Quality Assurance Supervisor

Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Downers Grove, IL we are a world-class contract manufacturer producing wholesome baked goods, snacks and packaged foods for many of the world’s leading food companies. As one of the largest and fastest growing food co-manufacturing companies in the US, we are the proud owner and operator of over 35 facilities globally. Our nearly 10,000 employee-strong organization is leading the way and setting new standards for quality, safety, flexibility and efficiency while feeding families around the globe.
Hearthside’s exceptional growth stems from its ability to address real-world problems for customers of all shapes and sizes, and by our resolute commitment to our belief that there are no great companies without great culture. Our culture of personal empowerment enables growth, learning, and continuous improvement every day!
We are steadfast in our ambition to be the indispensable and most trusted partner to our customers and need your help to do it! Join Hearthside and enjoy a competitive package, outstanding benefits and a diverse work environment.

The Quality Assurance Supervisor will be working in our Front Royal, VA wafer & cracker plant (located 80 minutes from downtown Washington D.C) which produces more than 150M lbs. per year! This is our one of our largest plants in North America which employs 350 non-union team members. This state-of-the-art facility is nearly 400k sq. ft., operates with 6 highly automated production lines and possess a strong team oriented culture.
Job Summary: Responsible for leading and representing Quality on the plant floor and provide direction to maintain the Quality Assurance systems in place. Aids in managing facility internal audits, compliance to GFSI-customer-regulatory requirements, coaching-teaching-mentoring QA staff, and supporting continuous improvement activities in the plant.

Core accountabilities:

• Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:
• Monitor Sanitation activities including, but not limited to verification of MSS, PEM and non-PEM swabbing, and Pre-Operational inspection
• Manage finished product micro and EM testing schedule
• Use SAP to move product in accordance to the Positive Release Program for finished product micro and PPM holds.
• PCQI verification of preventive controls.
• Maintain staffing schedules and provide feedback for QA Staff performance reviews
• Coach-Teach-Mentor QA Staff to help build contingency plan bench strength
• Coordinate QA and Production training related to FSQA requirements and initiatives
• Assists in annual and onboarding training, curriculum development & record keeping
• Off-shift training, performance verification, and plant-based meeting participation
• Generate-Review-Close Incident Reports as related to FSQA
• Oversee Document & Record Control programs as they pertain to FSQA
• Participate in sensory and/or product evaluation tests as required by site
• Lead GFSI initiatives and serve as back up the QA/Sr.QA Manager for all things Food Safety & Quality
• Ensure preparation and compliance of all Quality Systems material and information often utilized in audits
• Aids in creation and maintaining of Food Safety Plan documentations
• Participate and at times lead the audits with companies, agencies and auditors for the site team
• Perform & maintain risk assessments for new materials coming into the facility
• Execute and lead RCA-CAPAs in accordance with corporate and site policies
• Assist Investigation of customer complaints and monitor corrective action effectiveness
• capabilities, and customer requirements to include recipe and sensory
• Be able to perform Mock Recall / Trace exercises as required
• Aids in investigation and responses to customer complaints
• Support QA Manager and commercialization teams in integrating customer and compliance requirements into internal specifications
• Actively participate in the Hearthside Production System activities (Drumbeat, Weekly KPI, Tiered Auditing, etc.)
• May serve as primary Quality liaison on test, proof of concept, and initial production runs
• Back up to the Compliance Manager
• Perform other duties as assigned

Required Competencies & Knowledge:Knowledge of:

• PCQI or HACCP Training Certificate
• Knowledge and experience with SAP preferred
• Knowledge and experience with SPC preferred
• GFSI certification a plus
• Basic RCA and CAPA tools

Skilled in:

• Internal Auditing
• Influencing Quality Culture behaviors
• Procedure/Standard Work generation

Ability to:

• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing
• Recognize food safety & quality gaps and provide a plan to address
• Manage multiple projects at a time
• Investigate complaints and incidents with minimal oversight
• Influence Quality Culture behaviors
• Work collaboratively with all departments
• Must be accurate and detail-oriented
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and at times independently

Proficiency in:

• MS Office Suite, SAP a plus
• High school level math needed

Work Environment:

• Frequent production environment exposure which includes noise, dust, heat, cold, moving machinery, fork lifts, and slippery floors
• Ability to work in hot or cold temperatures dependent upon site (Bakery vs Fresh)
• Communicate in English both written and verbal
• Handle daily employee issues
• Travel up to 10% is possible

Minimum Qualifications:

• Two or more years of related experience and/or training required. College degree in science or related field preferred.
• Minimum of two years of related food safety/quality assurance work experience in a food manufacturing environment (i.e. baked bar, granola manufacture, bread, cold form bar, cookies, crackers, sandwich assembly, kit assembly, etc.).
• Leadership experience preferred.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint is required.
• SQF or BRC certification is a plus.

Safety & Environmental:
Employee shall follow factory safety & environmental objectives and targets; follow the plant safety rules, report incidents and near misses immediately, maintain compliance with regulations, and take personal ownership of the Safety in their area -- to include the safety of visitors and contractors. The employee will also act to reduce negative environmental impacts by conserving paper, electricity, water and will also recycle all appropriate materials (paper, plastic, food, etc.).
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Hearthside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.