sanitation verification.
- Ensure appropriate pre-operational inspection programs are maintained.
- Oversee environmental monitoring programs where applicable.
- Evaluate sanitation effectiveness through inspection, testing, trending, and documented verification.
- Partner with Operations and Sanitation leadership to resolve recurring sanitation or hygienic-design issues.
Traceability, Recall & Crisis Management
- Maintain effective lot traceability throughout ingredients, packaging, production, finished goods, and distribution.
- Lead mock recall and traceability exercises in accordance with regulatory, certification, and customer requirements.
- Maintain recall and crisis-management procedures.
- Immediately escalate potential food safety incidents, regulatory violations, or circumstances that could require product withdrawal or recall.
- Participate as a senior member of the facility Crisis Management and Recall Team.
Training & Employee Development
- Lead, coach, and develop Quality and Food Safety employees.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities, training requirements, and performance expectations.
- Ensure QA employees are appropriately trained and competent before independently performing assigned responsibilities.
- Develop food safety and quality training programs for production, warehouse, sanitation, maintenance, and other appropriate personnel.
- Promote accountability while maintaining constructive working relationships across departments.
AUTHORITY
The Senior Manager of Quality & Food Safety has independent authority to:
- Stop production when a food safety, regulatory, or significant product-quality risk exists.
- Place ingredients, packaging, work-in-process, or finished goods on hold.
- Prevent shipment or release of non-conforming or potentially unsafe products.
- Reject incoming materials that do not meet approved requirements.
- Require investigation and corrective action when food safety or quality systems are not being followed.
- Escalate unresolved food safety and quality risks directly to the President.
- Require supporting evidence before closing significant investigations or corrective actions.
No production, scheduling, cost, efficiency, or customer-service objective supersedes the obligation to manufacture safe, legal, and specification-compliant food.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Biology, Chemistry, Food Safety, Quality Management, Engineering, or a related discipline; equivalent relevant food-manufacturing experience may be considered.
- Minimum of 7 years of progressive Quality Assurance and/or Food Safety experience within food manufacturing.
- Minimum of 3 years of direct leadership or management experience.
- SQF Certification and Audit Experience
- HACCP Certification
- Strong working knowledge of FDA food manufacturing regulations and FSMA.
- Experience managing third-party certification and customer audit programs.
- Strong experience conducting root-cause investigations and developing corrective actions.
- Demonstrated ability to lead employees and influence cross-functional operational teams.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong documentation, analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to effectively communicate technical findings to senior leadership, customers, auditors, employees, and regulatory representatives.
PREFERRED QUALIFICAITONS
- PCQI certification.
- Food Manager ServSafe Certification.
- USDA Organic experience.
- Experience in tortilla, corn, snack-food, bakery, or similar high-volume food manufacturing.
- Experience with fried-food manufacturing and oil-quality management.
- Experience with retailer and private-label customers.
- Internal Auditor certification or equivalent training.
- Root Cause Analysis, Lean, Six Sigma, or DMAIC experience.
- Experience managing microbiological, chemical, physical, allergen, and environmental-monitoring programs.
PHYSICAL REQUIRMENTS
· Ability to stand and walk production floors for extended periods
· Ability to lift up to 30 pounds occasionally
· Comfortable working in manufacturing environments with heat, dust, and production noise
· Routinely enter production, warehouse, sanitation, and processing areas.
· Work around food-processing equipment, heat, noise, wet environments, and other conditions normally associated with food manufacturing.
· Wear required personal protective equipment.
· Occasionally work outside normal business hours when food safety, customer, audit, production, or regulatory circumstances require immediate attention
Pay: $90,000.00 - $100,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Strong Working Knowledge of FDA Food Manufacturing & FSMA?
- Do you have any other certifications? (ServSafe, PCQI?)
Education:
- Bachelor's (Preferred)
Experience:
- Management : 3 years (Required)
- Progressive Quality Assurance or Food Safety: 7 years (Required)
Language:
- English and Spanish (Preferred)
License/Certification:
- HACCP Certification (Required)
- Safe Quality Food Certification & Audit Experience (Required)
Ability to Commute:
- Phoenix, AZ 85040 (Preferred)
Work Location: In person
See All 27 Senior Quality Manager Jobs in Arizona
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Senior Quality Manager Job Market in Arizona
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Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Electronics & Hardware
- Healthcare & Medical Services
- Technology & Software
- Manufacturing
- Construction & Real Estate
What Arizona Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior quality manager jobs across Arizona.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, manufacturing, or a closely related technical field
- Active ASQ Certified Quality Engineer or Certified Manager of Quality certification preferred
- Seven or more years of quality management experience in aerospace, defense, or semiconductor manufacturing
- Demonstrated experience leading quality management systems under AS9100 or ISO 13485 standards
- Proven ability to manage supplier quality programs and corrective action processes
- Experience with APQP, PPAP, FMEA, and statistical process control in a regulated manufacturing environment
Senior Quality Manager Jobs in Arizona: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior quality manager in Arizona?
Most senior quality manager roles in Arizona require a bachelor's degree in engineering or a related technical field combined with substantial quality management experience, typically in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, or medical device manufacturing. Arizona has no state-issued license for this role, but ASQ certifications such as the Certified Quality Engineer or Certified Manager of Quality are widely expected by Arizona employers and significantly strengthen candidacy for senior-level positions.
How much do senior quality managers make in Arizona?
Senior quality managers in Arizona earn a median of about $124,810 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $79,410 for the lowest 10% to over $199,440 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior quality managers in Arizona?
Employers hiring senior quality managers in Arizona right now include Raytheon, Molina Healthcare, and ASM, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Arizona's concentration of aerospace primes, semiconductor fabs, and medical device manufacturers means demand for quality leadership is consistent across the Phoenix metro, Tucson corridor, and East Valley technology hubs.
Which Arizona cities have the most senior quality manager jobs?
Phoenix, Tucson, and Chandler account for the most senior quality manager openings in Arizona. Phoenix drives volume through its dense aerospace and defense supplier base, while Chandler and Tempe host major semiconductor and electronics manufacturers, and Tucson supports quality leadership demand through Raytheon's large defense engineering campus and a growing advanced manufacturing corridor.
Are there remote senior quality manager jobs in Arizona?
Yes, but they're rare. Senior quality manager work is largely hands-on, requiring direct oversight of production floors, supplier audits, and inspection processes that cannot be performed remotely. About 25% of senior quality manager openings tied to Arizona are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with most remote-eligible work concentrated in quality systems documentation, supplier qualification reviews, and compliance reporting functions.
How can I get hired as a senior quality manager in Arizona with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is securing a quality engineer or quality assurance technician role at one of Arizona's major manufacturers, such as Honeywell Aerospace or Intel, where internal advancement programs move high performers into quality leadership over time. Earning an ASQ Certified Quality Inspector or Certified Quality Engineer credential accelerates that progression. Lateral moves from manufacturing engineering, process engineering, or production supervision are common entry routes, as those roles share direct overlap with quality oversight responsibilities.
Where can I find and apply to senior quality manager jobs in Arizona?
You can find and apply to senior quality manager jobs in Arizona on Migrate Mate, which lists current Arizona openings across aerospace, semiconductor, medical device, and defense manufacturing employers. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match.
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