JOB SUMMARY: Provides leadership, direction, and day-to-day support to ensure the facility meets all applicable food safety laws, federal, state and local regulatory requirements, customer requirements and GSF’s standards. Responsible for the continued effectiveness and improvement of the Quality and Food Safety systems and programs in the assigned facility, including development and implementation of new systems in response to changes in the business objectives, regulations, GSF’s standards and/or customer requirements

Essential Functions:

1. Communicates and oversees the implementation and continual improvement of quality, food safety and regulatory programs to ensure compliance with all customer, governmental and GSF’s policies. Responsible for facility Food Safety and Quality systems & programs development and maintenance. (20 %)
2. Provides effective leadership and direction to assigned staff; including recruiting and selection of employees, assigning work, training and development, performance evaluation, and building of a motivated, effective team to ensure that organizational goals for diversity, career development, succession, performance management and employee involvement are met. Provides leadership to the facility’s Quality Systems Team to maintain a robust Food Safety and Quality System & to ensure GSF makes the ‘best product’ (20 %)
3. Works closely with different functions in the facility to implement effective continuous improvement methodologies to enhance quality and compliance to all applicable standards. (15%)
4. Directs the QS team in utilizing appropriate methodology to identify root causes and associated CAPA related to customer concerns and plant identified non-conformances to prevent reoccurrences. (10 %)
5. Works & communicates directly with customers to understand their needs & concerns and translates those into improvements at the plant level. (10%)
6. Participates in audits (internal, customer, 3rd party) & ensures that assigned facility is audit ready at all times and adheres to an effective sanitation program. Oversees the auditing, evaluation and analysis of quality policies and procedures to ensure compliance in assigned facility. (10 %)
7. Serves as Technical Liason to Operations & Sales Departments. (5 %)
8. Works with Engineering, Operations, Product Development to ensure that any process changes in the facility are documented, robust and will not adversely affect the overall stability and performance of the process or products. (5%)
9. Communicates accurate, thorough, and timely information regarding quality and/or food safety information to appropriate personnel. Analyzes data, draws appropriate conclusions and distributes professional reports to the LPNA and facility leadership team and to customers as necessary. (5 %)
10. Performs other related and assigned duties.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Education and experience equivalent to:

Education/Certification:

BS degree in Engineering, Food Engineering, Food Science, Chemistry, any Biological Sciences or related area from an accredited college or university (Master’s Degree Preferred)

Experience:

10 or more years of relevant work experience with formulated products or related field.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

Knowledge of (B/basic; J/journey; E/expert):

• Food formulation (E)
• Food design (E)
• Regulatory agencies (E)
• GMP’s (E)
• Package design and handling (B)
• Attention to details (E)
• Strength of conviction (J)
• Food Safety Programs and Food Safety Regulations (E)
• Manufacturing concepts and techniques (J)
• Food Processing concepts and techniques (E)
• Process Recovery concepts and techniques (J)
• CIP Sanitation program (J)
• Food Safety audit concept and techniques (E)
• Quality Systems audit concept and techniques (E)
• PC: word processing/spreadsheet and presentation (PowerPoint) software (J).
• Continuous Improvement Methodology (TPM, 6-Sigma, SPC) (J)

Skills and Abilities

• Analyze and resolve complex problems
• Coordinate and communicate effectively with internal and external customers verbally and in writing
• Prepare a variety of comprehensive administrative and technical documents and reports
• Read and process written information with high degree of accuracy
• Work effectively in a general business environment, with a focus on high level of quality, ethics and customer service
• Willingness and ability to travel via airplane and drive automobile.
• Act in accordance with GSF’s Values and Creed

LEADERSHIP MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITY

• Ability to lead by influencing.
• Possess a facilitative style of management.

PERFORMANCE CATEGORIES:

• Productivity/quality standards: verifiable Liquid Products HACCP Program
• Productivity/quality standards: verifiable Liquid Products sanitation Program
• Regulatory compliance
• Crisis Management
• Cost containment
• Coordination of third-party/customer/internal audits
• Teamwork within the department and across departments
• Customer satisfaction
• Vendor relations
• Safety standards and procedures: food processing.