Quality & Food Safety Manager - Tn

Job Summary:  The Quality & Food Safety Manager provides strong leadership and direction to the plant in Food Safety, Product Quality, Sanitation and Good Manufacturing Practices.  The Quality & Food Safety Manager will lead the QA and Sanitation Supervisors and Technicians and be responsible for building a team according to Company budgetary parameters and departmental policies. 

Essential Functions:

• Develop and implement Food Safety, plant security for Food Safety, environmental and quality programs
• Execute policies and procedures as back up BRC leader to ensure compliance with BRC standard.
• Oversee and manage development and maintenance of Food Safety/HACCP plans as back up Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) including ensuring appropriate hazards are reviewed and controls defined, monitored, verified, and/or validated as necessary
• Train, supervise, and develop direct reports:
  • Create, Train, and Verify SOPs for Quality and Sanitation teams
  • Teach problem solving, critical thinking, and “Teaming with Production” to Quality and Sanitation teams
  • Maintain proper departmental staffing levels and develop partners to succeed and grow
  • Ensure compliance with company policies and procedures in area of people management
  • Conduct Performance evaluations and administer disciplinary action as required
• Partner with Warehouse, Production, Maintenance, and Finance Teams to:
  • Act as the main quality contact for day-to-day facility activities
  • Ensure plant-wide compliance with all Quality programs via training, document and record review
  • Accurately communicate with Supervisors and Managers of other departments
  • Ensure customer specifications are accurately depicted in the lab and production floor
  • Determine Corrective and Preventative Actions for deviations in procedures and processes
  • Provide reliable and accurate departmental information to Finance to ensure that end of month closing schedules are met
• Be a presence on the production floor (40% of time is expected to occur on the production floor)
• Manage facility hygiene through facility inspections and monitoring, GMP training, sanitation validation
• Be an owner of the GMP and Sanitation Audit process
• Enforce GMPs to maintain a quality product manufactured in safe environment and meeting all targeted requirements
• Establish, maintain, and enforce company quality standards. Coach and train employees on GMP’s
• Monitor QA Technician schedules to ensure overtime is within the budgeted amount for each period
• Ensure that appropriate standard operating procedures (SOP's) are developed and maintained for all aspects of food process, Food Safety, raw materials, finished food and customer specifications
• Responsible for the Food Security Policy/Program to assess potential food security risks and to ensure food security preventive measures are being implemented and routinely audited regarding the manufacturing, handling and storage of all food ingredients as well as finished goods
• Annual and Customer Food Safety Audits including initial certification under the GFSI
• Internal audit and annual third-party audit for Organic, Gluten Free, and other third party Certifications
• Management and enforcement of Kosher Program
• Facilitate routine testing and laboratory analysis
• Monitor chosen suppliers of ingredients & packaging via vendor assurance and quality monitoring programs including sampling, testing and reporting on raw material quality.
• Manage the Environmental Monitoring Program to meet and exceed FSMA requirements
• Manage HOLDS and product, material disposition in compliance with Food Safety and Finance requirements.
• Manage Pest Control Program and external vendor performance
• Manage Chemical Control and Sanitation Program and external vendor performance

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Biological Science or equivalent
• 4-7 years of experience in Quality Assurance at a food manufacturing facility
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Flexibility and the ability to remain organized, establish a plan and execute on Company priorities
• Commitment to steadily improving the organization and creating an outstanding performance-based work environment
• Experience with industry standards and regulations such as: FSMA, SQF, BRC, HACCP, GFSI
• Strong ability to train and engage other employees
• Establish credibility-excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Ability to communicate and understand work instructions in English