FPQA Lead

Hy-Vee•Ankeny, IA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Food Protection/Quality Assurance (FPQA) Lead facilitates the daily management of the food safety and quality program. This role provides guidance and troubleshooting on food protection, quality, and regulatory compliance matters to ensure the facility exceeds regulatory requirements and Hy-Vee standards. The FPQA Lead is accountable and reports to the Production Manager and supervises FPQA Technicians.

Requirements

Excellent organizational, time management, and communication skills
Expertise in and ability to pick up on new technologies
Grace under pressure
Ability to solve problems and identify misunderstandings
Knowledge of current OSHA guidelines and other safety regulations
Ability to use logical or scientific thinking to solve problems and with several abstract and concrete variables.
Understand automation and utilize software to troubleshoot control issues
3-5 years of food production experience preferred
5+ years of experience in Food Safety and/or Quality Assurance preferred
Education in science field (food science, biology, microbiology, etc.) or equivalent experience
Understanding of federal and state food safety regulations, particularly FDA and USDA
Must have experience with HACCP and/or Preventive Control programs
Experience with SQF or other GFSI programs a plus
Responsible for instruction, assigning work, reviewing work, planning work for others, maintaining standards, coordinating activities, allocating personnel, and acting on employee problems.
Manage department workload to manpower and resources to effectively balance department costs and overtime with Commissary needs and improvements.
Recommend employee disciplinary action as appropriate - Works closely with Human Resources.
Must be physically able to exert up to 50 pounds of force occasionally; exert up to 20 pounds of force frequently; and exert up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
Must be able to be on feet (standing and walking) for 8-12 hours a day.
Visual requirements include vision from less than 20 inches to more than 20 feet with or without correction, depth perception, color vision, and field of vision.
Must be able to perform the following physical activities: Climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, reaching, standing, walking, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
Must be able to work long hours at times under extreme temperatures.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SQF or other GFSI programs a plus

Responsibilities

Manage facility production floor food safety and quality operations on a daily basis to ensure compliance with company policies and procedures, local, state, and federal regulations, and customer requirements.
Conduct investigations into incidents, recalls, regulatory non-compliances, and quality issues, and document findings.
Coordinate and assist with food protection and quality training programs to ensure employees are current with regulatory requirements and procedures.
Oversee scheduling of the FPQA department employees and verify all daily tasks assigned.
Monitor overtime for employees and adjust as needed.
Oversee daily production paperwork and ensure it is complete prior to filing.
Verify all CCPs and regulatory requirements are met.
Review daily sampling of production runs, ensuring proper containers, lids, dating, and product are used.
Conduct counseling and reviews of staff as needed.
Assist with tours of the facility for inspections from various regulatory agencies.
Follow-up with deviations discovered during inspections.
Assist with developing, evaluating, and continuous improvement related to all aspects of Food Safety and Quality, including prerequisite programs, SOPs, and regulatory documents (HACCP and Food Safety Plans), to ensure effective implementation and maintenance of documentation at the facility.
Ensure compliance to plant policies and Federal and State regulations including Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and SQF standards.