Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager

Quality Assurance Manager

Salary: $75,000

Residency Requirement: Primary residence must be in the state of Georgia

Job Summary:

Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for leading the company's food safety and quality systems to ensure products consistently meet regulatory requirements, customer specifications, and company standards. This position serves as the organization's quality leader, responding immediately to food safety and quality incidents, leading investigations, identifying root causes, implementing corrective actions, and preventing recurrence. This position works cross-functionally with Operations staff and volunteers with responsibility for maintaining compliance to quality standards.

Supervisory Responsibilities: Oversee Menu Development and Compliance Dietitian Nutritionist and Quality Control Technician

Duties/Responsibilities

• Manage Quality and Operations shared mission success with strong floor presence and leadership that promotes a culture of excellence - validated by real time product review and quality auditing
• Update and maintain the company's Food Safety and Quality Management System. Manage HACCP plans and Preventive Controls.
• Ensure compliance with FDA, USDA, HACCP, Preventive Controls, GMPs, SSOPs, customer requirements, and all regulatory standards.
• Respond immediately to all food safety and quality incidents, customer complaints, environmental monitoring findings, allergen concerns, foreign material incidents, product holds, and regulatory issues.
• Lead rapid response investigations to contain potential food safety risks and protect consumers.
• Make timely decisions regarding product disposition, production shutdowns, recalls, or product holds when necessary.
• Serve as the Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) or oversee the PCQI program.
• Maintain readiness for regulatory, customer, and third-party audits.
• Collaborates with the Operations Management Team to develop standards and SOPs for all function areas.
• Validates standardized work, revises SOPs, conducts time studies to establish proper efficiency and productivity goals, and provides guidance to management team to solve quality related issues.
• Lead structured Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigations, ensuring investigations identify true systemic causes of quality issues rather than symptoms.
• Develop, implement, and verify effective corrective and preventive actions and monitor effectiveness to ensure issues do not recur. Track recurring quality trends and recommend systemic improvements.
• Oversee environmental monitoring programs.
• Manage allergen control programs.
• Lead product testing and verification programs.
• Maintain document control and quality records.
• Oversee calibration of equipment.
• Review compliance and quality data to guide and elevate accountability to KPIs
• Identifies waste (product, supplies, labor, etc.) and drive cost-effective process improvements
• Promote consistent and proactive communication among staff to prevent product defects, downtime, and rework
• Proactively manages and mentors Quality personnel (QC Dietitian, Quality Techs, etc.) to blamelessly identify product defects, internal failures, and their root causes
• Ensures all product specifications, production reports, substitutions and change orders are communicated clearly with proper documentation
• Collaborates on new and existing products to improve variety, nutritional content, product quality, flavor profile, durability and/or visual enhancements based on client/customer feedback, internal product review, changing trends, contractual criteria and improved profitability goals
• Updates job knowledge by studying trends and developments in quality management, food, and nutrition science; participating in educational and speaking opportunities.
• Performs various work assignments in support of the department and backup to other team members as needed.

Daily Deliverables

• QA Log management and issue resolution
• Order fulfillment issues substitutions and communication
• Issue investigation, documentation and Training Matrix & Log management
• Initiates and responds immediately to quality concerns - ensures effective hold and release process
• Quality Audit Schedule Attainment
• Attends and supports Daily 9:30am meeting
• Monitors operations Shift Notes and Production reports for data accuracy, trends, and action needs
• Change Order follow-through
• Document Control food safety and quality
• Data analysis of quality metrics

Metrics Owned

• 100% regulatory compliance
• QA Audit Schedule Attainment
• Quality Checklist & Audit Score improvement
• Environmental monitoring compliance.
• First Time Right (FTR) improvement.
• Reduction in recurring quality issues.
• Recipe Review Rate
• QA Meal Review Rate
• Meal Review Completion
• Training Schedule Attainment
• Average Meal Cost
• Average QA Log Resolution Time
• Meal Substitution Rate

Processes Owned/Championed

• Food Safety and Quality System - acts as primary liaison, streamlines and integrates processes and communication between operations, customer service, sales and marketing, and external regulatory agencies. Maintains system manuals and product quality by writing, updating, and enforcing quality assurance policies and procedures and government requirements.
• In-process product inspection standards, verification, and process validation in accordance to quality standards; ensures process checks are done properly and at sufficient frequency
• Quality Assurance Log & Action Needs ensures issue documentation system, drives effective follow through, collaborates with management to ensure staff accountability for their areas of responsibility, and secures timely issue resolution
• Food Recall ensures successful product withdrawal or recall from market if necessary

Required Skills/Abilities

• Strong Knowledge of HACCP, Preventive Controls for Human Food, GMPs, FDA regulations, SQF, BRC, or equivalent GFSI standards
• Strong knowledge of Root Cause Analysis systems.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and decision-making skills.
• Computer skills including word-processing, spreadsheet, and nutrition analysis software
• Analytical thinker with strong oral and written communication skills
• Strong attention to detail using excellent organizational, time management and project management skills to adhere to strict deadlines
• Must be a strong team player with well-developed interpersonal and communication skills, ability to manage conflict in a stressful environment, and ability to function well under pressure

Education/Experience

• Bachelor's Degree
• Food professional experience preferred.
• ServSafe, HACCP and PCQI certification desirable.
• Experience in Manufacturing Quality Assurance, GMP's, HACCP, sanitation, process and continuous improvement.

Physical Requirements

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl; talk or hear; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift or move up to 15 pounds. The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may also be regularly exposed to chilled air conditioned conditions which may require extra layers of clothing to remain comfortable as well as various cleaning fluid fumes. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to loud.

Drug Free Workplace

Open Hand is a drug free and substance abuse free work environment. Random drug testing may be conducted by an external, neutral tester on all employees. Any perceived use of drugs or reporting to work under the influence of alcohol may be grounds for immediate dismissal.

Equal Opportunity

Open Hand is an equal employment opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status, political affiliation, or any other factor protected by law. Open Hand complies with the law regarding reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled employees.