Shearer's is a leading contract manufacturer and private label supplier in the snack industry in North America. Headquartered in Massillon, Ohio, Shearer's has 17 state-of-the-art, geographically diverse manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Texas, Arkansas, Arizona, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, Ontario and Alberta, Canada, including one of the industry's first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design platinum LEED certified facilities in Massillon, Ohio. The Company is known for producing the highest quality snacks in assorted flavors and sizes, including kettle cooked potato chips, traditional potato chips, tortilla chips, cheese curls and other extruded snacks, and corn chips, as well as cookies, crackers, and wafers.

Director, Food Safety Programs 

The Director of Food Safety Programs – Sanitation / Pest Control (IPM) will oversee, design, and lead the strategic implementation our food safety programs related sanitation and pest control. This position will partner with facility teams to evaluate and continuously improve Shearer’s Sanitation, Chemical, Sanitary Design, and IPM programs to ensure the highest standards of quality and safety across all aspects of our operations. The candidate will serve as a liaison between plants, third party contractors, and Quality & Food Safety leadership; implementing corporate policies and programs to ensure all company, customer and regulatory requirements are met. Results will be measured and trended to communicate compliance to Shearer’s standards of an audit-ready expectation.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in food safety regulations, compliance, sanitary design, microbiology, and program development. 

Your Seat at the Table:

Strategic Planning: Develop and implement strategic plans and objectives for sanitation and IPM programs in alignment with organizational goals and industry best practices across the manufacturing sites. Developing standard ways of working and delivering against key metrics. Develop and participate in prioritizing capital projects related to sanitary design initiatives, equipment purchases, and infrastructure projects.
Regulatory Compliance: Stay abreast of relevant food safety regulations, guidelines, and industry standards to ensure compliance at all levels of operations. Programs must comply to GFSI Food Safety standards.
Program Development: Design, implement, and continuously improve sanitation / IPM programs, policies, and procedures to mitigate risks and ensure the highest standards of safety and quality. In addition to meeting regulatory requirements, the programs must meet customer requirements. Be an active contributor in development of Environmental Monitoring programs and developing corrective / preventive actions as warranted.
Training and Education: Develop and deliver training programs to educate employees at all levels on food safety protocols, practices, and regulations.
Risk Assessment and Management: Conduct thorough risk assessments of all food-related processes, products, and facilities, and develop strategies to mitigate identified risks. Support 3^rd party audit preparation at the manufacturing sites.
Quality Assurance: Establish and maintain quality assurance systems to monitor and evaluate food safety performance, including regular audits, inspections, corrective actions, and preventive actions.
Collaboration: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including operations, procurement, quality, and maintenance and engineering, to integrate food safety considerations into all aspects of the business. Collaborate with key customers on audit compliance and continuous improvement projects. First line of contact with sanitation, chemical, and pest control suppliers / contractors to ensure compliance to contractual agreements.
Communication and Reporting: Communicate food safety objectives, initiatives, key performance metrics, and trends to Sr. Management, Site Leadership, and stakeholders, and prepare regular reports on program effectiveness and compliance.

Leader in Proactive Sanitation Management:

• Support and lead projects for hygienic design and environmental risks.
• Support the sanitary design risk assessments in major construction projects in the plant.
• Support initiatives to be more efficient in water usage, chemical usage, unplanned downtime, and labor.
• Collaborate with maintenance to develop and improve building and fabric conditions, equipment maintenance work, and reliability.
• Develop strategies for innovative cleaning solutions.

Sanitation Reliability:

• Collaborate with corporate and plant leaders to implement Change Management for procedures, chemicals, equipment, and infrastructure modifications.
• Support verification and validation programs for sanitation and IPM across all plants.

Role Contribution Level

This position is a director role. The position requires the incumbent to promote safe, diverse, and efficient operations and establish a positive work environment with people working together. The incumbent must effectively accomplish tasks through others and value managerial work; demonstrating an ability to develop cohesive teams by providing effective feedback, coaching, and motivation, including difficult messages.

What You Bring to the Table:

• Bachelor’s degree is preferred in a science-related field, e.g., food science, food engineering, microbiology, chemical engineering, or related field, advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in food safety management, sanitation, or quality management preferably in the food processing industry with demonstrated expertise in program development, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
• Certifications in PCQI, Sanitation, Pest Control, food safety are desirable.
• Leader of Change and Strategic Thinking.
• Strong understanding of food safety regulations (e.g., FSMA, FDA, USDA) and industry standards (e.g., GFSI, Hygiene). 
• Broad knowledge and experience in quality and food safety management gained at successive levels of responsibility in a plant atmosphere.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate and influence stakeholders at all levels in the organization. 
• Proven track record of managing complex projects and driving results in a fast-paced environment. 

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions: 

Physical Requirements

• Walk and stand for a prolonged period.
• Able to be mobile and able to get in and around equipment for inspections.
• Routinely lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

Working Conditions

The Director of Food Safety Programs – Sanitation / IPM will be interacting within a manufacturing environment, which may include exposure to:

• Travel to operations up to 75% of time
• High temperatures on equipment surfaces and in the environment.
• Cleaning chemicals, equipment, and the PPE to maintain safety during exposure.
• Fumes or airborne particles.
• Moving mechanical parts and vibration.
• Loud noise level.
• Food Allergens.
• Elevated heights.
• Confined Space.

We Offer a Feast of Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Flexible Spending Account, Retirement Savings Plan with Match, Short Term Disability, Long Term Disability, Group Critical Accident Insurance, Group Critical Illness Insurance, Employee Assistance Plan and numerous opportunities to volunteer in the communities in which we operate.

You will be considered for employment in our inclusive workplace

Because at Shearer’s, we are committed to providing equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

This is your invitation to apply now!

Note: Shearer’s does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to any recruiting alias or employee. Shearer’s is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

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