Quality Assurance Manager (Ice Cream)

Quality Manager

Manage and lead a quality department and ensure effective quality execution, continuous improvement, and regulatory compliance. In conjunction with plant operations, maintain an effective culture of food safety and quality within the facility. Develop and/or maintain processes that ensure finished product is food safe and meets finished product specifications. Function as a highly organized and effective communicator with the ability to investigate and lead solution-based decision making in the plant.

Job Duties And Responsibilities

1. Ensure daily plant quality and food safety operations are compliant with DFA policies and procedures and local, state, and federal regulations
2. Maintain audit readiness
3. Maintain a robust food safety program and subsequent quality program
4. Escalate non-conformance events to the quality director and plant manager
5. Oversee plant sanitation to drive a robust sanitation program
6. Ensure the plant pest control programs are current, followed, and utilized to enable proactive maintenance
7. Manage the facility's change control program to enable robust risk assessment and decisions
8. Ensure compliance to specification, manufacturing instructions, and preventive maintenance programs. Partner with operations to ensure preventive maintenance program is robust and adhered to
9. Collaboratively lead investigations relating to non-conforming events driving to root cause(s) and effective resolution
10. Manage hold and release programs
11. Review records daily to ensure all records are completed as required and review/approval is current for preventive controls, laboratory, sanitation, production, and verification checks
12. Track and report on plant quality key performance indicators (KPIs)
13. Participate in the annual plant budgeting process
14. Partner with the plant manager on identifying key capital projects that support food safety and quality initiatives
15. Provide training to the plant personnel concerning food safety, Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and regulatory compliance
16. Provide quality leadership during unplanned events or emergencies
17. Provide visible leadership by participating in facility walk throughs and internal audits
18. Engage and interact with all personnel on a regular basis assisting them with their challenges and questions concerning food safety
19. Collaborate with R&D during new/reformulated product introduction to ensure compliance with already established specifications and regulatory requirements
20. Serve as the point of contact for customer related issues, complaints, or inquires
21. Manage plant complaint investigations ensuring a thorough, effective, timely and customer facing response
22. Monitor compliance to customer expectation and specifications; communicate any issues/concerns
23. Maintain plant preparedness for customer and regulatory visits
24. Manage all analytical and micro activities performed at the facility
25. Oversee the development of laboratory practices to ensure accurate and precise quality control (QC) results
26. Perform data analysis to identify critical trends or find leading indicators to enable proactive decisions
27. Coordinate the collection and evaluation of raw materials and finished products
28. Ensure the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) is robust, and risk based with a search and destroy mentality applied. Determine root cause of failures and take the appropriate corrective action
29. Escalate non-conformances to quality director and plant manager in a timely fashion
30. Coordinate and supervise factory and external lab testing of samples; generate Certificate of Analysis (COA's)
31. Maintain the quality management system and ensure documents are up to date and comply to the food safety and quality (FSQ) policies and standards
32. Prepare plant specific work instructions as needed
33. Ensure SSOP documents are robust and adhere to the sanitation standard
34. Ensure all forms and work instructions are reviewed, revised, and updated annually
35. Perform management activities such as administering employee promotions and transfers; conducting ongoing performance conversations; mentoring, training, and coaching employees
36. Follow all DFA good manufacturing practices (GMP) and work in a manner consistent with all corporate regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements
37. The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required