Quality Assurance Manager
Resume:
Kristine E. Word
Lakewood, CO ****5
*******@*****.***
Experience: Fifteen years management experience in Quality Assurance, Research & Development, Food Safety, and Sanitation in
manufacturing, restaurants, and retail, foods, dairy, fruit, and beverages.
Leprino Foods –Denver, CO 2008-2009 (current)
Director of Sanitation
Directly responsible for 9 plants and the sanitation programs and management staff to continuously improve the sanitation
effectiveness. Regularly audit plants and train management in Sanitation process, Sanitary Design, Master Sanitation, and CAPA
programs. Effectively manage projects, programs, and processes toward improved sanitation from remote locations across the
Country. Successfully influence senior management to improve quality of product, reduce risk to the business and improve Food
Safety programs.
Rubio’s Restaurants Inc.- Carlsbad, CA 2007- 2008 Lay off /Severance
Director of Quality Assurance and Food Safety
Directly responsible for the Quality Assurance and Food Safety of ingredients, suppliers, processing/manufacturing, and restaurant
practices for 170 restaurants over five states. (CA, UT, AZ, CO, NV). Approved and audited ingredient suppliers manufacturing
facilities and restaurants. Directed business objectives for Quality Assurance and Food Safety for the organization. Directly
responsible for creating and implementing Quality KPI’s for the organization and the improvement of the measurements at the stores.
Implemented, trained and improved the Food Safety training to restaurant management to result in an increased rate of successfully
passing the nationally recognized ServSafe test for Certification of 100% from 50% of management. Implemented Quality
measurements for suppliers. Effectively prepare and present information to senior management, public groups, and board of directors
on quarterly basis. Proactively establishes and maintains relationships with all departments to enhance quality and profitability.
Due to the economy and the fatal loss in sales, decreased transactions and increase costs of ingredients; my position was “laid off”
effective April 24th, 2008.
Bear Creek Operations (Harry & David Corporation) - Medford, OR 2003-2007
Corporate Quality Control Manager for Technical Services and Quality Assurance Department
Manufacturing company that supports four business units, Confections/Bakery, Candy, Fruit processing, and Rose Farm. Responsible
for overseeing, developing and improving quality in the four production facilities. Approving and working with the suppliers for
continuous improvements. Process improvements, incoming to finished gift quality assurance, food safety and quality defect
reporting. Directly responsible for approving key ingredients and approving private label suppliers for retail stores and manufacturing
plants. Developed and monitored Distribution and Materials receiving Quality parameters while continuously improving measures.
Created Co-Pack Quality Manual for new business that was directly responsible for a costs savings of $500,000 for business.
Implemented and continuously improved Quality metrics during harvest of Pears and Peaches. Influenced operations to use statistical
process of Quality measurements in the decision for harvesting fruit from the orchards. Promotional opportunity.
Ocean Spray Cranberries -Henderson, NV 2002 – 2003
Quality Plant Manager
Responsible for Quality Department and high speed filling operation for Ocean Spray products and the Quality Co-Pack Manager for
Pepsi and Nestles’ products. Provide leadership and direction to the facility as a member of the Leadership team for the plant and
Quality metrics. Responsible for plant Crisis Management and liaison to Regulatory Officials. Provide interface with Corporate
Quality, R &D and Procurement. Drive the use of metrics and measures to track, improve and monitor results to ensure product
quality and food safety. Oversee budget performance: material loss and process improvement. Responsible for overseeing, developing
and improving on line quality measures such as Consumer Complaint Rate, Statistical process improvement, Quality Holds, Line time
efficiencies and Sanitation. Improved Sanitation systems and improved line time while decreasing costs by reducing water, manual
cleaning, sanitation time, product change- over, and chemical usage in the CIP systems by 20% for 2003. Developed an auditing
program for “leadership” and development” of staff while increasing an interest in Quality and Food Safety for the company that was
used Company wide for all plants. Decreased customer complaint rate by 10% for the top five complaints. Nestles’ alliance with
Ocean Spray for purchasing power created management change for Henderson plant- took proactive approach for secure career
opportunity.
Coca- Cola (Minute Maid Division) - Waco, TX 1999 – 2002
Quality Systems Facilitator
Primarily responsible for the Quality of products and the supervision of three shifts to include a staff of 56 people over three shifts
24/7. Perform trials for bottle, cap, and ingredient suppliers with emphasis in decreasing cost and maintaining quality. Provides a
quality minded influence to 300 employees; decreasing loss by $76,000 in Quality Hold products in Q1 of 2001. Management
responsibilities include directly interviewing, hiring, educating and coaching 56 employees. Provided direct leadership for R.O. water
treatment system, batching, pre-stage, blenders, quality inspectors, quality tests, formulation, and lab instruments for five production
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departments. Transitioned to second and third shifts Quarterly to improve employee moral and to continuously improve TCCQM
(Total Coca Cola Quality Management Systems. Support role to Engineers, Operations, Human Resources and Maintenance
department for a 900,000 square foot manufacturing facility with 15 lines to include Hot Fill, Cold Fill, Aseptic, and Pouch for Non-
Carbonated drinks such as POWERade, Minute Maid fruit Juices, and Bacardi Bar Mixes. Promotional opportunity as Co-pack
Technical resource to Nestles’ and Pepsi motivated move to Henderson.
Borden Milk Products - Austin, TX 1997 –1999
QC Manager
Quality Manager for dairy plant. Responsible for implementation of HACCP, OSHA, GMP’s, SPC, Appendix N, and Quality Manuals
while managing a lab staff for a 24/7 operation. Consistent recognition and achievement for increased customer complaint satisfaction.
Actively develop/managed budgets that enhanced business profitability and high quality. Primarily contact for FDA, state and local
regulatory officials for training officers. Performed Microbiological testing in the lab, analytical testing for pesticides, and antibiotics
and worked on new CIP install for new lines. Facilitated sanitation for labor, equipment, water/chemicals usage, and timing. Attended
FDA program to obtain license for Dairy Equipment Testing. Directly responsible for costs savings for improving Sanitation, Butterfat
testing and Antibiotic testing by researching new technology, budgeting new equipment purchase, training staff in testing
methodologies. Improved accuracies and decreased wait time in testing products to release. Promotional opportunity to expand my
knowledge from Dairy to Juice, carbonated and Energy/Sport beverages.
La Corona Foods - Phoenix, AZ 1992 – 1997
Quality/Technical Manager
Responsible for the Quality, R&D, and Technical Departments for yogurt manufacturing company. Approved suppliers and performed
internal and external audits. Responsibilities included researching equipment for new line demands. Responsible for building and
improving customer relationships with suppliers, auditors, and private label clients. Product developer for new products testing, pilot
plant and trials. Performed Competition comparison, new product cuttings, and technical presentations Executive team. Perform
chemical, analytical tests, microbiology, and pasteurization tests and improved processes and procedures while making continuous
improvements to existing practices. Owner-Charles Prichard sold the business to Dean Foods and I returned to Texas to be closer to
family.
Education: Bachelor of Science- Pre-Med/Biology with Chemistry minor
Angelo State University-1992
University of London, England-1989
Professional Education:
NRA Seminar in Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory
AIB/NFPA Internal auditing and Supplier auditing Seminars
Organoleptic/Sensory Tasting for the dairy, food and beverage industry
University of TN-Knoxville - Statistical Process Control and Continuous Improvement (3-week)
TQM, Lean Manufacturing, and Kaizen
UC Davis-Post Harvest Technology (2 week)
Improving Sanitation seminar in Dairy Processing
HACCP for the Dairy and Juice Industry-National Food Processors Association (NFPA)
Dairy Process (Pasteurizer) Certification, Texas Department of Health
HR Targeted Selection for interviewing, hiring and leadership training
Management Academy for Professionals
Nutritional Labeling Law Seminar
Certified Laboratory Evaluator for the Department of Agriculture
Various instrumentation training for processing and laboratory equipment, GC, Density meters, HPLC, pesticide testing,
refractometer, Penetrometer, Antibiotics/Charm, p.H., Certified laboratory evaluations officer in Microbiology (Standards for testing
Dairy products).
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