Manager Plant QA

Here’s where you’ll be focusing:

· Lead the site food safety programs, regulatory compliance and GFSI certification

· Advance the organization’s food safety and quality policy and procedures at the site to establish a compliant food safety culture

· Keep senior site and corporate leaders informed and current on quality and food safety issues related to the facility

· Facilitate determination of root cause and drive corrective and preventive actions at the site

· Proactively maintain and continue to improve plant quality and food safety systems such as PCPs, Health Canada Listeria Policy, GMPs and all other applicable programs

· Maintain FSEP requirements for prerequisite programs and HACCP plans (verification, validation, logging of changes, and review of programs annually or as changes occur

· Drive the implementation of a GFSI scheme at the facility and maintain certification

· Understand CFIA and Health Canada’s food safety investigation, risk assessment and recall processes and execute if required

· Review and participate in the development of SOPs and SSOPs for all aspects of the business at the site

· Develop food safety measurements and metrics to determine improvement in key deliverables

· Provide data analysis, trending and reports to senior site and corporate management

· Prioritize work and projects to meet site, customer and corporate requirements/demands

· Train plant personnel in TQM philosophies, SPC, HACCP, GMP, and monitor compliance.

· Document standards, specifications, procedures, and monitor compliance

· Develop, in conjunction with Corporate Food Safety, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and reporting systems

· Participate in development of strategic plans for the operation, with accountability for results

· Maintain active and collaborative participation as part of the plant management team

· Develop validation systems to provide a scientific basis for program and product parameters

· Directly manage a multi-level Quality Assurance team of employees

· Perform proficiency testing/evaluation of Quality Assurance staff

· Work after hours or on off-shifts if needed

· Identify and report to senior site and Corporate Food Safety management any and all concerns (perceived or otherwise) regarding food safety and quality

· Develop, conduct and assist in training of manufacturing staff as required

· Troubleshoot and solve quality and food safety issues at the facility

· Ensure quality, product safety, plant sanitation, pest control, and regulatory standards are met

· Available to work evenings, weekends and holidays as required.

· All other duties as required.

What you have to offer:

· Bachelor level Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or related degree

· Minimum of 5 – 7 years experience in Quality Assurance/Food Safety discipline within the food manufacturing industry with the following:

o Experience in a Ready-to-Eat (RTE) product processing/manufacturing facility

o Experience troubleshooting potential food safety and quality problems at the plant level

o Experience developing and managing food safety management systems

o 3 years experience in a Quality Assurance or Food Safety Leadership role(s)

o 3 years experience training and implementation of TQM, SPC, HACCP, structured Risk Assessment and Corrective Action/Root Cause Analysis processes, vendor qualification, and customer requirement auditing

· Experience leading food safety programs at federally regulated establishments under the Safe Food for Canadians Act and Regulations (SFCR)

· Experience managing and implementing GFSI schemes and the successful oversight/implementation of a GFSI standard within a food manufacturing facility, ideally in ready to eat food categories

· Proficient use of Microsoft Office Suite

· Excellent oral and written communication skills

· Demonstrated effective team development and leadership to create and support a high performing team.

· Inquisitive and analytical abilities to solve production quality and food safety issues