Quality Assurance Specialist

About the Position

The QA Specialist position provides leadership and technical QA support to the manufacturing facility in the areas of qualify and food safety. This will involve coordinating activities, providing resource support for diverse teams with complementary objectives, identifying key opportunities, providing technical training, and leading initiatives to improve food safety, quality and regulatory compliance.

Essential Functions

Other duties, responsibilities, and activities may change or be assigned at any time.

• Proficient technical resource for product quality and food safety, coordinator of new products, changes, plant trials and materials.
• Coordinates customer expectations from Sales and R&D with manufacturing capabilities.
• Facilitates and leads continuous improvement activities for people, processes and product systems.
• Leads problem solving teams to identify and resolve root cause issues.
• Understands the plant operations and the critical processing points for product safety, consistency and efficiency.
• Leads the transformation of data, through key performance indicators, into meaningful information to make business decisions.
• Develops, implements and monitors standard operating procedures for quality systems.
• Provides QA training support to the manufacturing team and other internal and external customers.
• Recommend product rework options and/or formulation changes
• Provides leadership and development training to the Quality Technicians.
• Successfully performs routine product testing activities and other duties of the QA lab.
• Ensures plant compliance with GMP’s, HACCP, third party audits and other state/federal regulations
• May supervise a small team of non-exempt employees or back up QA management as needed
• May evaluate and investigate customer complaints

Position Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with qualified disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Enjoys facilitating change and leading improvement efforts.
• Effectively provides direct and indirect leadership to people, projects, and activities.
• Strong technical skills in the area of food / bakery science including knowledge of ingredient interaction and application.
• Solid background in development and improvement of fundamental manufacturing and quality-related systems.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• Understands and uses computer software, including MS Office, inventory management, and other proprietary and database software to manage data for decision making.
• Professional demeanor and strong interpersonal skills.
• Strong math, reading, sensory, technical writing and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to solve problems.

Supervisory Responsibilities

While performing as an individual contributor, may also provide daily supervision to non-exempt employees in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities may include interviewing and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; and appraising performance, but typically will not include hiring and disciplining employees.

Education and/or Experience:

• Associates degree or minimum two years of college level coursework, preferably in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry or related field or equivalent experience; Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience in quality assurance and/or 2 years leadership experience in food manufacturing and quality assurance desired
• Experience with food safety and audit requirements such as BRC preferred.

Attendance:

To support ongoing business goals and successfully contribute to your team, acceptable levels of performance and attendance must be consistently maintained, including attending all required meetings and events. Requires the flexibility to work non-standard hours as needed.

Quality

Follows procedures to ensure all food quality standards are met or exceeded. Must also produce quality work measured by efficiency, accuracy, and completion of both personal and company goals in a manner that embodies CM values and our culture of integrity, dignity and respect.

Safety/Legal

Employees are required to conduct their work in a safe and legal manner, according to all GMP food safety standards as well as following any safety protocols. Employees must be willing to be responsible for their safety and health as well as the safety and health of all employees, vendors and visitors.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

This position requires working in both manufacturing and office environments. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, sit, talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer and telephone along with reaching. Specific vision abilities include close vision requirements due to computer work. Moderate noise, ability to work in a confined area, and ability to sit at a computer for an extended period of time are also included. Must be able to effectively communicate and work in a dynamic environment. You may also be on your feet for several hours a day and may be exposed to a variety of physical demands that require you to lift heavy objects, climb stairs, exert energy, bend, twist and squat and use tools and equipment in an indoor production environment that has a high level of food dust and limited climate control while wearing PPE.

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. This position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications and job scope, but not limit our employees nor the organization to just the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer his/her services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of the company.

The policy of Continental Mills, Inc. is to hire, train, and promote all persons in all job groups in accordance with law, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital or military status, national origin, gender identity, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, genetic information, or any other status or characteristic protected by local, state, or federal law.