Food Safety Manager

Mastronardi Produce pioneered the commercial greenhouse industry in North America, and we’re now the leading greenhouse vegetable company on the continent. Our award-winning, flavorful produce is packed under the SUNSET® brand and is available at leading grocery retailers across North America. Family owned for over 65 years, we pride ourselves on having the most flavorful products and the best people in the industry. We are constantly pushing boundaries to be a leader in fresh produce innovation. We seek individuals that demonstrate our PRIDE values (Passion, Respect, Innovation, Drive, Excellence) to help us fulfill our mission to inspire healthy living through WOW flavor experiences.

Our greenhouse facility based in Berea, Kentucky is currently seeking a Manager of Food Safety. The Food Safety Manager will provide leadership, direction, and day-to-day support to operations management to drive compliance with the corporate Safe Quality Foods plan. The Food Safety Manager is directly responsible for the maintenance of the site’s Food Safety & Food Quality system (FSS) activities and assisting the Sr. Director of food safety in the support and maintenance of the FSS at all other Mastronardi distribution facilities - by providing guidance, communication, and follow-up on FSS policies, procedures, and documentation. The Manager must coordinate the resolution of specific policy-related and procedural problems and incidences.

Values:

To perform the job successfully, the incumbent’s behavior must be consistent with the PRIDE values expected of all Mastronardi Produce employees: be Passionate; have Respect; be Innovative; be Driven and strive for Excellence.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Must ensure proper hygiene and cleanliness to meet Food Safety requirements.
• Must follow Company rules and regulations including Food Safety requirements, and Health & Safety policies.
• Must support the Food Safety Culture at the site.
• Directly responsible for the oversight and maintenance of the SQF Program at the assigned Mastronardi Produce
• Supervise food safety team members, approve time off, conduct performance evaluations, provide effective and continuous feedback to drive excellence at the assigned Farm.
• Provides training and mentoring to new hires within the Department of Food Safety
• Serves as the designated Safe Quality Foods (SQF) Practitioner and Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI) at assigned site.
• Responsible for overseeing collection of data for Food Safety
• Assist the management of the primary facility in achieving set Food Safety and Quality KPI’s.
• Acts as SQF Practitioner and PCQI back up, when necessary, to any other Mastronardi owned facility.
• When necessary, take charge of critical food-safety & quality issues and promptly bring them to resolution while maintaining adherence to legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Conduct routine checks to verify proper record keeping by Operations Staff for Food Safety System and Organics Compliance Plan
• Corrective Action and Preventative Measures – log and track of non-compliances and FSS incidences, do investigations, coordinate follow-up, and bring outstanding issues to closure.
• Communicates areas for improvement across the network with respect to corrective actions and follows through on these opportunities.
• Supervise FSS Training – assist in development of training programs, conduct training classes, maintain training records at assigned site.
• Prepares, organizes, leads and conducts follow-up for third-party, government, and customer audits.
• Acts as the emergency contact for the primary facility in Food Safety related issues including but not limited to recalls, power failures, potable water outages. Ensures issues are safely addressed.

Education/Background Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, sciences (biology, chemistry etc.), agriculture or another related field is preferred.
• A minimum seven to ten years’ experience in a Food Safety/Quality Assurance/Management function, with specific knowledge of SQF Systems and FSMA implementation.
• A minimum 5 years of supervisory experience is preferred.

Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Proven ability to lead and motivate teams.
• Ability to travel within the United States and Canada is required.
• Experience conducting traceability and recall exercises.
• Must maintain current HACCP certificate, PCQI certificate and Implementing SQF training documentation.
• Quality certifications considered an asset.
• Auditing experience required, with required ability to read and interpret documentation for regulatory and audit standards.
• Strong knowledge of food safety and quality systems, HACCP, ISO 9001, cGMP, SQF etc.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills at all levels inside the business and externally with suppliers, customers, and regulatory agencies.
• Excellent analytical, time management and organizational skills
• Technical skills, including computer proficiency and data management.
• Strong customer, quality, and continuous improvement focus
• Ability to document preventative and immediate corrective actions
• Valid passport and driver’s license must be maintained Team player with positive work attitude.

Working Conditions:

• Standard office environment
• Time spent in an expansive refrigerated warehouse, where the temperature averages 50°F. The background noise approaches 70 dcbs.
• Capable of lifting at least 10 lbs.
• Position requires sitting, standing, walking, and bending on a regular basis.
• Climbing platform ladders is also a requirement.
• Must have manual dexterity to perform computer skills.

Please note: Mastronardi Produce has accommodation processes and policies in place and provides accommodation for employees with disabilities. If you require a specific accommodation because of a disability or documented medical need, please contact the Human Resource office so that arrangements can be made for the appropriate accommodation to be put in place.