Quality Assurance Lead

Salary Range: $26.00 to $28.00 per hour + $250 signing bonus after 90 days

Benefit Eligible:
Yes

Location:

Onsite in Mesa, AZ

Shift: 1st Shift (5:00 AM - 1:30 PM)

Classification:
Non-exempt

Reports to:

Quality Assurance Supervisor

Paleovalley and Wild Pastures were born from a simple but radical idea: real food can heal — people, animals, and the planet. When Paleovalley co‑founders Autumn and Chas Smith saw how industrialized food was affecting human health and the health of the land, they refused to play along. Autumn’s own journey of healing through nutrient‑dense foods lit a fire that became Paleovalley.

From there, the mission grew roots, sprouted wings, and eventually expanded into Wild Pastures to bring regeneratively raised meats directly to families nationwide.

Today, Paleovalley crafts deeply nourishing snacks and supplements made with organic ingredients and honorable sourcing. Wild Pastures connects small American farmers practicing regenerative agriculture with customers who believe better food is worth fighting for. Every product, every partnership, and every decision is guided by a commitment to real ingredients, regenerative practices, and the belief that health is built from the soil up.

We’re a team of grounded doers, curious thinkers, bold builders, and warm humans who like to laugh while doing meaningful work. We're growing quickly, fueled by purpose and a shared desire to repair the food system one thoughtful choice at a time.

If you feel energized by impact, drawn to mission, and ready to join a company rewriting the future of food, we’d love to meet you!

The Quality Assurance Lead supports the successful execution of Paleovalley’s food safety and quality programs by combining hands‑on operational oversight with audit and compliance support. This role helps ensure regulatory readiness, strengthens internal quality systems, and safeguards the consistency and safety of the products our customers rely on.

• Execute and verify critical food safety and quality controls on the production floor, including pre‑operational inspections, CCP/CP monitoring, and hourly quality checks to ensure compliance with HACCP requirements.
• Own and maintain the internal audit program, including managing the audit schedule, conducting internal audits, documenting findings, and tracking corrective actions to completion.
• Support SQF certification readiness and regulatory compliance by assisting with preparation for internal, third‑party, and regulatory audits (FDA, USDA).
• Monitor and verify prerequisite programs such as GMP compliance, sanitation verification, allergen controls, environmental monitoring, and glass and brittle plastic programs.
• Identify quality or food safety deviations and support root cause investigations and corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) to prevent recurrence.
• Review and verify production and quality documentation to ensure records are accurate, complete, and compliant with internal procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with production, sanitation, and operations teams to ensure food safety standards and quality procedures are consistently followed across shifts.
• Support production start‑ups and validation activities, including ATP and allergen verification, to ensure equipment and processes meet food safety requirements.
• Serve as a first‑shift quality escalation point, providing real‑time support and guidance to operations on food safety and quality decisions.
• Track audit findings and quality trends and communicate insights to quality leadership to strengthen systems and reduce operational risk.

• HACCP certification (required at time of hire).
• 3+ years of quality assurance or food safety experience in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Experience executing or verifying food safety and quality programs, including CCP/CP monitoring, GMP compliance, and documentation verification.
• Familiarity with regulatory and food safety standards applicable to food manufacturing environments.
• Strong attention to detail and documentation accuracy in support of food safety and quality systems.
• Ability to work in a…