Quality Assurance Specialist I

Lactalis LAG•Buffalo, NY

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Ready for more than just a job? Build a career with purpose. At Lactalis in the USA, we’re committed to providing meaningful opportunities for our people to learn, grow, and thrive—whether you’re just starting your journey with us or looking to take the next step in your career. From day one, we offer the tools and support to help you succeed. As the world leader in dairy, Lactalis is a family-owned company with over 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals across the globe. Each day, we’re proud to produce award-winning dairy products that bring people together. In the US, we proudly offer an unrivaled house of beloved brands, including Galbani® Italian cheeses and ricotta, Président® specialty cheeses and butters, Kraft® natural and grated cheeses, Breakstone’s® cottage cheese, Cracker Barrel®, Black Diamond® cheddar, and Parmalat® milk. Our yogurt portfolio includes siggi’s®, Stonyfield Organic®, Brown Cow™, Oui®, Yoplait®, Go-Gurt®, :ratio®, Green Mountain Creamery®, and Mountain High®, along with a growing family of ethnic favorites like Karoun®, Gopi®, and Arz®. At Lactalis, we live by our core values—Ambition, Engagement, and Simplicity. We foster a workplace where innovation thrives, diverse perspectives are celebrated, and everyone’s unique background and ideas are valued. Even if you don’t meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply. We want to hear about your PASSION, your STORY, and how your EXPERTISE can help us shape the future of dairy. From your PASSION to ours: Lactalis USA, part of the Lactalis family of companies, is currently hiring a Quality Assurance Specialist I based in Buffalo, New York.

Requirements

High School Diploma is required.
0-2 years (entry level).
Able to lift up to 50 pounds (consistently).
Proficiency in MS Access, Outlook, Excel and Word are necessary.
Strong communication skills, as well as the ability to work independently.
Sense of responsibility and willingness to go above and beyond.
Good time management and prioritization required.
Ability and willingness to work collaboratively when required.
Ability to learn and become proficient in software platforms is essential to the execution of job tasks.

Nice To Haves

Previous plant or quality experience a plus but not required.

Responsibilities

Will be responsible for the Environmental Monitoring Program.
Sampling & Swabbing Program to support the Environmental Monitoring Program, this includes Finished Product Sampling, Swabbing, and Environmental Sampling.
Manages shipments of samples and manages reported results.
Responsible for the Air Monitoring and Water Sampling Programs, including sample collection and preparation, result interpretation and reporting, and facilitation of corrective action as appropriate.
Understand Raw to Pasteurized Product Flow, High to Low-Risk Zones and Air Flow monitoring, as well as the importance of preventing cross contamination of samples.
Collect/prepare samples for management review and sensory evaluation.
Will need to be trained and participate in the Plant Sensory Jury, this includes consuming dairy products.
Provide management with appropriate information related to quality and food safety, this includes being able to deliver data and observations, then communicating issues pertaining to non-conforming products, such as out-of-spec analytics and microbiological results.
Executes quality assurance programs to prevent or eliminate defects in new or existing products.
Be able to understand 1 NYCRR PART 2 OF THE AGRICULTURE & MARKETS LAW, this will include monthly sampling and 90-day sanitation audits.
Support the Quality Systems Manager in implementing the requirements laid out by FSSC 22000 and ISO 9001, to include but not limited to Good Manufacturing Practice Audits, Glass & Hard Plastic Audits and Metal Detector Audits.
Establish, implement, and continually improve quality / food safety programs including GMP / Hygiene, HACCP, Allergen Control, Hold & Release, Cleaning & Sanitation, CAPA, Pest Management, Traceability & Recall, Customer Feedback, GFSI Standard, Organic & other System Certifications etc.
Computer skills relating to ERP system, being able to release products based on established release criteria, as well as creating and dispositioning holds.
Behave in a professional manner that always represents the Company in the highest ethical standard.
Provide support to lab staff as needed, and deploy investigations as appropriately assigned or requested.
Obtain NYS licenses for Milk Receiving & Antibiotic Testing, HTST/Pasteurization and testing requirements.