Quality Assurance Manager

Job Summary:The general purpose of this position is to ensure that the quality and safety of products meet company, customer, and regulatory standards and requirements.Principal Duties:1. Develops, implements, and maintains Quality Management Systems and HACCP Programs and oversight.2. Lead company's effort to maintain BRC certification. Has the authority to take appropriate action to ensure the integrity of the BRC system.3. Prepares organization for FDA, military, and third-party audits and maintains inspection reports and records.4. Acts as backup to the Senior Quality Assurance Manager for all 3rd party audits or governmental inspections.5. Leads the development and implementation of Food Safety Fundamentals and Food Safety Plan as outlined in the BRC system.6. Selects and trains quality team members. Responsible for ensuring adequate staffing for quality functions.7. Provides direct leadership to the QA technicians and establishes goals for individual team members8. Supervises, trains, and evaluates performance of quality technicians. This includes daily testing of raw materials, in-process, and finished products to ensure that company, customer, kosher, and regulatory requirements are met. Maintains appropriate inventory of all QA lab supplies9. Maintains and manages the quality lab SOPs.10. Manages the Environmental Monitoring Program and performs trend analysis; develops and initiates corrective actions for out of specification environmental monitoring results11. Manages the Sanitation Program:a. Conducts meetings as necessary with the 3rd party sanitation company to review results or address concerns and identify opportunities for improvementb. Monitors overall plant production sanitation to ensure that personnel follow requirements and guidelines set forth by the FDA, military, state, and local health department.c. Acts as main liaison between Vita and its 3rd party sanitation companyd. Is the primary contact between Vita and its sanitation chemical suppliere. Coordinates with the sanitation chemical supplier to provide training to Vita and outside sanitation staff in relevant topicsf. Reviews and approves SSOPs.12. Investigates consumer complaints and internal findings.13. Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives.14. Provide technical expertise on nutritional facts panels, label claims and ingredients statements.15. Supports the implementation and maintenance of the Gluten Free Certification program and acts as secondary contact for GFCO.16. Supports the implementation and maintenance of MSC/ASC requirements and acts as secondary contact for all Chain of Custody information requests from the certified auditing body.17. Performs reviews of documented policies and programs with authority to edit as needed to reflect current operations, comply with BRC, 3rd Party Certifying Bodies and customer requirements.18. Maintains the Hold and Release Program19. Review finished good laboratory analysis for product release20. Determine disposition of product that is out of specification21. Manage the company's documentsa. Maintain the company's document registerb. Conduct daily HACCP document review. Maintains compliance and handles all non-compliance and deviations.c. Record process deviations and work with department heads to determine root cause and corrective actions.d. Review new documents for compliance and assign document numbers to all new documents used on the production floor by various departments22. Performs other duties as required.Position Requirements:1. Bachelor's Degree in Food Science or related technical field or a combination of education and extensive industry experience is preferred.2. A minimum of 3 years leadership experience in Quality Assurance in a food manufacturing environment (preferred).3. HACCP certification4. PCQI certification5. Extensive knowledge of GFSI, BRC and regulatory requirements6. Previous experience with 3rd party audits7. Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, Power Point)8. Sound instrumentation and mathematical skills for performance of laboratory tests.9. Significant knowledge of the food industry, and regulatory requirements in food manufacturing.10. Ability to maintain confidential regarding proprietary information.11. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.12. Strong interpersonal skills for effective work with plant and production personnel.13. Excellent organizational abilities and attention to detail.14. Ability to maneuver on wet, slippery floors. Fine motor skills needed to perform laboratory tests. Ability to distinguish different products by label colors.15. Bilingual in English and Spanish is a plus.Physical Demands and Work Environment:1. Must be able to lift at least 50lbs periodically.2. Must be able to move about the production floor, receiving and shipping areas.3. Must be able to use hands or fingers, handle or feel, reach with hands and arms, bend, stoop, squat, and climb stairs.4. Must be able to work in refrigerated and freezing environments periodically.5. Vision requirements: close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Created: 2025-03-07