QA Manager

Dairy Farmers of America•Englewood, CO

39d•$100,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Meadow Gold Dairy has a job opening for a QA Manager. The QA Manager will manage and lead a quality department and ensure effective quality execution, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance. In conjunction with plant operations, maintain an effective culture of food safety and quality within the facility. Develop and/or maintain processes that ensure finished product is food safe and meets finished product specifications. Function as a highly organized and effective communicator with the ability to investigate and lead solution-based decision making in the plant. Meadow Gold Dairy is a farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a dairy marketing cooperative owned by more than 12,500 family farmers.Our mark matters and it represents the wholesomeness of dairy that we share with our communities and loved ones. DFA manufactures a variety of dairy products, including cheese, butter, fluid milk, ice cream, dairy ingredients and more, under well-known and established regional brands. Our fingerprints touch thousands of brands across the marketplace, and we're passionate about delivering the simple pleasures of dairy to people everywhere, straight from our family farm-owners. At Meadow Gold,we create fluid milk products and are proud to provide families with fresh, delicious dairy. By joining DFA, you can help us continue to make a difference that matters. We care deeply about the well-being of our neighbors and friends, and we celebrate the diversity of our company and our world. It takes an incredible team to deliver the goodness of dairy and enrich our communities - come join us!

Requirements

Undergraduate degree in food science, biological sciences, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
5 to 8 years of quality assurance or related experience in a food, beverage, or similar facility
Demonstrated leadership attributes, team leadership, or supervisory experience; 1+ year of manager experience preferred
Strong knowledge of both laboratory and plant current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs)
Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and company computer systems
Knowledge of principles and practices of supervision, training, and personnel management
Skill in leadership and coaching
Critical thinking, analysis, mathematical calculations, and statistical evaluations
Able to organize and prioritize resources to achieve goals
Able to multi-task; able to keep organized records; able to work with accuracy and attention to detail
Able to translate accounting, financial, and KPI data into plant performance and determine steps to correct and improve
Able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, for a diverse range of internal and external audiences
Able to work in collaboration effectively and foster good teamwork
Able to take appropriate steps to find solutions to complex problems
Able to present options and ideas to current processes or procedures
Able to handle challenging or conflict situations with tact and professionalism
Able to respond courteously and efficiently to inquiries, complaints, and requests
Able to interpret and apply company policies
Able to adapt and manage to change effectively
Must be able to read, write and speak English

Nice To Haves

Certification and/or License - PCQI, HACCP, SQF Practitioner certifications preferred; may be required during course of employment

Responsibilities

Ensure daily plant quality and food safety operations are compliant with DFA policies and procedures and local, state, and federal regulations
Maintain audit readiness
Maintain a robust food safety program and subsequent quality program
Escalate non-conformance events to the quality director and plant manager
Oversee plant sanitation to drive a robust sanitation program
Ensure the plant pest control programs are current, followed, and utilized to enable proactive maintenance
Manage the facility's change control program to enable robust risk assessment and decisions
Ensure compliance to specification, manufacturing instructions, and preventive maintenance programs. Partner with operations to ensure preventive maintenance program is robust and adhered to
Collaboratively lead investigations relating to non-conforming events driving to root cause(s) and effective resolution
Manage hold and release programs
Review records daily to ensure all records are completed as required and review/approval is current for preventive controls, laboratory, sanitation, production, and verification checks
Track and report on plant quality key performance indicators (KPIs)
Participate in the annual plant budgeting process
Partner with the plant manager on identifying key capital projects that support food safety and quality initiatives
Provide training to the plant personnel concerning food safety, Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and regulatory compliance
Provide quality leadership during unplanned events or emergencies
Provide visible leadership by participating in facility walk throughs and internal audits
Engage and interact with all personnel on a regular basis assisting them with their challenges and questions concerning food safety
Collaborate with R&D during new/reformulated product introduction to ensure compliance with already established specifications and regulatory requirements
Serve as the point of contact for customer related issues, complaints, or inquires
Manage plant complaint investigations ensuring a thorough, effective, timely and customer facing response
Monitor compliance to customer expectation and specifications; communicate any issues/concerns
Maintain plant preparedness for customer and regulatory visits
Manage all analytical and micro activities performed at the facility
Oversee the development of laboratory practices to ensure accurate and precise quality control (QC) results
Perform data analysis to identify critical trends or find leading indicators to enable proactive decisions
Coordinate the collection and evaluation of raw materials and finished products
Ensure the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) is robust, and risk based with a search and destroy mentality applied. Determine root cause of failures and take the appropriate corrective action
Escalate nonconformances to quality director and plant manager in a timely fashion
Coordinate and supervise factory and external lab testing of samples; generate Certificate of Analysis (COA's)
Maintain the quality management system and ensure documents are up to date and comply to the food safety and quality (FSQ) policies and standards
Prepare plant specific work instructions as needed
Ensure SSOP documents are robust and adhere to the sanitation standard
Ensure all forms and work instructions are reviewed, revised, and updated annually
Perform management activities such as administering employee promotions and transfers; conducting ongoing performance conversations; mentoring, training, and coaching employees
Follow all DFA good manufacturing practices (GMP) and work in a manner consistent with all corporate regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements.
The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required.Other duties may be assigned as required.