Summary: As the Quality Assurance Manager, you will be responsible for managing the quality assurance programs for the Green Plains Shenandoah, Iowa site, as well as managing the quality control lab of the new Clean Sugar process, while also supporting the goals and objectives of the company. You will be expected to support the process by providing quality, food safety, and operational guidance and report to the Director of Quality.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

Food Safety/ Quality Assurance (FSQA)

• Manage all FSQA safety-related programs for the Green Plains Shenandoah, IA facility. This includes ensuring the implementation of all FSQA policies and procedures established by Corporate Quality to ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory and customer requirements.
• Provide food safety training to all plant team members upon hire, annually and more frequently, as needed.
• Lead the plant’s Food Safety and HACCP teams.
• Maintain the plant Food Safety Plans (HACCP/HARPC).
• Lead the plant team in the root cause analysis of all internal and external food safety-related audit findings; this includes assigning and tracking corrective actions as well as responding to findings in the non-conformance tracking system.
• Lead the plant team in the root cause analysis of customer complaints and provide responses that include the causes and corrective actions identified.
• Conduct verification inspections to ensure maintenance of the Food Safety and Quality Management Systems, Food Safety/HACCP plans, Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), prerequisite programs, manufacturing processes, plant environment, and finished product to ensure compliance.

Quality Control - CST

• Ensure the Clean Sugar laboratory complies with all plant safety, health and environmental requirements.
• Ensure the laboratory team follows all applicable company policies and procedures.
• Manage lab staff to ensure lab is appropriately staffed to support the Clean Sugar process operations. This includes the performance of reviews to verify competency and contribution of the process.
• Ensure lab participates in routine proficiency testing program.
• Ensure the lab operates in compliance with Good Laboratory Practices (GLP).
• Manage the inventories and ordering of Clean Sugar chemicals, food safety, and lab supplies.
• Manage the calibration program for all lab equipment that ensures the quality, safety and legality of the products.
• Ensure all lab equipment is maintained and operational for the timely testing of in-process and finished product samples.
• Maintain adequate records of all laboratory analytical testing and calibration results.
• Monitor Clean Sugar plant quality parameters; prepare reports, analyze data, and make recommendations to drive continuous improvement and resolve process-related issues.
• Actively monitor relevant in-process parameters using the data historian to predict potential quality-related events and collaborate with the operations team to mitigate the process risk
• Work in a collaborative manner to train the plant operations team on relevant unit operations and the influences on product quality.
• Ensure all applicable employees are adequately trained in instrument calibration and analytical methods to ensure accuracy in testing results.
• Lead or support projects that improve efficiency and/or reduce costs in the lab and process.
• Manage the MOC and New Chemical requests for the CST area.
• Maintain technical working knowledge of the process and provide guidance to the Operations team based on analytical data and process trends.
• Work effectively with other department managers, maintenance, and engineers to achieve plant and company objectives.
• Accountable for managing lab costs and understanding of departmental budget cost drivers.
• Perform other duties as assigned by direct manager or designee

Work Conditions:

• The employee must occasionally lift and move up to 50 lbs.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to work near mechanical parts.
• The employee may be exposed to dusty conditions.
• The employee is regularly exposed to high-noise environments.
• The employee is regularly exposed to outside weather in all conditions.
• The employee may be exposed to chemicals used in the process.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree (BA or BS) from a four-year college or university in a related scientific or technical field.
• Minimum of four years of prior experience in managing food safety programs or laboratories in a plant production facility, syrup refinery, or other food ingredient production experience preferred
• Managerial or supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience with implementing analytical testing methods.
• Experience maintaining analytical instrumentation.
• Must have a strong technical understanding of processing equipment.
• Must be a strong communicator, both verbal and written
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of food safety regulations in accordance with 21 CFR 117.
• Must have the ability to work efficiently with computerized laboratory equipment.
• HACCP, PCQI, and internal auditing certification preferred.
• Experience using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OSI PI, LIMS and lab equipment software.
• Valid driver’s license required.

Green Plains Inc. offers competitive pay: a generous benefit package including business casual work environment, health, dental, vision, life insurance, paid holidays, Paid Time Off (PTO) and a 401(k) retirement plan with immediate vesting and company safe harbor matching. All potential employees of Green Plains Inc. will be required to successfully pass a pre-employment drug screening and background check prior to employment.

Equal Opportunity Employer

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Other duties may be assigned.

Company Description
Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) is a leading biorefining company focused on the development and utilization of fermentation, agricultural and biological technologies in the processing of annually renewable crops into sustainable value-added ingredients. This includes the production of cleaner low carbon biofuels, renewable feedstocks for advanced biofuels and high purity alcohols for use in cleaners and disinfectants. Green Plains is an innovative producer of Ultra-High Protein and novel ingredients for animal and aquaculture diets to help satisfy a growing global appetite for sustainable protein. 

#INDSJ