Manager, Quality Assurance and Commercialization (APAC)

Texas Chicken

Employee Job Description

Job Title:              Manager, Quality Assurance (QA) / Commercialization (APAC)

Reports To:          Senior Director, International Supply Chain

Department:         Global Supply Chain & Quality Assurance (QA)

Revised:               February 2026

Job Summary

The Manager, Quality Assurance / Commercialization (APAC) ensures the safety, quality, and consistency of poultry and all other food categories supplied throughout the Asia–Pacific region, including Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.

This role leads the commercialization of new menu items and LTOs, drives cost optimization initiatives, plant productivity gains that affect cost and reduces complexity, and oversees supplier quality and compliance across multiple product categories such as optimization initiatives, plant productivity gains‑optimization initiatives, plant productivity gains

• Poultry (primary)
• Marinades, seasonings, spice blends
• Biscuits, and flour
• Sauces, gravies, and condiments
• Oils
• Side items (fries, jalapeno bombers, onion rings)
• Packaging materials (food contact)

The manager navigates diverse APAC regulatory frameworks, supplier maturity levels, cold chain constraints, and varying processing technologies while supporting franchisees across multiple markets. Candidate will work closely and foster a professional relationship with outsourced third-party providers of QA and Commercialization projects. ‑chain constraints, and varying processing technologies while supporting franchisees across multiple markets.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Product Quality & Brand Protection

• Ensure all APAC suppliers (across poultry, bakery, beverage, dry blends, sauces, sides, and oils) comply with Texas Chicken specifications and QA standards.
• Conduct in market product evaluations for all food categories to confirm sensory consistency and operational performance.‑market product evaluations for all food categories to confirm sensory consistency and operational performance.
• Manage regional quality incidents for all food and packaging categories, ensuring root cause analysis and corrective actions. ‑cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Maintain QA tracking systems across APAC suppliers, with prioritization of poultry, sauces, bakery mixes, and dry blends.

2. Poultry Technical Quality & Regional Compliance (Primary Scope)

• Provide leadership for poultry quality across integrated operations, further processing plants, and cold chain infrastructures in APAC.‑chain infrastructures in APAC.
• Validate poultry processes including chilling systems, marination, deboning, portioning, breading/coating, frying/parfrying, and microbiological controls. ‑frying, and microbiological controls.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory bodies, plus halal authorities.

3. Other Food Categories — Technical Oversight

Marinades, Seasonings & Spice Blends

• Approve ingredient formulations, functional performance, anticaking stability, moisture activity, and color/flavor consistency. ‑caking stability, moisture activity, and color/flavor consistency.
• Coordinate allergen management across APAC suppliers for spice blends and dry mixes.

Bakery & Biscuit Mixes

• Evaluate bakery items for consistency and quality performance.
• Conduct cuttings focusing on texture and flavor based on business requirements.

Sauces, Gravies, Condiments, Side Items (Fries, Mashed Potatoes)

• Lead commercialization of sauces (RTU, ambient, frozen, powdered) including viscosity, emulsification, microbial stability, and packaging integrity.
• Validate color, flavor, viscosity, thermal processing (retort/HTST where applicable).

Oils & Frying

• Monitor frying oil suppliers for fatty acid profiles, oxidation stability, color, smoke point, and regional availability.
• Train markets on oil turnover/filtration standards.

Packaging (Food Contact & Retail)

• Validate packaging specs for migration compliance, seal integrity, material durability, and regional regulatory alignment.

4. Commercialization Across APAC

• Lead commercialization of all categories from benchtop → pilot → plant → market launch.
• Validate manufacturing capabilities and scaleup readiness for poultry, bakery, sauces, sides, beverages, and dry blends.‑up readiness for poultry, bakery, sauces, sides, beverages, and dry blends.
• Ensure new products meet QSR operational requirements under variable APAC conditions:
  • Humidity
  • Voltage variability
  • Limited fryers/space
  • Diverse oil management practices

5. Supplier Development & Performance Management

• Conduct capability assessments for suppliers in poultry, bakery, dry blends, beverages, sauces, and packaging.
• Audit plants for food safety, quality systems, halal compliance, coldchain integrity, traceability, and process capability. ‑chain integrity, traceability, and process capability.
• Partner with Procurement to support cost modeling, yield optimization, and reformulation across all food categories.

6. Cross Functional Leadership‑Functional Leadership

• Serve as QA lead for multicategory commercialization projects. ‑category commercialization projects.

Position Requirements (Education, Qualifications, Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Animal Science, Poultry Science, or related field.
• QSR knowledge is beneficial.

Competencies:

• Critical Thinking – Defines and resolves a situation or problem by analyzing issues involved, weighing options, and evaluating alternatives; maintains objective attitude; approaches situations and problems systematically; uses observation, experience, reflection, and/or reasoning to drive business forward.
• undefined
• Influencing Others – Convinces and persuades others in either positive or negative circumstances to accomplish goals and objectives; responds to objections successfully; uses tact when expressing ideas or opinions.
• undefined
• Initiative – Acts proactively; addresses issues or opportunities without supervision; focuses on desired results and accomplishments; demonstrates clear purpose, enthusiasm, and a “can-do” attitude.
• undefined
• Innovative and Creative – Looks for ways to improve oneself, the job, the project, the system, and the organization; challenges conventional practices, generates new ideas to create novel solutions to problems.
• undefined
• Managing Execution – Manages multiple projects and effectively prioritizes tasks and goals; uses goals to guide actions and create detailed action plans; organizes and schedules people and tasks; utilizes resources effectively to meet goals.
• undefined
• Negotiating – Presents issues or ideas in a clear and influential manner; maintains an open-minded and non-judgmental attitude; listens to others’ views and empathizes.
• undefined
• Relationship Management – Initiates and develops relationships with others, demonstrates credibility; confronts conflict quickly and professionally; inspires confidence in others undefined

Physical Requirements:

Employees must be able to perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation

1. If you’re hungry for a career that’s fun, fast-paced and loaded with opportunity, then you’ve come to the right place. At Church's®, we’re not your typical quick service restaurant. We make real comfort food that makes a difference in peoples’ lives. And for over 60 years, our restaurant has been a place where hard-working people can get ahead and go on to do amazing things by serving others.

2. Church’s Chicken is an equal employment opportunity employer and makes hiring and employment decisions without regard to race, color, religion sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.