Position Overview

This position provides support, knowledge and leadership to plant FSQA team to improve and verify FSQA policies and procedures while gaining alignment across the plant and within corporate departments to ensure Foremost Farms products meet and exceed Cooperative, customer and regulatory quality and Food Safety requirements. This position will also lead the development of the plant FSQA team and team members.

Key Accountabilities

Develops effective FSQA facilities team and team members:

• Leads and fosters cross-functional collaboration.
• Provides routine feedback to Manager I – FSQA including 1:1s, performance reviews and Individual Development plans.
• Provides leadership and guidance in developing challenging goals for the FSQA team that aligns with Cooperative strategies and personal growth.
• Develop team members with focus on succession planning and cross[1]coverage during absence.
• Develops Manager I – FSQA to perform current role efficiently and effectively while preparing individual for future roles within the organization.

Execution and improvement of FSQA procedures and policies:

• Collaborates with plant management team to ensure compliance to Food Safety and quality procedures including Food Safety / HACCP Plan, Quality Plan, GMPS, Product Traceability and Food Defense.
• Ensures facilities execute all Foremost Farms, Regulatory and Customer procedures and requirements.
• Assists facility to identify gaps and aids in determining root cause and sustainable solutions to identified gaps and audit findings.
• Ensures facilities have additional resources and expertise required to execute and improve on necessary procedures.

Support team on continuous improvement of first pass quality and customer deficiencies and escalation and problem solving on one-time high impact events:

• Acting as a technical resource for root cause analysis and resolution of food safety and quality issues.
• Foster and lead Foremost Farms inter-department communications and between Foremost Farms and customers responding to customer concerns and updates on improvement activities / results.
• Identify and lead improvement activities within the facility to improve first pass quality and customer complaint metrics.
• Ensure proper escalation of high impact incidents or trends to stakeholders within Foremost Farms.
• Provide Foremost Farms member services and owners timely and accurate data and information to ensure the highest quality milk supply at farm and facility.

Assist in identification and problem solving of conditions within facility that may lead to increased food safety or decreased quality events:

• Identify risks and opportunities to reduce risk to food safety and quality and communicate to stakeholders. Provide leadership in corrective actions and resources necessary.
• Utilize or develop metrics to identify highest priority risks and ensure action plans developed and actioned upon.
• Engage in cross-functional teams as necessary to ensure efficient and sufficient use of resources available.

Other Related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

1. Bachelors (or equivalent experience) in Biology, Dairy Science, or related field of study or knowledge related to the job and minimum of five years of job-related experience and leadership.

Preferred Qualifications:

1. HACCP / PCQI certification / Food Defense / Intentional Adulteration
2. GFSI certification and/or program experience
3. Problem identification / root cause analysis experience
4. Dairy experience with cross-functional support and engagement
5. Microsoft Office proficiency, Tableau, Sales Force, ERP

Benefits

Because you and your family matter, Foremost Farms offers some of the best benefits in the area! Our comprehensive medical plan includes health, vision, dental, and prescription insurance. You can choose to enroll in a single or family plan with low monthly premiums and low annual deductibles ($250/$500). Other benefits include:

• 401(k) with a generous company contribution (100% match on up to 8% deferral)
• Paid time off, starting at 200 hours (25 days)
• 10 Paid holidays
• Paid parental leave (6 weeks paid at 100%)
• Flexible spending accounts – for medical and dependent care (childcare) expenses
• Life and disability insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Referral program
• Advancement opportunities!

Don’t meet every single requirement? At Foremost Farms we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Foremost Farms USA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. Applicants are selected without regard to race, ethnicity, creed, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), age, national origin or ancestry, disability, genetic information, veteran/military status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristic under federal, state or local law

This job summary is intended to be brief and does not list all the duties for this position. Nothing in this job description should be construed as an express or implied contract of employment. Foremost Farms USA is an at-will employer, which means that either party is free to terminate the employment relationship at any time, without any advanced notice, for any reason or no reason.