Food Safety Specialist

The Food Safety Specialist assists and works under the direction of the Food Safety Manager. This position is responsible for supporting training, record keeping and on-going implementation of the food safety program in all regions of operations in California including the Salinas Valley, Huron, Santa Maria, Oxnard, Coachella Valley, Imperial Valley, Yuma, AZ.

Travel to locations outside the Salinas area is required on an as-needed basis, typically for up to one week at a time.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Primary Responsibilities

• Help support the goals and objectives of Ocean Mist Farms’ food safety program;
  • Implement policies and programs that provide guidance and education on food safety and food defense
  • Conduct prepared food safety training sessions as needed
• Enforce policies related to food safety and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) through auditing;
  • Adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) as minimum standards for facilities
  • Adhere to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and Leafy Greens standards (LGMA) as minimum standards for agricultural fields
  • Conduct monthly and weekly GMP inspections
  • Conduct risk assessments for ranches and harvest crews
• Coordinate and oversee GMP and GAP third-party audits;
  • Prepare growers and facility for food safety and organic inspections
  • Conduct mock recalls
• Performs the PCQI review and sign-off process
• Address customer/ consumer inquiries and handle food safety related complaints
• Investigate company incident reports;
  • Assist in troubleshooting food safety problems and implementing improvements.
• Coordinate and collect environmental swabs for harvest machines, and the Cold Rooms. Value Added processing as needed;
  • Accurately document the chain of custody sampling forms
  • Communicate results to the appropriate team member or grower in a timely manner
  • Help evaluate new testing equipment
• Verify the proper function, calibration, and accuracy of food safety monitoring equipment such as thermometers, PH meters, metal detectors, and ATP luminometer

Job Requirements and Qualifications

• Experience in food science or biological/physical sciences is required
• Minimum 2-3 years of experience in food safety, quality assurance, or regulatory compliance in the produce or food manufacturing industry preferred
• PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual) certification highly desired
• PSR (Produce Safety Training) preferred
• Knowledge of GMP’s, GAP, HACCP, LGMA and USDA/FDA guidelines as they relate to our operations
• Familiarity with product trace-back/recall policies and procedures are preferred
• Good math, written and verbal communication skills is required
• Working knowledge of computers & software as utilized in the Food Safety environment: Windows operating system, Word, Excel
• Candidates must be well organized and comfortable working independently
• Bilingual English-Spanish preferred, not required
• Valid California Driver’s License, Class C, be insurable and ability to operate a company vehicle is required
• Ability to travel and work in the field/office environments as needed
• High school diploma