QA/QC Manager-AS

Westward Seafoods Inc.•, AK

About The Position

The QA/QC Manager manages the facility’s Quality Assurance and Quality Control Department and ensures seafood products meet company, customer, regulatory, and food safety requirements. The role leads QC supervisors and staff and manages department training, product quality programs, HACCP, sanitation verification, traceability, regulatory compliance, audits, customer specifications, documentation, corrective actions, laboratory operations, and product claims. Reporting directly to the Corporate QA Director, the manager is responsible for day-to-day management and implementation of facility QA/QC programs. The role independently oversees facility QA/QC operations, maintains effective food safety and quality systems, supports department personnel, and ensures compliance with applicable regulatory, customer, certification, and company requirements. The manager collaborates with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Safety, Human Resources, and other departments while retaining the authority needed to protect food safety, product quality, and regulatory compliance. Significant food safety, regulatory, product quality, audit, and customer issues must be promptly escalated to the Corporate QA Director. The position includes authority to identify and place potentially affected product on hold, maintain records of investigations and release decisions, and recommend or initiate a production pause or stop when an uncontrolled food safety hazard or significant regulatory concern exists. The manager also oversees facility food defense, food fraud, security, and safety programs, and assists with QA/QC budget administration and department resources.

Requirements

Recognized Seafood HACCP training is required; HACCP certification is required within 180 days of hire.
Experience with sampling, inspections, data management, regulatory compliance, and corrective actions.
Experience working with HACCP and food safety programs.
BRCGS Food Safety experience.
Strong leadership and supervisory skills, including the ability to train, coach, and hold employees accountable.
Knowledge of food safety, seafood quality, HACCP, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.
Understanding of routine laboratory procedures, testing equipment, and sampling protocols.
Ability to investigate problems, conduct and document root cause investigations, and develop appropriate corrective actions that address systemic causes.
Ability to organize and maintain detailed records.
Proficiency with spreadsheets, word processing, data collection, and report preparation.
Clear communication with employees, supervisors, managers, regulatory agencies, vendors, laboratories, and customers, including communicating technical and operational issues to varied audiences.
Ability to work effectively with Production and other departments in a fast-paced processing environment and multicultural workplace.
Sound judgment and ability to make timely decisions involving food safety and product quality.
Ability to speak, read, write, and understand English sufficiently to perform the essential duties.
Dependable and regular attendance.
Ability to interpret regulatory requirements, customer specifications, certification standards, and company procedures and translate them into practical facility controls.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Fisheries, or a related field is preferred; relevant food or seafood processing QA/QC experience may substitute for some educational requirements.
Previous supervisory or management experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, food safety, seafood processing, or food manufacturing is strongly preferred.
Experience with seafood processing and product quality requirements is preferred.
Experience participating in regulatory, certification, or customer audits is preferred.
Experience with FDA, USDC, and ADEC inspections, environmental monitoring, microbiological testing, and third-party audits is preferred.
Experience with MSC Chain of Custody, Kosher, Halal, Certified Seafood International (CSI), or other applicable certification programs is preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead, train, coach, supervise, schedule, and evaluate QC supervisors and staff; ensure appropriate staffing, coverage, training, accountability, and succession development.
Coordinate hiring, layoffs, disciplinary actions, performance management, and terminations in accordance with company policy and Human Resources requirements.
Manage facility compliance with applicable state, federal, international, customer, certification, and company food safety and quality requirements.
Implement and maintain HACCP and BRCGS Food Safety programs, including plans, monitoring, verification, records, reporting, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.
Maintain required regulatory contacts, records, correspondence, permits, and documentation; support compliance with FDA, USDC, ADEC, MSC, and other applicable requirements.
Coordinate prerequisite programs and preventive food-safety controls, including allergen, foreign material, chemical, and site-specific controls.
Identify, document, and place potentially affected product on hold when requirements may not have been met; escalate significant hazards and nonconformances, and recommend or initiate production pauses or stops when warranted.
Oversee product inspections and monitoring throughout production; ensure finished products meet company and customer specifications.
Review customer specifications and communicate requirements to Production and other departments; resolve product quality issues with production personnel.
Monitor product sampling, testing, grading, specifications, and other QC activities; identify nonconformances and initiate and verify corrective actions.
Review QC reports and production quality data, identify trends, and recommend process, procedure, training, and control improvements.
Verify product labeling, packaging, identification, lot coding, production dates, and other markings against applicable requirements.
Oversee laboratory operations, approved testing procedures, sampling protocols, equipment calibration and maintenance, outside laboratory testing, chain-of-custody documentation, and laboratory records.
Coordinate and participate in regulatory, certification, customer, and internal audits and inspections; prepare responses, manage corrective action plans, follow up on deadlines, and maintain audit records.
Conduct or coordinate root cause analysis, determine immediate corrective actions, and verify effectiveness before closing significant findings.
Investigate customer complaints and product claims, including evidence collection and review, root cause analysis, corrective actions, written responses, Corrective Action Reports, and effectiveness tracking in coordination with the Corporate QA Director.
Manage product and ingredient traceability, maintain accurate records, and coordinate traceability exercises and mock recalls.
Maintain QA/QC plans, SOPs, reports, specifications, archives, customer documentation, and document control; ensure records are complete, accurate, legible, and retained appropriately.
Immediately notify the Corporate QA Director of situations that could require a recall, market withdrawal, regulatory notification, or customer notification.
Support sanitation and food safety programs; coordinate with other departments, identify relevant conditions, investigate concerns, and support continuous improvement.
Maintain the facility food defense program, food-security controls, food fraud vulnerability assessment, mitigation measures, and associated training and documentation; report and participate in investigations of suspected tampering, intentional contamination, and security breaches.
Maintain safe workplace expectations within the QA/QC Department, ensure PPE and safety policies are followed, identify and report hazards, and ensure required employee safety training.
Assist with the annual QA/QC budget, control purchases and expenditures, ensure supplies and resources are available, and coordinate equipment maintenance, calibration, repair, or replacement.
Provide reports and department updates to the Corporate QA Director and facility management, monitor significant department expenditures, and perform other duties as assigned.