Quality Assurance Specialist – Co-Manufacturer Audits

Location: Canada / Remote

Company Overview

Our client is a fast-growing sports nutrition brand known for clean-label, fully disclosed formulations. The company works with 9 co-manufacturers across the USA, with that network continuing to grow. As production scales, the company is building out a formal quality assurance function to ensure every co-manufacturing partner consistently meets certification, safety, and quality standards.

Position Summary

Our client is seeking a Quality Assurance Specialist to build and lead the co-manufacturer audit program from the ground up. This individual contributor role will design the onboarding and initial audit process for new co-manufacturers, review and track third-party certifications (NSF, Informed Choice, and similar), and establish a continual monitoring cadence across all 9 (and growing) co-man partners. The role also owns document control — maintaining a central repository of Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and all co-manufacturer compliance documentation. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience auditing contract manufacturers in sports nutrition, dietary supplements, or food production and is comfortable building a program largely from scratch.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop the company's co-manufacturer audit program from the ground up, including audit checklists, scoring criteria, and cadence.
• Build and lead the onboarding process and initial audit for new co-manufacturers before production begins.
• Conduct on-site and remote audits of existing co-manufacturing partners on an ongoing, recurring basis.
• Review, verify, and track third-party certifications for each co-manufacturer, including NSF and Informed Choice, ensuring certifications remain current.
• Continually monitor co-man partner performance and compliance, flagging risks or lapses proactively rather than reactively.
• Identify audit findings and non-conformances; issue corrective action requests and verify timely resolution.
• Own and maintain a central repository of Certificates of Analysis (COAs) for all products and co-manufacturers.
• Establish and maintain a centralized system for all co-manufacturer compliance documentation, audit records, and certifications.
• Partner with Operations and Supply Chain to qualify new co-manufacturers as the partner network grows.
• Stay current on FDA, NSF, and Informed Choice standards relevant to sports nutrition and dietary supplement manufacturing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related field (or equivalent hands-on experience).
• 3–6+ years of quality assurance experience in sports nutrition, dietary supplement, or food manufacturing, with direct experience auditing co-manufacturers or contract manufacturers.
• Familiarity with NSF and Informed Choice certification standards and processes.
• Experience building or significantly improving a co-manufacturer audit or onboarding program, not just executing an existing one.
• Strong document control and organizational skills; experience managing COAs and compliance records across multiple partners.
• Working knowledge of cGMP requirements under 21 CFR Part 111 (dietary supplements) and FDA regulations.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills for reporting audit findings to co-manufacturers and internal leadership.
• Willingness to travel to co-manufacturer facilities as needed.

What Success Looks Like

• A documented onboarding and initial audit process applied to every new co-manufacturer.
• All 9+ co-man partners on a recurring audit cadence with current NSF/Informed Choice certifications on file.
• A central, well-organized repository of COAs and compliance documentation covering the full co-man network.
• Early identification and resolution of certification lapses or compliance risks before they affect production.