Corporate Quality Assurance
(Non-union / Salary)

Department: Quality Assurance

Reports To: Vice President of Quality Assurance

Location: Texas Region- Conroe, Tyler, Dallas, and potentially bordering states

FLSA Status: Exempt

Pay Range + other compensation components: $80,000-110,00

Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, Thrift, Life Insurance

Shift (if applicable): [days/times + any OT requirements]

Position Overview

The successful Corporate Quality Assurance candidate will be responsible for overseeing, assisting, and supporting the Prairie Farms Dairy Quality and Food Safety Program at a corporate level as well as assisting and supporting the plants under the assigned purview.

Key Responsibilities

• Travel to 6-8 manufacturing locations assigned to you, routinely. Attempting to visit each plant quarterly at a minimum.
• Work very closely with the QA Managers and other top management, at assigned plants, to develop a relationship to create a working relationship for common goals.
• Assist in resolving quality issues at your site locations.
• Review complaints for your assigned plants, follow up with the plant on any complaint trends or mention of foreign material, illness, hospitalization, lawyer, etc.
• Review environmental results, lab counts, scorecards and other applicable results/ data on frequency that they are sent to you.
• Provide training at plants as qualified to do so and as requested by plant management.
• Conduct Internal Audits of plants you oversee, as well as other plants as assigned by the Internal Audit Schedule.
• Attend SQF Certification Audits.
• Attend FDA check ratings at your locations.
• Attend State Regulatory Inspections at your locations, as requested by the plant.
• Attend Customer audits as requested by the plant or as needed for support for a particular situation.
• Observe sanitation practices at assigned plants.
• Assist in presenting group training put on by the Corporate QA team.
• Work with other member of the Corporate QA team to update and improve current quality and food safety programs.
• Review service reports and chemical costs for your locations and follow up with issues noted, as well as respond regarding your location's chemical usage at the Ecolab annual review.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Along with responsibilities above, there will be opportunities for projects to take ownership on, as well as other tasks that will need to be distributed throughout the team.

Required Qualifications

• Shall attend GMP, Food Defense Awareness, Allergen Training and all other required Alchemy training modules.
• Shall meet all requirements of the SQF Program.
• Shall meet all requirements of the FSMA Preventative Controls program. Including obtaining PCQI training and intentional adulteration training.
• Shall comply with all FMP requirements.
• Shall comply with all requirements for Personal Protective Equipment as defined by appropriate plant procedures.
• Shall comply with all Safety Rules and Policies as defined by appropriate plant procedures.
• Previous experience working in a food manufacturing facility.
• 3-5 years experience in Quality Assurance.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Ability to work without direct supervision.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Must be able to follow and disseminate both written and verbal instructions.
• Must be able to work well with and direct others in the completion of tasks essential to the performance of top-quality work and cleaning procedures.
• Excellent leadership, interpersonal and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite.

Required Soft Skills:

• Ability to act with integrity, professionalism, and confidentiality.
• Coachable and willing to learn.
• Ability to quickly learn the organization's systems.
• Proficient with, and enjoy detailed work.

Competency

• Analytical skills for data interpretation.
• Strategic thinking to develop training plans and reports.
• Strong communication skills for collaborating with various locations and personnel.

Working Conditions

Perform any combination of the following tasks in dairy:

• Perform organoliptic evaluations of products. (Taste, smell, see, feel...)
• Must be able to lift 10lbs frequently and occasionally up to 50lbs.
• Communicate effectively in both quiet and loud conditions. (Talk, hear, see...)
• Work around and with cleaning solutions on a daily basis.
• Work in a very humid and wet environment, in both cold and warm conditions.
• Work around, monitor, oversee and scrub pipe fittings and machines with chemical solution.
• Attach pipes and fittings to machines, using wrenches. (Hand to finger, Touch, Feel...)
• Must climb, stoop, crawl, twist, turn and move objects above and below the head.
• Walk continually to perform job functions.

The successful Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for supervising all aspects of Quality Assurance. As such he or she will be required to work in varied environments, including hot, wet, cold and other. He or she will move throughout the plant and may be required to work outside as well. Will be required to travel and work on all shifts and all days of the week to ensure the quality of our product and facility. Must be able to work in both very hot (more than 100 degrees) and very cold (less than 20 degrees below zero) and in a very wet and humid environment for extended periods of time.

Must keep work area safe and clean and work in a safe and efficient manner.