Quality Lead

Russell Stover•Abilene, KS

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Quality Lead works directly with the Quality Assurance team and FSQA Supervisor to help ensure that only high-quality, food-safe products are shipped to consumers. The role leads and supports the QA team, conducts and verifies quality and food-safety activities, resolves issues, investigates root causes, trains team members, and maintains required documentation. The Quality Lead learns the duties of all QA team members and provides backup coverage during breaks and absences. The role oversees daily food-safety and quality programs, inventory and hold management, traceability, QA paperwork, lab ingredient batching records, audit preparation, corrective and preventive actions, and floor implementation of food-safety programs. It provides guidance to plant teams on FSQA procedures and sanitation SSOPs, supports production while maintaining compliance, and contributes to continuous improvement of the plant’s food-safety culture. The position reports to the FSQA Supervisor and escalates concerns to the Food Safety Coordinator or specialist when the supervisor is absent, unless otherwise directed.

Requirements

Must be at least 18 years of age.
High school diploma or GED.
Fluent English communication skills, including speaking, reading, and writing, with or without accommodation.
Two or more years of experience in a plant performing quality and/or food-safety tasks.
Experience using the MS Office Suite.
Ability to routinely and frequently stand, stoop, bend, and lift overhead.
Ability to differentiate between colors and shifts in colors.

Nice To Haves

HACCP and PCQI certifications.
Sanitation experience.
SAP/CRM experience.
Results-driven approach and good interpersonal skills.
Strong conflict-resolution and problem-solving skills to help foster plantwide ownership of proactive FSQA processes.

Responsibilities

Ensure the QA department team performs and verifies food-safety, sanitation, and quality programs in accordance with the plant food-safety plan, prerequisite programs, SSOPs, SOPs, and training.
Lead the QA team and provide backup coverage for hourly QA team members during breaks or absences.
Conduct floor support and prepare for audits, including supporting the plant during audits.
Monitor ingredient and consumable inventory shortages so they do not prevent the plant from meeting customer demand within FSQA requirements.
Oversee food-safety and quality programs, including traceability management and mock recalls.
Manage daily QA paperwork and ensure the department and plant have the correct forms to meet FSQA requirements.
Maintain QA setup and the weights master log to reflect the current product mix and process capabilities.
Manage lab ingredient inventory and the batching process; review traceability paperwork and manage SAP minor usage to support production schedules.
Manage expired and obsolete products in coordination with other plant departments, meeting FSQA requirements while minimizing effects on schedule, compliance, and OEE.
Implement CCPs, PRPs, and CAPAs on the production floor.
Participate in floor-based root-cause analysis and development of preventive measures.
Train new QA team members, update training for current team members, and conduct annual QA team requalification.
Review daily PCQI audits, track documentation, and follow up on identified corrective and preventive actions.
Serve as a first point of contact for plant FSQA procedures and sanitation SSOP implementation on the floor, providing guidance to support training and direction from the FSC and/or FSQA Manager.
Manage the daily hold program, ensuring potentially affected product is segregated and identified and coordinating final disposition with other departments and proper documentation.
Manage department consumable inventory so required FSQA tasks can be completed within the FSQA Manager’s budget plan.
Follow Good Manufacturing Practices and FSQA training and programs, promptly report food-safety hazards, process deviations, or non-conformities, and contribute to continuous improvement of the company’s food-safety culture.
Perform other duties as assigned.