Quality Assurance Technician

Job Description

Salary: $50-$60,000

Title: Quality Assurance Technician

Department: Quality

Reports to: Quality Manager

Position: Exempt

Major Responsibilities/Activities:

Production, Warehouse, and Production Floor Quality Assurance

Support and correctly enforce execution of GMPs throughout the plant and follow safety rules and procedures; follow and carry out company policy on all required GMP, quality and food safety requirements and escalate quality or food safety findings or incidents. Retain product as may be necessary consistent with PROBAR policy and when personnel or food safety is in immediate risk, halt production/warehouse operations and immediately work with Group Managers to resolve issue, correct behavior-based practices causing stoppage, restart production/warehouse operations, and document for daily records.

Hold "Out of specification" material. Communicate with Supervisors.

Investigate improvement projects (e.g. holds, consumer complaints, micro-result deviations, process deviations), identify root causes, and helps to identify corrective actions and monitors for effectiveness.

Support training for line operators to ensure process checks are accurate and timely as stated in PROBAR, LLC. policy.

Retain finished good samples and set up sensory panel daily.

Utilize net contents software/hardware (X-ray) and manual sampling method to obtain net content information to release finished goods as well as assist operators with the use of net contents equipment.

Oversee results recording for net contents, sensory, HACCP and SSOP and train as needed, upgrade programs as needed, support success and correct improper execution as needed.

Assist in PROBAR Document Control System, record retention program and management of Recipe/Formula/Deviation distribution and historical-file maintenance.

Understand Operational Sanitation as it relates to food safety and plant hygiene and train others and enforce defined standards.

Ensures that a high quality of products, services, housekeeping, and hygiene standards are maintained and improved in designated areas.

Execute Quality Control Audits in multiple area’s

Create Corrective Action Reports and follow through to resolution. Track and trend CARs and escalate trends to group managers.

Understand and make decisions based first on personnel safety, secondly on food safety and oversight (FDA, Organic, Non-GMO, etc) regulation compliance, and thirdly on operational profitability—not compromising a higher priority for a lower priority—being creative in defining programs that can achieve all three.

Laboratory, Micro

Be fully capable of filling in for Micro Lab Supervisor for up to one month.

Laboratory, R&D

Be fully capable of executing R&D Tech activities as may be assigned as a resource by General Manager or Quality Manager.

Quality Assurance

Perform verification on finished goods documentation to ensure that each finished goods lot meets positive release criteria.

Support Management of Change Process.

Support Tracking/Trending of Behavior Based Quality Programs and contribute observation-based program enhancements to improve trending quality behavior.

Supports continuous improvement of Quality metrics/KPIs in all areas.

Capable of CFR research and interpretation into policy or other program as required

Be an expert in each requirement of the HACCP plan and oversee daily compliance

Be an expert in each requirement of the SSOP program and oversee daily compliance

Creation and revision of SOP and PRP governing company programs

Execute HACCP validations as outlined in the HACCP plan and ensure compliance

Execute SSOP monitoring and verifications in the SSOP program ensuring compliance

Execute gap-analysis audits of SOP and PRP policies, recommend solutions to supervisors and Managers

Responsibilities include being a SQF Practitioner and helping production, warehouse, and other area’s follow pre-determined SQF policies

Minimum Requirements and Skills:

Bachelors in food science, microbiology, or chemistry preferred; College or University course work with experience sufficient to equal a bachelor degree, or equivalent experience.

Strong attention to detail

Must be precise and accurate, well organized.

Able to handle multiple assignments at one time.

Must be able to perform in a demanding, fast-paced environment.

Must be able to work within an environment of “change”.

Able to cause continuous personal, personnel, and process improvement

Strong analytical skills in applied research and commercial testing with experience in field research studies

Able to make decisions based on supporting science

Excellent communication, leadership, personal initiative

Computer proficiency in Excel, Word, email, and all currently standard office work software skills.

Note: Nothing in this job description restricts managements right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.