Quality Assurance Supervisor at Joplin MO

Job Title:                     Quality Assurance Supervisor

Reports To:                 Quality Manager

Summary:                     The Quality Assurance Supervisor is responsible for managing the daily execution of the various components of the food safety and quality programs and for supervising the lab technicians and sanitation.

Qualifications and Requirements:

1. Previous supervisory experience in a food manufacturing facility.
2. BS degree in technical field
3. Computer literate in Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook
4. Experience with food manufacturing tests (water activity, moisture, residual oxygen, leak detection, micro swab/test, pH, NIR, etc.).
5. Certifications for each:  HACCP, FSPCA/PCQI, and SQF Practitioner
6. Math skills with basic statistics a plus
7. Inquisitive mind capable of deductive reasoning and logical thought process
8. Effective interpersonal skills - including positive, diplomatic, proactive verbal communication and the ability to listen attentively and understand verbal information
9. Ability to make adequate judgments based upon process/product knowledge
10. Ability to operate effectively under moderate stress
11. Ability to organize work and be efficient to meet time demands
12. Ability to read and understand documentation, on paper or in an electronic medium
13. Ability to review written and computerized information to identify errors
14. Ability to adapt to various environments, handle and accept change in a positive manner

Personnel & Department Management

Responsible for training and expanding the talent of lab technicians and sanitation staff. The Supervisor will manage direction of the daily activities of those personnel and verify completion and accuracy of assigned duties.

1. Ensure lab/sanitation staff are completing required tasks and documentation.
2. Work with staff to make necessary changes required tasks to support continuous improvement efforts.
3. Ensure that staff is trained to perform tasks.
4. Cover tech responsibilities in their absence.

Quality and Food Safety Programs

Ensures the utilization of each component of the Quality and Food Safety Programs which provides structure for determining risk, analyzing issues, and resolving product and process-related problems. 

1. Ensure quality and food safety programs and documentation support safe quality food requirements.
2. Program management includes (but not limited to); standard operating procedures, corrective action/ preventive actions, voice of the consumer, retain/hold, traceability, work instructions, standard sanitation operating procedures, etc.
3. Maintain document registers to ensure that the revision dates are managed and signed off on by appropriate personnel.
4. Understand the critical zones for swabs and participate with management on swab result trends and investigative swab projects.

Product Specifications

Maintain finished product and raw product specifications to ensure that materials comply.

1. Work with management in development of product testing frequency and reporting of any negative trends to compliance to specifications.
2. Maintain product specifications on shared workspace.  Notify management of any deviations.
3. Maintain finished product and raw material analysis results on shared workspace.

Internal Audits

Participates in the development, performance and report of internal audits to verify compliance to prerequisite programs, standard operating procedures (SOP’s), sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOP’s), work instructions (WI’s), process control measures, etc.  Audit findings may require the need for a corrective action/ preventive action (CAPA’s).

1. Create/edit/implement audits based on the SQF system to ensure that the audits are completed by required frequency.
2. Work with operations to share audit findings and to work on continuous improvement efforts.

Products & Processes

Help make product acceptability decisions and process decisions that affect the quality and food safety of products. The Supervisor is responsible for working with operations to develop and implement equipment, process, and packaging material qualifications. 

1. Understand specifications and work with management/operations when deviations occur.
2. Participate in new/modified product scale ups.  Ensure that proper tests are completed.
3. Participate in new/modified equipment sanitary design audits.
4. Participate in new/modified material resources (raw materials, ingredients, packaging, etc.).
5. Participate in threat/risk assessments to support food safety and quality plans.

Voice of the Consumer (VOC)

Understand the voice of the consumer based on consumer data. 

1. Review consumer data with management.
2. Utilize data to participate in assessments, creation of internal audits, CAPA’s, etc.

Foreign Material Management & Traceability

Partner with management to identify and implement internal control measures, audit needs and training materials to prevent foreign material adulteration.  Manage the traceability process to ensure that the system is effective in tracing product and materials.

1. Review foreign material data with management for trends, etc.
2. Work with management on continuous improvement efforts to make necessary changes to equipment/process to reduce issues.
3. Participate in mock recalls to regularly test traceability system.

Inventory of Supplies & Chemicals

Responsible for ensuring that the lab and chemical supplies are maintained.  Communicate any issues with supply discrepancies.

1. Work with sanitation on chemical usage to avoid shortages.  Document usage on container or inventory sheet to show frequency of order placement. 
2. Work with management on order supply/costing of supplies and chemicals
3. Keep lab supply inventory to avoid any shortages.

Equipment Calibration

Responsible for ensuring that equipment is current on calibration.

1. Work with laboratory technicians on calibration schedule for laboratory equipment (water activity, scales, moisture, pH, NIR, etc.)
2. Work with management on calibration schedule for operational equipment (scales, metal detector (s), etc.)

Other Responsibilities

Adheres to all food safety, quality, personnel safety and GMP procedures throughout the facility. 

Completes all other assigned tasks and projects.

Primary Physical Requirements

1. The employee is occasionally required to sit; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.
2. Work in a hot/cold/wet environment.
3. Ability to tolerate working temperatures under 50oF and/or over 90oF for periods of up to three (3) hours.
4. Ability to follow safety protocols and PPE requirements when using harsh cleaning chemicals.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pou