What are the responsibilities and job description for the Pet Food Supervisor position at Starkist Co.?
PURPOSE -
The Pet Food Supervisor directs assigned pet food production operations to safely achieve production, quality, yield, cost, and service targets. The position ensures that ingredients, packaging materials, processing activities, sanitation practices, and production records comply with approved specifications, the facility’s animal food safety plan, current Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), and applicable regulatory requirements.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES –
OPERATIONAL SUPERVISION
- Direct shift operations to achieve the daily production plan while meeting safety, quality, weight, yield, and efficiency requirements.
- Manage assigned personnel, including work assignments, scheduling, attendance, training, performance coaching, and workplace safety.
- Monitor material and product inventories and communicate availability or shortages to the appropriate departments.
- Coordinate preventive and corrective maintenance with the Engineering Department to minimize downtime and prevent product contamination or quality defects.
- Monitor raw materials, packaging, work-in-process, and finished-product inventory and communicate availability or shortages to the appropriate departments.
ANIMAL FOOD SAFETY & QUALITY
- Ensure production activities follow approved formulas, product specifications, sanitation procedures, GMPs, and the facility’s animal food safety plan.
- Monitor required process controls and address deviations that may affect product safety, quality, legality, or compliance.
- Support deviation investigations, corrective actions, product sampling, mock recalls, audits, and regulatory inspections as assigned.
- Verify line clearance, sanitation, and production-line readiness before startup and following product changeovers.
COMPLIANCE & REPORTING
- Prepare accurate shift and daily reports on production performance, staffing, downtime, safety, and goal achievement.
- Lead shift meetings covering employee safety, food safety, quality expectations, equipment status, staffing, and production targets.
- Ensure production, quality, sanitation, safety, training, traceability, and inventory records are accurate, complete, and submitted on time.
- Immediately escalate food safety concerns, process deviations, nonconforming products, equipment failures, injuries, and unsafe conditions.
- Ensure assigned operations comply with applicable Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), American Samoa Government, environmental, and workplace safety requirements.
- Perform other duties and special projects consistent with the position’s responsibilities.
KNOWLEDGE/EXPERIENCE/COMPETENCIES -
- Bachelor’s degree in food science, animal science, engineering, manufacturing, operations management, or a related field preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Three to five years of progressively responsible experience in pet food, animal feed, seafood, protein processing, or another regulated food-manufacturing environment.
- At least two years of experience supervising production employees, including scheduling, training, performance management, and enforcement of safety and quality standards.
- Working knowledge of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), animal food Good Manufacturing Practices, sanitation, traceability, preventive controls, and applicable FDA requirements, including the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) and 21 CFR Part 507.
- Working knowledge of Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) model standards and applicable pet food regulatory requirements.
- Working knowledge of continuous improvement, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action methods.
- Experience monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), including output, yield, waste, downtime, inventory, labor utilization, and equipment performance.
- Ability to interpret production schedules, formulas, specifications, procedures, and food safety and quality records.
- Demonstrated leadership, employee coaching, problem-solving, decision-making, and cross-functional communication skills.
- Proficiency with production-reporting systems, inventory systems, Microsoft Excel, and other Microsoft Office applications.
If you have a disability and cannot apply online, please mail your resume and cover letter to:
StarKist Co.
1875 Explorer Street
10th Floor
Reston, VA 20190
ATTN: Human Resources
Please note: this option is for individuals with disabilities only.
StarKist Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We enthusiastically accept our responsibility to make employment decisions without regard to race, religious creed, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, marital status, registered domestic partner status, medical condition, disability, military service, pregnancy and related medical conditions, or any other classification protected by federal, state and local laws and ordinances. EOE/AA/Vet/Disability