Food Safety Quality Assurance Manager (FSQA)

The FSQA Manager works directly with the processing plant manager to ensure compliance with Foster Farms, FSIS/USDA, and customer requirements.  The incumbent administers, executes, and verifies the effective implementation of Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) policies programs to ensure the safety, legality, and quality of products.  This position manages and develops FSQA Assistant Manager, Supervisors, a HACCP Coordinator, and an extensive technical staff at the processing plant level to achieve department and company goals.  This position has the sole in-plant authority to release or retain products on FSQA Hold for quality or regulatory concerns, thus sound judgment in rendering a product as wholesome is required.

Job Functions:

The incumbent is responsible for:

• Functioning as the primary FSQA leader; managing and enforcing the implementation, verification, and validation of Food Safety programs such as HACCP/SSOP Plans; ensuring adherence with GFSI and Company internal audit standards; managing the regulatory relationship with local USDA/FSIS/AMS and other regulatory agencies; retaining products that do not conform to customer requirements, finished product specifications, or legal requirements; and rendering product dispositions, including the release into commerce.
• Managing the implementation, maintenance, evaluation, and enforcement of: USDA regulations including the working relationship with local USDA/FSIS/AMS; company FSQA policies and programs (environmental monitoring, Good Manufacturing Practices, pest control, allergen control, and finished product specification compliance); and all product monitoring programs that have legal (FSIS requirements), customer, and company requirements.
• Overseeing all team members at the processing facility (including visitors and contractors) to ensure competence in maintaining food safety and quality compliance.  This includes the design, coordination, and execution of required training in collaboration with the Human Resources, Operations, Sanitation, Maintenance, and FSQA teams to promote a culture of food safety and quality.
• Leading pathogen testing root cause investigations in partnership with Operations management to address and correct processing, sanitation, and maintenance-related deficiencies that might impact finished product safety, quality, or regulatory compliance.
• In partnership with Operations management, leading investigations to determine the root cause for finished product quality non-compliance and customer or consumer complaints and correct and prevent manufacturing, mechanical, formulation, or process control deficiencies that may lead to finished product noncompliance.
• In partnership with the site’s Operations manager, scheduling meetings and direct communications with local USDA/FSIS/AMS to coordinate and report resolution of regulatory non-compliance, as well as providing Foster Farms’ Corporate management team with data and reports to address all noncompliance trends.
• Evaluating facility specific FSQA programs and procedures to established standards and modifying programs to conform with regulatory requirements and company policies.
• Managing and improving the FSQA data reporting systems, communicating trends and root-cause analyses to Corporate management for noncompliance resolution and process improvement.
• Actively leading team projects to drive continuous improvement in product safety and quality. This may include commercialization projects organized by R&D for new products.
• Actively managing all Company and FSQA Key Performance Indicators to ensure achievement of Corporate FSQA objectives.

• A Bachelor of Science (or equivalent) degree from a 4-year, accredited college or university, preferably in the area of food or animal science, chemistry, microbiology or related field is required (extensive experience and demonstrated equivalent knowledge may be considered in lieu of formal education).
• An advanced degree is preferred (as this position is considered a key development role for advancement to the Corporate FSQA team).
• Proficient use of Microsoft Office products is required and experience with SAP and enterprise data management systems is strongly preferred.
• Minimum required 5 years of work experience in food processing with supervisory and management experience for food safety and quality systems.
• Previous managerial experience supervising salaried and non-salaried team members is required.
• Demonstrated proficiency leading and managing cross-functional teams is required.

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