SQF Practitioner

About us

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. UPSIDE Foods recently became the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated meat, and UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck). The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job
In order to have one of the first cultivated meats on the market, UPSIDE Foods will need an established record of compliance and collaboration with government regulatory bodies. However, the journey doesn’t end there: UPSIDE Foods’ EPIC wants to become the first cultivated meat plant to be accredited by GFSI standards. The SQF Practitioner will be leading further compliance implementation by planning, implementing and maintaining an SQF system. A successful candidate will be one who can quickly leverage past experience while being able to learn and critique brand new processes. This is a 6-month fixed term position.

Responsibilities include

• Drive the development, implementation, review, monitoring, verification, validation, and auditing of the Safe Quality Food (SQF) system, including the Food Safety Fundamentals and Food Safety Plan at EPIC
• Ensure compliance to applicable food safety, customer, quality, and government regulatory requirements
• Take appropriate action to maintain the integrity of the SQF Code system
• Initiate an annual review for senior management, as well as monthly updates provided to plant management on implementation status and maintenance of the SQF system
• Perform daily monitoring activities of SQF programs including: Verification, Validation, Audit, and Recordkeeping to ensure facility's continuous compliance with SQF code requirements

About you

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent experience) and 4 years of GFSI program management experience.
• Self-starter who relies on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
• Demonstrates consistency, flexibility, and commitment to meet deadlines.
• Experience with USDA regulated operations
• Enjoys fast-paced and complex environments, mentoring team members, and always striving to make processes and experiences better.

Who you’ll work with

• This role will form close working relationships with the various teams at EPIC, including but not limited to: food safety & quality assurance, engineering, facilities, sanitation, and operations, as we continue to foster a safe, quality food environment.
• Along with food safety & quality assurance leadership, engage with the SQF Institute to build and maintain partnership.
• Plant and quality management to continuously improve the program.

Key Contributions in First Year

• Implementation of the SQF system
• Successful completion of audit or equivalent site survey
• Establish regular feedback loops in which the EPIC and the broader company can continue to advance its food safety initiatives

Compensation Range: $51,000 - $85,000*

*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• 3 Weeks PTO Accrued Annually
• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this missionAbout us

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. UPSIDE Foods recently became the first company in the world to receive the US FDA greenlight for cultivated meat, and UPSIDE’s cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval.

Founded as the world’s first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck). The company believes that people shouldn’t have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times’ Good Tech Awards, FastCo’s Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job

The Sr. Reliability Manager is the system owner for all building infrastructure, utilities, and process equipment used for the production of cultured meat in the world’s first end-to-end production facility for this impactful product. Utilities and production systems include technology from both bioprocess and food manufacturing systems, and will be operated in a regulated environment for food production. The Sr. Reliability Manager will ensure the equipment and systems are maintained and optimized to support production and continuous process improvements. You should bring hands-on expertise with the relevant systems as well as experience supervising internal staff and third parties to ensure the facility has maximum uptime and is operating in a compliant manner.

Responsibilities include…

• Develop and implement a systematic approach to ensure all aspects of the facility, utilities, and process equipment are maintained, optimized, and in proper working order.
• Maintain engineering documents of record and manage any engineering change orders as required to comply with Good Engineering Practices and Food Safety & Quality.
• Monitor systems to identify performance risks and implement reliability strategies.
• Develop and approve documents related to Validations, SOP's, and Work Instructions.
• Ensure systems are installed, operating safely, and comply with environmental health/safety practices and regulations including regulatory agencies for wastewater, storm water, hazardous waste, EPA, FDA, USDA, OSHA, and fire departments.
• Supervise, schedule, and work alongside Upside MPR staff and outside contractors in a regulated environment.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory agencies and interact with inspectors as necessary to demonstrate equipment maintenance and calibration through compliant documentation.

About you…

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in an engineering or mechanical discipline required with 8 years of direct experience in bioprocess or food manufacturing facilities.
• Extensive hands-on experience maintaining utilities and process equipment in a federally regulated industry.
• Experience managing direct reports (5 years) and third party service vendors to procure, install, and start up equipment while maintaining & editing a change management system and SOP database.
• Able to pull permits through city, county, and state boards.
• Experience with preventive and predictive maintenance including calibrations for mechanical systems and associated internal & external instrumentation.
• Must be willing and able to cover evening/night hours and weekends, as needed.
• Great organizational and project management skills, consistently communicating to ensure reliability with a safety, efficiency, and quality mindset while recognizing opportunities for improvement and influencing others to make necessary changes.
• Must be able to work in refrigerated production spaces. Must be able to carry up to 50 pounds. Must be able to sit or stand up for long periods of time while monitoring operations and performing tasks. Must be able to don Personal Protective Equipment on a daily basis.

Who you’ll work with…

• Daily work will be at our EPIC facility in Emeryville, California.
• This role will most frequently interact with our FSQA, Manufacturing Operations, Engineering, Upstream Operations, Planning, Warehouse, and leadership teams.
• The Mechanical and Plant Reliability Manager reports to the EPIC Site Head.

Key Contributions in First Year…

• Develop and implement a systematic approach to ensure all aspects of the facility, utilities, and process equipment are documented and maintained including scheduling of planned/ preventive maintenance using our CMMS platform.
• Ensure systems are operating safely and comply with pertinent environmental health/safety practice, rules and regulations.
• Assist in the ongoing Validation and Qualification studies in EPIC.

Compensation Range: $84,000 - $145,000*

*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO
• DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Council and People Engagement Programs
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $84,000.00 - $145,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Vision insurance

Experience level:

• 4 years

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday

Work setting:

• In-person

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Emeryville, CA: Reliably commute or willing to relocate with an employer-provided relocation package (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $84,000 - $145,000