Regional Quality Manager

Prairie Farms Dairy•Kosciusko, MS

1d•$85,000 - $100,000

About The Position

The Regional Quality Manager oversees, assists with, and supports Prairie Farms Dairy’s Quality and Food Safety Program at the corporate level and at assigned plants. The position routinely travels to 6–8 manufacturing locations, with the goal of visiting each at least quarterly, and works closely with plant Quality Assurance Managers and other plant leaders to build collaborative relationships and support shared quality goals. The role addresses quality issues, reviews complaints and quality data, supports audits and inspections, provides training, observes sanitation practices, and contributes to improvements in corporate quality and food safety programs. Additional projects and team responsibilities may also be assigned. The role requires working in dairy manufacturing environments and traveling to assigned locations. Work may involve varied temperatures and conditions, including hot, cold, wet, and humid environments, exposure to cleaning solutions, movement throughout plants, and work outside. The employee may be required to work on all shifts and all days of the week to help ensure product and facility quality.

Requirements

Previous experience working in a food manufacturing facility.
3–5 years of experience in Quality Assurance.
Attend GMP, Food Defense Awareness, Allergen Training, and all other required Alchemy training modules.
Meet all requirements of the SQF Program.
Meet all requirements of the FSMA Preventive Controls program, including PCQI training and intentional adulteration training.
Comply with all FMP requirements.
Comply with PPE requirements and safety rules and policies established by plant procedures.
Ability to work without direct supervision.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and ability to follow and disseminate written and verbal instructions.
Ability to work well with and direct others in tasks essential to high-quality work and cleaning procedures.
Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and conflict-resolution skills.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.
Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
Willingness to learn, coachability, and ability to learn the organization’s systems quickly.
Proficiency with and enjoyment of detailed work.
Analytical skills for interpreting data; strategic thinking to develop training plans and reports; and communication skills for collaborating with multiple locations and personnel.
Ability to lift 10 pounds frequently and occasionally lift up to 50 pounds.
Ability to communicate effectively in quiet and loud conditions.
Ability to work around cleaning solutions daily and in wet, humid, cold, and warm environments.
Ability to climb, stoop, crawl, twist, turn, move objects above and below the head, and walk continually to perform job functions.
Ability to work in temperatures above 100 degrees and below 20 degrees below zero, and in wet and humid conditions for extended periods.
Ability to travel and work on all shifts and all days of the week.

Responsibilities

Routinely travel to 6–8 assigned manufacturing locations, attempting to visit each plant at least quarterly.
Work with plant QA Managers and other top management to build relationships and pursue common goals.
Assist in resolving quality issues at assigned locations.
Review complaints for assigned plants and follow up on trends or complaints involving foreign material, illness, hospitalization, or legal counsel.
Review environmental results, laboratory counts, scorecards, and other applicable data when provided.
Provide training at plants when qualified and requested by plant management.
Conduct internal audits at plants within the assigned purview and at other plants as assigned by the Internal Audit Schedule.
Attend SQF certification audits, FDA check ratings, state regulatory inspections when requested by the plant, and customer audits when requested or needed for support.
Observe sanitation practices at assigned plants.
Assist with group training organized by the Corporate QA team.
Work with the Corporate QA team to update and improve quality and food safety programs.
Review service reports and chemical costs for assigned locations, follow up on issues, and respond about chemical usage at the Ecolab annual review.
Take ownership of projects and perform other duties or team tasks as assigned.
Follow required training, SQF Program, FSMA Preventive Controls, FMP, PPE, and plant safety requirements.
Perform product organoleptic evaluations.
Keep the work area safe and clean and work safely and efficiently.