Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager

Grecian Delight | Kronos•Elk Grove Village, IL

26d•Onsite

About The Position

Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods (“GDK”) stands at the forefront as a premier provider of authentic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine. Our portfolio, featuring gyros, specialty meats, pitas, flatbreads, tzatziki, hummus, spreads, falafel, ready-to-eat and plant-based proteins, along with value-added bakery products, reflects our commitment to quality and authenticity. Serving over 400 foodservice distributors, 30,000 independent and national chain restaurants, and marking our presence in the top 40 U.S. retailers, we continue to enrich dining experiences with the flavors of the Mediterranean. Our Vision: Continue to be the leader in Greek, Mediterranean and inspired world cuisine. We strive to have every table or menu in the world serving up our delicious flavors. Our Mission: To be top of mind with our customers as the preferred and trusted company of choice, by delivering mutual value, and acting with a sense of urgency. Our Guiding Principles: Customer Centricity: Put the customer at the heart of the business, Ownership and Empathy: Act like owners, think like customers, Conscious leadership: Leading with awareness, kindness, and courage, Competitive Spirit: Playing to win. As members of the GDK family, we seek individuals who resonate with our vision, mission, and guiding principles. Your alignment with these core values enables us to maintain our legacy of excellence and innovation. We encourage you to embrace our commitment to customer satisfaction, ownership, leadership, and competitive spirit. Together, we will continue to bring the rich flavors of the Mediterranean to the world, fostering a culture of respect, growth, and shared success. Grecian Delight | Kronos Foods Crop is seeking a seasoned Quality Assurance Manager for our Elk Grove Village, IL facility. This position is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and enforcement of Quality Systems and Food Safety fundamentals. The incumbent will also oversee and enforce FDA and USDA Regulatory Requirements which includes HACCP/HARPC, GMP, and SSOPs

Requirements

B.S. degree in Food Science, Microbiology/Biology, Chemistry, Public Health Studies or technical discipline.
5+ years related experience in a food manufacturing environment or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3+ years leadership experience.
Food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements including HACCP, GMP, SSOP, USDA, FDA and SQF.
Problem solving: Identifies and resolves issues in a timely manner and gathers and analyzes information skillfully; makes recommendations and follows through to completion.
Strong written and oral communication.
Planning/organization: Prioritizes and plans work activities, uses time efficiently and develops realistic action plans; displays common sense.

Nice To Haves

SQF Practitioner Certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for over-seeing Quality Assurance programs & systems for all manufacturing areas which may include meat, bakery, sauce, hummus, and falafel.
Leadership responsibilities including staffing, training, and scheduling quality team.
Lead all activities for HACCP/Food Safety Team that develops, implements, and verifies HACCP/Food Safety plans that comply with all USDA/FSIS, FDA, & Customer Requirements.
Manage and verify HACCP programs and all supporting pre-requisite programs such as GMPs, USDA-SSOPs, Allergen Control, Foreign Material, Receiving and Shipping Inspection, Food Safety and Quality Training, Sanitation etc. on a minimum annual basis or as necessary based equipment or process changes.
Oversee, develop, and maintain environmental testing program that comply with USDA/FSIS and Customer requirements and aggressively promote food safety.
Communicate quality metrics and inspection results in the form of a KPI report to Corporate QA, plant management team, key personnel, contractors, customers, and other company leadership as required.
Develop and maintain quality management SOPs policies, and in-process product quality evaluations and related systems (HACCP, SSOP, GMP, etc.) to assure product quality that meets customer expectations.
Responsible for expense management and control (Landlord), including labor, service, supplies to accurately display the “Cost of Quality” utilizing Continuous Improvement techniques.
Provide plant leadership for all local, state, customer, third party, and federal audits and inspections, including the preparation and maintenance of SQF Quality and Food Safety programs.
Conduct internal and external audits including vendors and storage facilities on a frequency necessary to maintain food safe conditions and product quality expectations.
Investigate and address Customer complaints; develop action plan to mitigate future issues and track issues.
Conduct root cause analyses and implement corrective actions on internal process failures and complaints utilizing KPI data and other effective investigation strategies. Ensure accurate documentation and report all food safety/quality issues.
Lead/participate in projects or activities that modify or improve quality, food safety, efficiency, and regulatory compliance.
Implement/Maintain Process Verification System to ensure optimum level of QA involvement in plant operations; Develop SOPs to assist Production with efficiencies and optimize processes.
Manage USDA Export process to compliance with all Customs and regulations.
Develop and implement procedures to test raw materials, work in progress, and finished product.
Collaborates cross-functionally with Sales, Purchasing, Customer Service, Operations and R&D Departments in the areas of quality program management, commissioning projects, inspection coordination and auditing/testing requirements.
Works closely with Engineering, Maintenance Team and Plant Management to improve efficiencies and collaborates to identify, research, and resolve automation and equipment issues including sanitary design principles.