Quality Manager

Saputo Inc.•Tulare, CA

33d•$89,695 - $119,595•Onsite

About The Position

Responsible for the overall performance of the Quality Assurance operations while focusing on Cost, Safety and Employee Environment. Provide leadership, direction, and guidance to Quality, Laboratory and plant personnel as well as the supervisory team. Develop supervisory team skills and abilities to support the plant.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Dairy Science, Food Science, Microbiology or a related field, or the equivalent experience.
Minimum 5 years Quality Assurance experience and/or 3-5 years of dairy manufacturing QA supervisory experience.
Working knowledge of the proper use of sophisticated equipment and test procedures.
SQF practioner Certification, or ability to possess.
Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions and provide solutions.
Ability to interpret a variety of technical information in mathematical and/or narrative form and deal with abstract and concrete variables.
Ability to work flexible hours.
Able to travel independently to visit customers and assist as needed.
Ability to work in a team environment as well as independently with good time management and organizational skills.
Possess strong collaboration, facilitation and leadership skills, as well as demonstrated ability to exercise judgment and discretion in establishing and maintaining good working relationships with all levels of employees as well as internal and external customers.
Ability to motivate a large workforce through interpersonal and team building skills.
Strong communication skills and interpersonal skills.
Strong analytical and organizational skills with attention to detail.
Proficient in Microsoft Office, Word, Excel, Maestro, etc.
Must be self-motivated, results oriented, possess high degree of initiative

Responsibilities

Develop and ensure implementation of food safety and monitoring programs to meet corporate and regulatory standards.
Oversee and monitor all quality programs (i.e. FSMA, HACCP, SQF, GMP, Positive Release, Pest Control, sanitation, in-line sampling, etc.)
Review and maintain all quality control test results.
Evaluate analytical testing results and disposition of finished product to ensure customer specifications are met.
Oversee Quality Assurance systems in order to satisfy internal and customer requirements to include process evaluation and product protection programs; process specifications and standards; sanitation programs, HACCP and GMP programs; production labeling; and product storage and distribution.
Oversee and make decisions related to cheese production and cheese packaging as it pertains to quality related issues.
Oversee quality control systems to include hold programs and traceability exercises; lab procedures; food safety programs; product functionality evaluations; process verification programs; internal and external audits, and environmental microbiological monitoring programs.
Investigate, track and respond to customer complaints and returns.
Provide technical support to plant management, service groups and sales, regarding process/product improvement through analysis of product composition, quality and function ability.
Act as plant SQF Practioner as well as being PCQI certified
Develop and monitor standard operating procedures (SOP’s) as they pertain to the QA function and product quality.
Update weekly reports on product quality, environmental results and incident activities.
Conduct at a minimum annually, various training related to quality and food safety expectations/programs of the quality management system (i.e. FSMA, GMP, SQF, HACCP, Allergen, potential CCP, etc).
Conduct Plant Audits as scheduled and insure follow up to identified issues.
Ensure certification of the lab by maintaining proper documentation for all internal and government requirements (i.e. antibiotic records, equipment temperatures, water and air, proper sterilization records, etc.)
Act as liaison for regulatory compliance agencies (i.e. USDA, FDA, etc.)
Prepares plant for and leads efforts in 3rd party Customer/Plant Audits.
Administer company policies and procedures, with the assistance of Human Resources.
Coach and counsel employees when appropriate in accordance with Saputo’s policies and work rules.
Assume an active role in the plant Safety Programs to include involvement in the plant safety teams/committees.
Communicate and interact effectively lab personnel, all departments, sister plants and all levels of management to ensure the smooth operation of the process.
Interact with Corporate Quality Assurance on implementation and maintenance of Quality Systems and Programs.
Perform miscellaneous duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.