Quality Assurance Technician

Company Overview:
 Oakhouse Bakery is committed to producing high-quality, safe, and delicious products that our customers love. As we continue to grow, we are looking for dedicated team members who share our passion for excellence. We take pride in maintaining rigorous food safety and quality standards to ensure that every product we create meets the highest levels of consumer trust. 

General Function:
 The Quality Assurance Technician plays a vital role in maintaining the safety, quality, and consistency of the products created at Oakhouse Bakery.  The QA tech is responsible for conducting various tests and inspections on raw materials, in-process product, and finished goods to ensure compliance with established food safety, quality, and regulatory standards.  The QA lab tech works closely with mixing, packaging, and warehouse teams to support operations and to identify and address any quality or food safety issues, ensuring resolution and contributing to the overall success of the bakery’s operations.  

Reports to: Regulatory Compliance Coordinator

Positions Supervised: None

Key Responsibilities:

• Promote Safety First: Promote a culture of safety throughout the facility, ensuring all activities prioritize employee well-being.
• Policy Adherence: Strictly follow and reinforce Oakhouse Bakery's food safety, quality, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) policies.
• Cross-Departmental Support: Collaborate with production, warehouse, and maintenance teams on quality and food safety matters.
• Laboratory Analyses: Perform routine laboratory tests on raw materials, in-process products, and finished goods to ensure compliance with food safety, quality, and regulatory standards.
• Program Maintenance: Support the maintenance and adherence to Oakhouse Bakery’s food safety, regulatory, Gluten-Free, Organic, and Non-GMO programs, under the guidance of FSQA leadership.
• Inspections: Conduct routine GMP and food safety inspections, identifying non-conformance events and opportunities for improvement.
• Label Management: Print and verify product labels to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Chemical Monitoring: Check and maintain sanitation chemical titrations to meet safety standards.
• Equipment Calibration: Calibrate lab equipment and record results accurately to ensure consistent product quality.
• Process Checks: Perform in-line process checks and verifications, including setting up and adjusting metal detectors, weight checks, and x-rays.
• Sanitation Validation: Conduct sanitation swab validations as needed to verify cleanliness and safety.
• Ingredient Verification: Verify ingredients are staged properly to ensure they meet quality and food safety standards.
• Additional Duties: Perform other duties as assigned to support the overall success of the team.

Qualifications:

• Education:        Highschool diploma or equivalent is required; college degree in biology, microbiology, chemistry, food science, or a related discipline is strongly desired. 
• Experience: Prior experience in food manufacturing is desired, with a strong preference for candidates with experience in quality assurance and food safety.
• Communication Skills: Effective communication skills are essential, with bilingual Spanish/English abilities strongly desired.
• Work Ethic:        Must have a strong work ethic and ability to self-supervise and motivate.
• Teamwork: Ability to work independently and collaboratively as part of a team, with a strong sense of responsibility and attention to detail.

Standards of Performance:

• Safety: Consistently work safely and promote a safety-first environment.
• GMP and Policy Enforcement: Adhere to and enforce all GMPs and food safety policies with integrity.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure strict adherence to all Oakhouse Bakery quality and food safety standards.

Authority:

• Process Control: Empowered to stop any process for safety, food safety, or quality reasons.
• Policy Enforcement: Responsible for enforcing all company policies and procedures and reporting any safety, food safety, or quality issues to the FSQA Manager.