Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager - Richelieu Foods : Job Details

Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) manager role will be responsible for maintaining, organizing, and administering the programs, policies and certifications that support the Food Safety, Quality and HACCP plans for Richelieu Foods. This role has oversight of our Sanitation team and all the associated programs and policies. The FSQA Manager will facilitate the organizational readiness to meet all regulatory requirements, customer expectations and adherence to all operational and mechanical requirements. This role will embody the RFI values, facilitate training of our Food Safety and Quality programs and develop the efforts to our Food Safety Culture.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

* Ensure all products manufactured and managed at the facility meet internal and customer quality & food safety specifications by:

* Providing data to R&D and Corporate Quality by design team members for the development of specifications (raw material, processing and finished product)

* Designing and implementing the appropriate prerequisite programs, quality control verification & food safety, Food Fraud and food defense plans based on specifications.

* Identifying non-conforming products to be controlled

* Assisting operations with root cause analysis and corrective & preventive actions for non-conformances

* Actively engage in the working of the (cross functional) quality assurance and Food Safety team (as coordinator or back-up)

* Ensure the regulatory compliance of all products manufactured & manufacturing processes and infrastructure at the facility by:

* Serving as a liaison between the plant operations and the regulatory inspectors Proactively addressing questions and concerns and reporting on changes and metrics as needed.

* Engaging appropriate corporate support for the management of regulatory affairs and issues

* Staying informed on local regulatory standards and requirements

* Conducting investigations and retrieving information as requested

* Ensures that quality and compliance related tasks are performed in an effective manner by:

* Developing work instructions for the quality team with the engagement of the plant team,

* Assisting the plant team with development of operational work instructions

* Ensuring the integration & implementation of safety protocols into all quality team activities

* Verifying the accuracy/sensitivity of the checks conducted as part of quality, Food safety program, and compliance plans for the facility.

* Actively developing and improving the relevant/ required capabilities and certifications of the plant quality & sanitation teams.

* Drives continuous improvement in efficiency of management of Quality, Safety, and compliance by:

* Actively supporting Continuous Improvement initiatives

* Engaging the appropriate corporate resources as needed

* Providing risk assessments for nonconformance management on both a strategic (e.g., FS/HACCP plan) and tactical basis (unforeseen non-conformances)

* Playing a leading/critical role in material control (aka Hold), crisis & traceability management processes

* Ensuring completion of corrections, CAPA related tasks as assigned to the facility Quality team.

* Tracking and reporting on performance metrics

* Escalating raw material non conformances and other concerns to the corporate supply chain team

* Manages the budget and cost controls.

* Drives continuous improvement in quality & compliance management capability at the plants by:

* Identifying and assessing competencies required in various roles.

* Engaging with corporate Quality to identify and deliver the appropriate training and developmental opportunities for the facility team.

* Staying engaged and informed on external developments and cascading information to the relevant stakeholders.

* Defined/managing certain corporate programs (i.e., food fraud, food defense, supplier quality management etc.) to be implemented across the facility network by:

* Owning corporate standards (policy, procedures, instructions, and KPIs)

* Developing processes and metrics for verifying compliance

* Tracking and reporting on performance

* Maintains & improves the facility's reputational credentials by:

* Serving as a liaison between the facility and visitors in speaking to the quality, compliance and sustainability programs and their performance

* Responding to customer complaints with the appropriate information on investigative, corrective, and preventive actions as required in a timely manner.

* Representing RFI and speaking to the facilities' programs during various audits & inspections (GFSI, RSPO, etc.)

* Engaging in various promotional activities as assigned/approved by the executive Leadership.

Basic Qualifications

* PCQI Certification

* HAACP Certification

* SQF Knowledge required.

* Minimum of 5 years of experience in a quality role within a food manufacturing facility

* Experience working with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP)

* USDA Experience is preferred.

* Must be adaptable to schedule.

* Ability to make decisions, excellent communication skills, both verbal and written

Technical Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry, or related science with 5+ years of working experience in Food Technology, Regulatory Affairs, Sanitation, and/or Quality Assurance related roles.

* Advanced level of understanding of food science, food safety, data analysis & quality management systems

* Working Understanding of current FDA & USDA regulations laws as applied to food manufacturers.

* Certified in HACCP/PCQI is strongly preferred.

* Understanding and experience with GFSI audits

* Technical knowledge and good reasoning abilities.

Competencies and Functional Qualifications

* A minimum of 5 years in role involving management of a team with cross-functional responsibilities

* Possesses skills in supervision of employees responsible for Food Safety and Quality

* Is proficient in writing technical material, procedures, and communications.

* Has excellent organizational & critical thinking skills

* Is Proficient in the use of Microsoft Suite of applications especially Outlook, Word, and Excel

* Has the ability to effectively communicate and delegate responsibilities

* Ability to multitask and tactically adapt to situations.

* Able to effectively communicate with all levels of management and staff.

* Can work independently but has a Collaborative attitude & a customer service mindset.

* Fluent in English, experienced in collaborating with non-English speakers.

Work Environment

* Regularly exposed to moving mechanical parts

* Frequently exposed to wet and/or humid conditions.

* Usually loud working environment

* Regularly required to stand and talk or hear.

* Frequently required to walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

* Occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

* Must regularly lift and/or move up to ten pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to twenty-five pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move more than fifty pounds.

We offer a terrific opportunity with a comprehensive salary and benefits package including medical, dental, life insurance, short-term disability, 401K with company match, and vacation.

Richelieu Foods, Inc. is a leading national private label and contract packing food manufacturer focused on frozen pizza. We have four manufacturing facilities located in OH, IL, and WI. We provide products to many national retailers, wholesalers, distributors, club, and mass stores, as well as industrial accounts including other food manufacturers.

This position is based out of Wheeling, IL