Production Lead QA Technician in Charlotte, North Carolina at Plat Du Jour Inc

About Plat du Jour (PDJ)

Plat du Jour (PDJ) is a precision meal platform producing high-quality, ready-to-eat meals and food components in a structured food manufacturing environment. PDJ is built on consistency, operational discipline, and uncompromising food safety standards. This is not a restaurant kitchen — our operation is driven by process control, production precision, and quality assurance at scale.

Position Overview

PDJ is seeking a disciplined, experienced, and highly capable Production Lead/QA Technician to fill a dual-function role that sits at the intersection of quality assurance and production floor leadership. This person carries two equally important responsibilities: enforcing PDJ's food safety and quality standards across all production activity, and providing hands-on leadership and direction to the production team during their shift.

The Production Lead/QA Technician reports to both the FSQA Manager for all quality assurance and food safety responsibilities, and to the Production & Fulfillment Operations Manager for all production floor leadership responsibilities. On any given shift, this person is simultaneously the quality conscience of the floor and the operational leader keeping production moving efficiently and correctly.

The ideal candidate is highly organized, confident enforcing standards with peers and direct reports alike, and understands that quality and production excellence are not competing priorities — they are the same job done right. This is a role for someone who can hold the line on food safety without slowing down the floor, and lead a team without compromising on compliance.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Assurance & Food Safety

• Monitor daily production activities across prep, production, packaging, and fulfillment to ensure compliance with food safety and quality standards
• Maintain and verify all food safety documentation including temperature logs, cooling logs, sanitation logs, receiving logs, and production QA records
• Enforce GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) across all departments including hygiene, uniform compliance, handwashing, sanitation, and facility discipline
• Conduct routine floor checks to ensure operational compliance with food safety, sanitation, and quality standards throughout the shift
• Monitor and maintain allergen control procedures including segregation, labeling, handling, and changeover verification
• Verify recipe adherence, portion consistency, plating and packaging specifications, labeling accuracy, and finished product quality
• Ensure all products meet established quality standards for appearance, weight, portioning, packaging integrity, and presentation
• Perform in-process QA checks throughout production and packaging to identify and correct deviations in real time
• Maintain production QA logs and verify compliance with batch specifications and product standards
• Support traceability procedures including lot tracking, product dating, and ingredient documentation
• Verify proper product labeling including allergens, dating, SKU accuracy, and packaging compliance
• Support internal food safety audits, GMP audits, and readiness for third-party inspections
• Assist in maintaining HACCP documentation, SOP compliance, and food safety program execution
• Escalate food safety, quality, or compliance concerns immediately to the FSQA Manager

Production Floor Leadership

• Serve as the lead operational presence on the production floor during assigned shifts, providing direction, guidance, and accountability to production team members
• Assign tasks and manage workflow sequencing across prep, production, and packaging to keep the shift on schedule and on output targets
• Ensure all production team members are executing their assigned tasks correctly, efficiently, and in compliance with recipe specifications, portion standards, and PDJ's production SOPs
• Monitor team performance throughout the shift and provide real-time coaching, correction, and positive reinforcement to maintain pace, accuracy, and quality
• Serve as the first point of escalation for production team members with questions, equipment issues, or workflow concerns during the shift
• Support onboarding and training of new production associates, ensuring they are properly trained on SOPs, food safety requirements, GMP standards, and equipment operation before working independently
• Communicate shift status, production progress, team performance issues, and any deviations to the Production & Fulfillment Operations Manager
• Maintain a disciplined, organized, and food-safety-compliant production floor environment at all times
• Lead by example — modeling the work ethic, food safety habits, and production standards that PDJ expects from every team member

Cross-Functional Collaboration & General Support

• Partner with the FSQA Manager and Production & Fulfillment Operations Manager to identify quality issues, enforce corrective actions, and drive continuous process improvement
• Communicate proactively across both reporting lines — keeping the FSQA Manager informed of all food safety and quality matters, and the Operations Manager informed of all production and team matters
• Support production scheduling and daily workflow planning in coordination with the Operations Manager
• Assist with equipment cleaning, sanitation, and general production support tasks as needed to keep the floor operational and compliant
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in a food manufacturing, commissary, or CPG production environment, with experience in both quality assurance or food safety compliance AND production floor operations
• Prior experience in a lead, senior, or supervisory production role strongly preferred — this position requires someone comfortable directing the work of others
• Strong understanding of GMPs, HACCP, allergen control, sanitation protocols, and food safety documentation
• Experience maintaining QA logs, production records, temperature logs, and compliance documentation
• Knowledge of FDA and USDA food safety standards applicable to a food manufacturing environment
• Ability to simultaneously enforce quality and food safety standards while maintaining production momentum — these are treated as equally non-negotiable in this role
• Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify inconsistencies and enforce standards in real time, including with peers and team members
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills — confident, clear, and professional when directing team members or escalating concerns
• Highly organized and process-driven with the ability to manage multiple concurrent priorities across QA and production responsibilities
• HACCP certification or food safety certification preferred
• ServSafe certification preferred or must be obtained within 60 days of hire