Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance

We are currently seeking a Sr. Manager, Quality Assurance to join our Dairy Farmer’s of America plant in Mechanicsburg, PA. In this role, you will serve as a key member of the plant leadership team and lead the quality department to build and maintain an effective culture of food safety and quality through continuous improvement and regulatory compliance. The action-oriented leader we seek will be highly organized and knowledgeable to influence and cultivate a robust food safety and quality culture.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Manage and ensure daily plant quality and food safety operations are compliant with DFA policies and procedures and local, state, and federal regulations.
• Maintain audit readiness.
• Manage the Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA) program and conduct follow-up to ensure the effectiveness of actions.
• Develop and maintain a robust food safety and quality training program.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement and drive implementation.
• Escalate nonconformances to the quality director and plant manager in a timely fashion.
• Provide technical oversight of plant sanitation and ensure sanitation programs are effective and robust.
• Ensure the plant pest control programs are current, followed, and utilized to enable proactive maintenance.
• Manage the facility’s change control program to enable risk assessment and decisions.
• Ensure compliance with specifications, manufacturing instructions, and preventive maintenance programs. Partner with operations to ensure the preventive maintenance program is robust and adhered to.
• Collaboratively lead investigations relating to non-conforming events driving to the root cause(s) and effective resolution.
• Manage hold and release programs.
• Review records to ensure they are completed as required and review/approval is current for preventive controls, laboratory, sanitation, production, and verification checks.
• Track and report on plant quality key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Participate in the annual plant budgeting process.
• Partner with the plant manager and engineering to identify key capital projects supporting food safety and quality initiatives.
• Provide training to the plant personnel concerning food safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), and regulatory compliance.
• Provide quality leadership during unplanned events or emergencies.
• Provide visible leadership by participating in facility walk-throughs and conducting internal audits.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and influence, along with a proven track record of success.
• Engage and interact with all personnel to gain deep understanding of the daily operations and assist with their challenges and questions concerning food safety.
• Collaborate with R&D during new/reformulated product introduction to ensure compliance with already established specifications and regulatory requirements.
• Serve as the point of contact for customer-related issues, complaints, or inquiries.
• Manage plant complaint investigations ensuring a thorough, effective, timely and customer-facing response.
• Monitor compliance with customer expectations and specifications; communicate any issues/concerns.
• Maintain plant preparedness for customer and regulatory visits.
• Manage all analytical and micro activities performed at the facility.
• Oversee the development and management of complex laboratory practices to ensure accurate and precise quality control (QC) results.
• Perform data analysis to identify critical trends or find leading indicators to enable proactive decisions.
• Coordinate the collection and evaluation of raw materials and finished products.
• Ensure the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) is robust, and risk-based with a search-and-destroy mentality applied. Determine the root cause of failures and take the appropriate corrective action.
• Coordinate and supervise factory and external lab testing of samples; ensure timely and accurate generation of Certificates of Analysis (COA’s).
• Maintain the quality management system and ensure documents are up to date and comply to the food safety and quality (FSQ) policies and standards.
• Prepare plant-specific work instructions as needed.
• Ensure SSOP documents are robust and adhere to the sanitation standard.
• Ensure all forms and work instructions are reviewed, revised, and updated annually.
• Perform management activities such as administering employee promotions and transfers; conducting ongoing performance conversations; mentoring, training, and coaching employees.
• Follow all DFA good manufacturing practices (GMP) and work in a manner consistent with all corporate regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, biological sciences, or related curriculum (or equivalent combination of education and experience).
• 8 years’ experience in quality assurance or related experience in food, beverage, or similar industry.
• 3 years’ experience supervising or managing people.
• Strong knowledge of both laboratory and plant current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).
• Experience with Low Acid Canned Foods (LACF) and familiarity with 21CFR113 including successful completion of Better Process Control School.
• Certification and/or License – PCQI, HACCP, SQF Practitioner certifications preferred; may be required during the course of employment.
• Critical thinking, analysis, mathematical calculations, and statistical evaluations.

Benefits:

• Health and Welfare benefits begin 1st of the month after start date
• 401(k) with company contribution
• Competitive pay
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Career growth opportunities – we promote from within!
• Comprehensive healthcare benefits
• Service recognition and employee rewards
• Employee referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Work for dairy farm families