This position reports to the QA Superintendent and is part of the QA structure. Working alongside other QA team members supporting operations team process in accordance with the organization’s policies and programs, to ensure that customer quality standards are being met.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Understand, display knowledge, and supervise execution of FSQA programs including, but not limited to SQF systems, HACCP, sanitation, pest control, good manufacturing practices, foreign material control, customer complaint & deviation investigation process, traceability, internal audit program, trainings, food defense and security to comply with all company, USDA/FDA regulatory requirements.
• Facilitate meetings that drive & support food safety and quality for raw area initiatives and programs, maintain open communication, maximize value-added activity and confidence in decision-making.
• Frequently interact with operations, sales, maintenance, as well as with regulatory authorities at the plant level for all matters related to raw manufacturing performance
• Point of contact for USDA RTE sample requests. Communicate effectively on behalf of the company and ensure strict adherence to USDA regulations.
• Identify process opportunities in the areas of responsibilities and collaborate to provide resolutions.
• Collaborate with the raw processing & grinding side QA supervisor and team on ensuring smooth execution of products and overlapping processes. Acts as the back-up support for the raw processing supervisor.
• Performs other duties as assigned

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• This position supervises and leads the QA technicians and leads.

Preferred Qualifications and Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science or relative industry
• 3+ years of relevant work experience in the food industry, preferably in cooked/RET operations
• Knowledge of GMPs, SPC, HACCP, OSHA, USDA regulations, and Food Microbiology
• Experience with Food Safety Audit expectations and requirements
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite
• HACCP certified
• SQF and PCQI training

Core Competencies, Knowledge, and Skill Requirements:

Candidates should be self-starters with a strong work ethic and the ability to prioritize their workload to ensure timely issue resolution. In addition, this individual should possess the following skills:

• Communications: Exhibit honest and clear communication, both orally and written, for effective teamwork. Treat everyone equally with respect- listen to others and make them feel valued. Where customer decisions or food safety is a concern, communicate on a higher level.
• Time Management & Organization: Organize and prioritize your own actions efficiently and manage a variety of tasks simultaneously. Be flexible and react favorably to multiple priorities, changing schedules and daily assignments while paying attention to detail. Demonstrate a sense of urgency and focus on actions, while multi-tasking.
• Team Commitment: Handle conflict in a mature manner to establish trust with coworkers and encourage team collaboration. Understand the people and departments and support team decisions.
• Problem Solving: Think ahead when information is not always available- use all your senses and resources as tools. Understand the relationship between issues and processes and use logical reasoning.

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

The work environment alternates between a cold production setting with concrete floors and an office. This position requires the team member to:

• Stand in cold temperatures (38 degrees) for seven (7) or more hours in a day
• Handle cold, wet, and frozen product throughout the day
• Visually identify and evaluate product
• Occasionally sit for an extended period of time

Food Safety:

Kilcoy has adopted the SQF System for food safety management and is under continuous USDA meat & poultry jurisdiction. All Kilcoy team members are responsible for food safety and quality requirements. Team members will be regularly informed, trained, and held accountable for managing food safety and regulatory expectations within their work areas. Team members should notify their department management about any food safety issues or concerns to be adequately addressed.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.