WHAT DOES A QUALITY ASSOCIATE DO?
Published: Dec 02, 2025 - The Quality Associate performs inspections using specialized instruments, ensures compliance with specifications, and completes all related documentation and data entry. This role involves collecting and reporting quality data to management, supporting continuous improvement initiatives, and assisting in the implementation of updated procedures. The associate also manages training assignments and records across the department while contributing to both individual and team performance goals.
A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Quality Associate
1. Quality Associate Tasks
- QMS Administration: Act as the primary administrator for all QMS documentation.
- Documentation Support: Provide support for documentation development and release.
- Quality Monitoring: Quality monitoring and assurance of products and documentation (incoming and outgoing shipments).
- Equipment Calibration: Ensure laboratory and production test stations and equipment are efficiently calibrated and maintained.
- Vendor Approval: Assist with vendor approval.
- Audit Execution: Perform vendor and internal audits.
- Complaint Investigation: Support the investigation of complaints, corrective actions, and nonconforming materials and products to ensure timely resolution.
- Quality Improvement: Review current policies and improvise plans to improve upon the existing quality standards.
2. Quality Associate Overview
- Technical Investigation: Make a technical and statistical investigation of problems with recommendations for improvement.
- Procedure Drafting: Draft inspection and test procedures and review with all involved, such as the Lab supervisor.
- QA Training: Conduct training of plant personnel on QA related matters.
- Specification Development: Assist with developing specs for new or modified equipment.
- Audit Performance: Responsible for the Audit Quality performance levels of assigned production departments.
- Office Software Use: Work with Excel, Word and write instructions.
- Employee Interaction: Accountable for interacting with employees.
- Safety Compliance: Follow all plant and departmental safety, environmental policies, and plant rules and regulations.
3. Quality Associate Functions
- Process Control Support: Work with production, engineering, or QA technical staff to achieve statistical process control and capability.
- Quality Reporting: Promptly performs reports and records all Quality Control procedures and test results in a precise and accurate manner.
- GLP Compliance: Apply Good Laboratory Practices to accurately record and file all raw test data, including pertinent paperwork, e.g./chromatograms, graphs, spectra, and test results.
- Result Communication: Communicate results and dispositions to Production and QA and the supervisor.
- Batch Adjustment: Calculate and recommend batch adjustments to Production.
- Routine Maintenance: Responsible for performing routine maintenance and upkeep on assigned laboratory equipment and work areas.
- Equipment Calibration: Responsible for calibration and associated record keeping of analytical equipment or other special projects as determined by the QA Supervisor.
- Issue Reporting: Report all problems regarding procedures, equipment, products, raw materials, specifications, etc., to the quality supervisor or designate, as well as other quality Chemists.
- Inventory Control: Maintain inventory status of reagents, equipment, etc., in order to keep the lab at full operational capacity.
- Reagent Preparation: Prepare lab standard test reagents and perform standardization on reagents and calibration of equipment on a regular basis.
- Record Management: Keep detailed records and maintain control and/or trend charts.
- Lab Environment Management: Maintain a clean, safe, and orderly work environment and ensure smooth operation of the QA Laboratory by communication, planning and preparation in support of other shifts.
4. Quality Associate Duties
- Product Inspection: Inspect all products to ensure compliance with GMP principles.
- Quality Communication: Communicate with Quality Management and adhere to all quality standards.
- Sample Testing: Responsible for sample testing, Brix, pH, water baths, environmental monitoring, micro analysis and packaging testing.
- Mock Recalls: Perform mock recalls to meet the needs of customers and SQF.
- Non-compliance Support: Assist with non-compliance notification and corrective action follow-ups.
5. Quality Associate Duties and Roles
- Quality System Oversight: Support oversight of critical/key quality system elements, including but not limited to internal audits, post-market surveillance, training and data and documentation management.
- Procedure Impact Review: Review Corporate Quality Procedures and policies and new/revised guidance documents/regulations and determine the impact on service operations and the quality of the management system.
- CAPA Investigation: Lead and contribute to investigation, corrective and preventive actions for NCR and CAPA records associated with Global Service Operations.
- Process Accountability: Drive accountability for service and complaint process by coordinating metrics and reporting to regional operations, quality, and 3rd service Suppliers.
- QMS Reporting: Support Quality Management Reviews through trending and reporting of applicable Quality Management System metrics and data.
- Procedure Authoring: Author and revise relevant Global Service Procedures to maintain compliance with corporate quality procedures, policies, and regulations.
6. Quality Associate Roles and Details
- Catalog Review: Review the Amazon catalog for content quality based on predefined guidelines.
- Data Accuracy Check: Thoroughly check product images and information to ensure accuracy and completeness of the data.
- Data Enhancement: Browse internal and external sources to improve product data.
- Process Feedback: Provide feedback to streamline existing processes to help the team achieve more consistent results.
- Procedure Development: Work with project teams to write and test new operating procedures for new audit and data quality management tasks.
- Business Requirement Support: Meet business requirements and work on multiple languages.
- Sensitive Content Handling: Work with sensitive issues, including, but not limited to, adult content, religious and philosophically sensitive issues, alcohol, tobacco, weapons and other potentially offensive products.
7. Quality Associate Additional Details
- Vendor Management: Manage the outsourcing vendor to fulfill the KPIs of scanning data and listing merchants on the BAEMIN platform.
- Performance Monitoring: Monitor daily execution and improve team performance.
- Cross-team Communication: Effectively communicate with other teams to ensure smooth operations.
- Listing Reporting: Perform reports on merchant listings.
- Quality Scorecard Development: Build a merchant quality scorecard and processes, and directly execute evaluation sessions.
- Data Analysis: Perform data analysis on merchant quality metrics.
- Quality Improvement: Initiate and execute ideas to enhance merchant quality nationwide.
8. Quality Associate Key Accountabilities
- Quality Inspection: Perform inspections against established specifications using specialized instruments and process knowledge.
- Documentation Accuracy: Complete related documentation, paperwork and data entry.
- Quality Reporting: Collect and provide reports and data to management regarding quality issues.
- Problem Solving: Generate ideas and solutions.
- Goal Achievement: Meet established individual and group goals.
- Process Improvement: Maintain current procedures and identify, recommend and assist in implementing process improvements and new procedures.
- Training Management: Manage, assign and maintain department-wide training and training records.