FSQA manager

About the role

The Quality Assurance (QA) Manager has the primary responsibility of managing and continuously improving the plant’s food safety and quality systems to ensure compliance with all corporate requirements to produce safe, quality, and wholesome pet food products.

Responsibilities

• Drive the corporate Food Safety and Quality Objectives outlined in the company’s Management Policy.
• Manage the food safety, food defense and quality systems to meet the requirements of the SQF Food Safety Code for Manufacturing.
• Use statistical process control (SPC) and/or other quality tools to reduce process variation and drive root cause analysis of non-conformities.
• Manage the Food Safety Plan to ensure compliance with FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) requirements.
• Assist and oversee work of QA Supervisor, QA Laboratory Technicians and Sanitation Supervisor.
• Assure SSOPs and food safety/quality policies, procedures and schedules are implemented, understood, routinely assessed, improved upon, and well maintained.
• Coordinate direct process control, product evaluation/inspection and analytical testing & activities.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret relevant data.
• Coordinate external and internal food safety/quality audits and inspections for the facility.
• Lead cross-functional teams in the investigations of customer/consumer complaints and write or review corrective action reports (CARs).
• Identify, investigate failures, “not in specification” incidents, nonconformance’s, unusual occurrences and collaborate with cross-functional teams to take appropriate corrective/preventive actions.
• Review trends in quality complaints.
• Manage QA Hold Program and inventory.
• Actively contribute to the achievement of plant KPIs (Key Performance Indicators).
• Maintain and report all site-specific food safety/quality KPI’s.
• Travel to other Alphia locations, suppliers, or customers, as needed.
• Identify relevant food safety and quality-related training needs, develop/implement employee training program.
• Function as a technical resource for operations team and other departments regarding product food safety and quality.
• Train, mentor and coach food safety, quality, and sanitation personnel to foster the team spirit.
• Coordinate maintenance and calibration of laboratory equipment.
• Develops and is accountable for site Food Safety and Quality budget.
• Manage organic and export programs for the plant.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in a Food Science, Microbiology, or science discipline and at least 3 years’ experience in the food industry; OR an associate degree in sciences, bachelor’s degree in a non-science discipline and at least 5 years’ experience in the food industry; Or at least 10 years’ experience in the food industry.
• Experience in auditing, inspections, and quality assurance.
• Technical knowledge of food safety and quality systems.
• Good problem solving and corrective action/resolution skills.
• Strong organizational, leadership and communication skills.
• Ability to work well as a member of a cross-functional team.
• Strong computer skills with experience using Microsoft Office Suite.

Skills

• Laboratory Instruments: Able to operate all applicable laboratory instrumentation.
• Perform routine calibration checks and basic equipment maintenance of the laboratory instruments.
• Track NIR accuracy through outside/inside laboratory analytical results, calculate and communicate off-line adjustments to QA Technicians when needed.
• Coordinate NIR calibration bias adjustments or calibration expansion when needed.
• Troubleshoot laboratory equipment malfunctions.
• Identify suppliers and ensure materials purchased meet requirements for the intended use at the best price.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function.

• Regularly required to talk or hear, walk, and move from place to place.
• Occasionally required to sit, use foot/feet to operate machine, stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl or reach above shoulders.
• Frequently required to stand and use hands to finger, handle, or touch.
• Must be able to climb stairs and ladders and walk the plant floors that could exceed one mile of travel, per day.
• Must exert 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and / or up to 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and / or greater than negligible up to ten pounds of force constantly.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• May be frequently exposed to allergens and/or airborne particles in the production area.
• Production employees are exposed to temperatures ranging from 50 to 115 degrees, depending on the season and workstation, and may be working near moving mechanical parts.
• Occasional exposure to outdoor weather conditions may occur.
• The noise level in the work environment may be loud while production equipment is running.
• Food Safety and Good Manufacturing Practices, including appropriate safety equipment apply.
• Personal Protection Equipment (including, but not limited to, boots, gloves, safety glasses, and/or face shields) is required during various processes in the production area.
• Ear plugs and bump caps are always required in the production area.