MAIN FUNCTIONS: Provide support, guidance and oversite to operations and Quality and Food Safety systems. Provide support to Commercial and R&D groups.

REPORTS TO: Head Corporate Food Safety & Quality

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Supervises production documentation systems, which includes the control of quality systems documents (policies, procedures, work instructions, recordkeeping).
• Coordinate with Food Safety team creating new documents, revising existing documents, determining training needs, overseeing the approval and distribution processes, maintaining document control database, and coordinating document reviews. Manage review, storage and archiving of quality records. Fulfill requests for data and reports (ex. Corporate, environmental).
• Supports commercialization activities for new products from special batch phase through initial production. Including but not limited to creating manufacturing instructions, inspection requirements, developing record keeping documents and other operational requirements to bring new products from concept to production.
• Lead and coordinate other Food Safety / Quality program efforts such as Customer Audits, FSSC22000 certification audits, facility verification / validation activities, HACCP / Food Safety Program, Organic Certification, Gluten-Free Certification, GMO Free Certification, Halal, Kosher, Food Defense or Food Security Improvements, etc.
• Lead Food Safety continuous improvement efforts (complaint reduction, program reassessments, data collection systems, training).
• Lead and manage the Testing laboratory operations.
• Manages product and environmental microbiological testing program.
• Provides quality and Food Safety training and awareness to plant employees.
• Provides support and training to Production team in support of product inspection programs, laboratory testing, environmental monitoring, and calibration activities.
• Manage product formulas by creating/revising plant floor formulas, ensuring alignment with approved formulas and specifications. Schedule and coordinate audits to ensure formula system integrity.
• Lead plant internal quality and food safety inspections. Create and coordinate schedule, coordinate training, qualification, and calibration of auditors, develop checklists, generate reports and follow-through with corrective action assignees to ensure CARs are completed, effectiveness is verified, and audits are closed. Participate in programs as an auditor/inspector.
• Champions plant traceability systems and mock recall exercises for ingredients, packaging and finished product. Executes plant-scheduled and Corporate-initiated trace exercises. Leads plant food defense team by conducting team meetings, audits, and assessments.
• Lead investigations of in-plant quality incidents (foreign material, nonconforming product) and consumer complaints, identifying root causes and facilitating corrective action with plant teams. Interprets and reports consumer complaint data trends and facilitates action plans.
• Function as HACCP / Food Safety team member responsible for conducting risk assessments and organizing program reassessments for continuous improvement.
• Identify opportunities and design plans for expanded use of the plant electronic data collection system, anticipating future applications.
• Cross-train team members in QA and FS functions
• Designs and develops work plans for the appropriate AGT Foods Business supporting multiple projects of varying complexity and technical risk.
• Conduct trials in pilot plant/manufacturing facilities to assess manufacturing capabilities.
• Initiate product and process improvements.
• Recommend actions for improvement and assure resolution.
• Interface and communicate directly with the customer of AGT Food’s products.
• Communicate at all levels of the organization.
• Provide FSQA support to Co-Mans, External warehouses, transloaders and outsourced operations as required
• This role will also be required to provide support in other operations as required

COMPETENCY REQUIREMENTS:

• Bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s degree in engineering, Biology, or Food Science preferred
• Relevant Food industry experience - minimum 5yrs
• Management experience - minimum 5yrs
• Onsite role in Minot ND
• Strong ability to properly assess risk and prioritize actions accordingly. Able to manage multiple priorities and know when to pull in resources.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to build relationships and get work accomplished with and through people at all levels of the organization, differing styles, and multiple functions.
• Experience in the food industry plant environment with an understanding of manufacturing processes. Extrusion experience preferred.
• Practical knowledge and application of food safety principles (ex. Regulatory, PCQI, HACCP, FSSC2200, GMPs, food microbiology)
• Practical knowledge and application of quality systems
• Strong technical acumen - ability to troubleshoot a problem, involve other stakeholders as necessary, and brainstorm potential root causes
• Strong interpersonal skills and leadership abilities
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Effective abilities in organizing and deductive thinking
• Computer skills including proficiency with Microsoft Office software, able to master other software
• Able to communicate at any organizational level
• Effective presentation skills
• Promotes engagement & diversity
• Ability to work effectively lead by example and coach others within a team-based high performing organization
• Ability to Travel up to 20% of the time.
• The employee is working out in the manufacturing environment 70 - 80% of the time and is exposed to machinery, heat, changes in elevation, wet floors, cleaning chemicals, interfacing with powered industrial equipment as a pedestrian, and high noise levels on a routine basis.