JOB PURPOSE:

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. This includes supervision of QA Supervisor, QA Laboratory Technicians and Sanitation Supervisor, as well as develop and implement inspection, sampling, testing, and monitoring programs to assure all the products manufactured by the plant meet customer specifications. The QA Manager serves as Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) and ensures that requirements of all applicable food safety rules/regulations and industry codes of practice are met, and plant management/personnel are kept informed of the latest of changes to relevant legislation, scientific and technical developments, emerging food safety issues, and relevant industry codes of practice. The QA Manager also serves as the SQF Practitioner.

DESCRIPTION OF ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Drive the corporate Food Safety and Quality Objectives outlined in the company’s Management Policy.
• Manage the food safety and quality systems (including current Good Manufacturing Practices, other prerequisite food safety programs and HACCP/Food Safety Plan) 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.
• Ensure regulatory requirements and standards such as NIST Handbook 133, labeling is met.
• 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.
• Assure that the environmental monitoring and sampling/microbiological testing of finished product programs are implemented, routinely assessed, improved upon, and well maintained, as directed by company policies.
• 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.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS:

• 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.
• 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.