What are the responsibilities and job description for the QFS Scientist position at Post Consumer Brands?
Business Unit Overview:
At Post Consumer Brands, we take pride in our longstanding legacy of making one of every five breakfast cereals families eat daily. Today, we’re just as focused on our future as we expand our grocery business with different shelf-stable foods, including snacks and peanut butter. We are committed to providing accessible and delicious food for families, and we’re always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio. As we soar to new heights, we need creative, determined individuals from all walks of life to join our team, where your unique perspective and ideas are acknowledged and valued. Be a part of a company that empowers you to make a difference that’s evident on grocery store shelves and families’ tables across North America.
Location Description:
LOCATION: this position is M-F day on-site day shift
Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Qualifications:
Experience:
Headquartered in Lakeville, Minn., Post Consumer Brands, a business unit of Post Holdings, Inc., is dedicated to providing people and their pets with delicious food choices for every taste and budget. The company’s portfolio includes beloved brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats®, PEBBLES®, Grape-Nuts® and Malt-O-Meal® cereal, and Peter Pan® peanut butter, as well as Rachael Ray® Nutrish®, Kibbles ‘n Bits® and 9Lives® dog and cat food. As a company committed to high standards of quality and to our values, we are driven by one idea: To make lives better by making delicious food accessible for all. For more information about our brands, visit www.postconsumerbrands.com and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest news.
Brand:
Post Consumer Brands recently acquired several iconic pet food brands, venturing into a new market while remaining true to our purpose to provide delicious and accessible food that our consumers love. We’re always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio, and right now, we’re growing and need passionate, driven individuals with diverse perspectives to help us reach greater heights. That’s where you come in. Join a team where your voice is not only heard but valued. Make a real impact on brands enjoyed by millions of people and their pets.
At Post Consumer Brands, we take pride in our longstanding legacy of making one of every five breakfast cereals families eat daily. Today, we’re just as focused on our future as we expand our grocery business with different shelf-stable foods, including snacks and peanut butter. We are committed to providing accessible and delicious food for families, and we’re always searching the center store for the next exciting product to add to our portfolio. As we soar to new heights, we need creative, determined individuals from all walks of life to join our team, where your unique perspective and ideas are acknowledged and valued. Be a part of a company that empowers you to make a difference that’s evident on grocery store shelves and families’ tables across North America.
Post Consumer Brands in Battle Creek, Mich., the cereal capital of the U.S., is the company's largest manufacturing plant and home to about 600 team members. When you join the team here, you'll be helping to produce some of the most iconic cereal brands, including Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, PEBBLES cereal, Grape-Nuts and Honeycomb cereal. The Battle Creek plant is also unique as it is home to the original barn where C.W. Post started the Postum cereal company in 1895. The Battle Creek team has deep community roots, supporting the city's Cereal Festival, local elementary schools, and hosting several on-site volunteer events throughout the year.
Responsibilities:
OVERVIEW:
Provide technical quality and food safety support to Operations, Engineering/Maintenance, and Product Development with an emphasis on continuous improvement, consumer/customer requirements, and continuous product quality. Support, implement, and maintain food safety practices as required through SQF. Responsible for completing job duties in a manner that supports all plant safety, food safety, quality, and environmental practices.
LOCATION: this position is M-F day on-site day shift
Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
- Provide daily business support by attending and reporting out (where appropriate) business, project, test lot meetings.
- Coordinate, perform, and write work instructions as requested.
- Conduct consumer and customer complaint investigations and report findings to consumer affairs group.
- Reports to Senior QFS Scientist to manage Food Safety Plan (FSP) process, including reviewing existing plans, modifying plans for new products/processes, and verifying current plans.
- Develop and conduct Quality and Food Safety function training for assigned Plants.
- Support the Plant Quality and Food Safety Manager in planning plant quality systems, procedures and methodologies to meet internal and external customer expectations.
- Interact with ingredient vendors by providing information and insight into non-compliant ingredient occurrences to track costs and assist in corrective action procedures.
- Work cross-functionally when problems arise to investigate and understand root cause and facilitate the holding/sampling and disposition of the product.
- Analyze noncompliance trends for assigned plants and develop improvement plans in conjunction with Plant Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager and Operations Management.
- Collaborate with the Senior QFS Scientist for support of all audit activities, including preparation, support during the audit(s), and potential follow-up.
- Provide support to Operations for prerequisite program development outlined in the Food Safety Plan.
- Serve as back-up to Senior Quality and Food Safety Scientist.
- Back-up other positions in the department as needed.
Qualifications:
Education:
- Four-year college degree in Food Science, Biological Sciences, Chemical Sciences, or other related field of study strongly preferred.
- Preventative Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI), HACCP, Food Defense, and SQF Certification preferred.
Experience:
Minimum of 3 years food product experience required preferably as a QA Technician or Quality Supervisor
Other Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
- Excellent organizational and problem solving skills
- Ability to work with a PC and have demonstrated math/statistical computation skills
- Knowledge of SPC
- Ability to work safely with chemicals, as well as, in and around equipment
- Ability to compile, analyze and present collected data in summary form as well as being capable of performing a variety of tests.
- Ability to communicate technical, scientific, and regulatory information, both written and verbally.
- Interpersonal and presentation skills, including the ability to make presentations, facilitate meetings, probe for root cause, and provide training to various groups within the organization
Knowledge of CI problem solving tools
Leadership Expectations:
- Must have strong analytical and business judgment including demonstrated problem-solving and trouble-shooting skills.
- Results driven for being the low cost producer and supporting company growth strategies.
- Have strong bias for action, while proving the ability to inspire others.
- Convey high level of optimism in finding ways to achieve aggressive targets.
- Communicates a sense of purpose. Talks about the possibilities and is optimistic. Creates strong morale and spirit within teams.
- Solves complex problems and prioritizes actions in a timely manner. Probes all sources for answers and can quickly sense what will help resolve issues.
- Establish clear directions, lays out work in a well-planned and organized manner.
- Speaks candidly and provides constructive feedback in a professional manner.
- Organizes and manages projects; interacts, supports, facilitates and leads multi-functional work teams; leads teams to consensus; strong negotiation skills.
- Able to build strong and diverse relationships across the business groups they partner with. Supports and fosters change.
- Demonstrates a passion for safety. Able to develop and maintain a respectful and safe work environment.
