Senior Manager, Quality Assurance - Cheese

Senior Manager, Quality Assurance (Denver)

Within our Corporate Global Quality team located in Denver – Leprino is seeking a Senior Manager, Quality Assurance to move our organization to an even larger level of product integrity and safety excellence! We take pride in our vision to be "world's best", it is why we work harder, invest more, and continually innovate.

At Leprino Foods, starting compensation for this role typically ranges between $106,000 and $128,000. This position has an annual target bonus of 15%.

• Guide and support a collaborative team of quality professionals across a variety of projects and day-to-day operations.
• Build strong partnerships with customers by coordinating site visits, presenting product evaluations, and resolving inquiries with care and precision.
• Collaborate with teams in production, engineering, sanitation, and R&D to support process improvements and address quality-related issues.
• Identify and help solve quality concerns using root cause analysis, and propose long-term solutions.
• Assist with product transitions and launches by ensuring that quality expectations are understood and implemented.
• Train and coach plant teams on quality programs and procedures to reinforce a culture of food safety and excellence.
• Contribute to strategic projects within the Cheese or Nutrition Global Business Unit—your ideas matter here!
• Maintain specification accuracy by updating systems and validating data to ensure product consistency and compliance.
• Monitor quality data to spot trends, track improvements, and guide operational decisions.
• Coordinate quality evaluations and product performance testing with internal teams and customer partners.
• Use data-driven approaches to help reduce product variation and improve overall process reliability.
• Represent the department in presentations and discussions with senior leaders across the business.

You Have At Least (Required Qualifications):

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in food science or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in food manufacturing or product quality, ideally in the dairy industry.
• 5+ years of experience supporting and developing team members in a leadership role.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications; familiarity with SAP is helpful.
• The ability to work a weekly 3/2 (office/home) hybrid schedule.

We Hope You Also Have (Preferred Qualifications):

• A master’s degree in food science or a closely related discipline.
• Experience working directly with cheese or nutrition-based food products.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP, FSMA, and other food safety standards.
• Comfort presenting technical concepts to both internal teams and external partners.

At Leprino, we believe in equal employment opportunity and make employment decisions based on each individual’s unique talents, experience, skills, and knowledge; we do not discriminate on the basis of any personal characteristics. We know we are better together and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive culture in which all employees can thrive.

Offering You In Return:

A chance to be part of a global team of individuals passionate about producing and delivering high-quality products that help feed and nourish families around the world. Leprino Foods could not be where it is today without our incredible employees. That is why we share in our success together by rewarding you for your hard work. Hiring great people who are in it for the long run is our goal. Through competitive salaries and bonuses, life, medical/dental/vision coverage, voluntary benefits, employee assistance programs, wellness incentives, tuition assistance, vacation, ten paid holidays, sick time, paid parental leave, annual merit increases, as well as the LFC Profit-Sharing & 401(k) plan. Your impact will be noticed and rewarded, as you seek to further our company, our customers, and one another.

Our Story:

Leprino Foods’ history dates back over 70 years, when Jim Leprino first started making small batches of mozzarella for local markets and eateries in the Little Italy neighborhood of Denver. We’ve grown a bit since then. Today, Leprino Foods is the world’s largest manufacturer of mozzarella and lactose, and a leading producer of whey protein. Still owned by Jim and the Leprino family, our sights are set to be the “World’s Best Dairy Food and Ingredient Company.” To help us achieve that bold vision, we’re looking for our secret ingredient: You. A motivated team member who is the best at what you do. Three passionate individuals in a small corner grocery store in the early 1950s have now grown to well over 5,000 employees throughout the globe. Will you join us on our journey?

Learn more about Leprino and our beautiful city: