Job Details

Your Opportunity as the Quality Assurance Manager

This position is responsible for the supervision and development of salaried direct reports and all Quality Assurance laboratory and Food Safety personnel. This position will assure compliance to all affiliate quality policies, procedures, and specifications, and all Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements pertaining to the manufacture of safe and wholesome pet food products. The position has the authority to stop production systems when quality standards or food safety is jeopardized, and to hold ingredient, in process materials, and finish product goods, and render dispositions within corporate Quality Assurance guidelines. This position provides technical support to the manufacturing plant aimed at producing quality and food safe products. This activity includes quality systems development and maintenance, work instruction development, training, formula deployment, audits, project support, new product commissioning, and employee and organizational development. This position drives continual improvement in both quality systems and food safety and sanitation as measured by internal and external audits, and factory goal achievement.

Location: Topeka, KS manufacturing plant

Reports to: Plant Manager

Work Arrangements: 100% on-site

• Typically requires working 45+ hours per week, including on call

In this role you will:

• Assure compliance to affiliate quality and food safety policies and standards, and all Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements pertaining to the manufacture of safe and wholesome pet food product; this includes Smucker's quality policies manual, ingredient specifications, process control specifications, and finish product specifications
• Monitor and assure conformance of ingredients to Smucker standards and plant expectations including supplier auditing, supplier approval, and analytical and sensory testing
• Drive continual quality improvement as measured by key indicators including internal and external audits, and achievement of factory goals such as RFT (right the first time) and consumer complaint reduction
• Drive continual improvement in food safety and sanitation as measured by key indicators including AIB audit performance, and other internal and external audits; manage and maintain effective food safety and sanitation systems such as HACCP, pest control, and good housekeeping
• Support and contribute to the achievement of factory goals
• Coordinate and support all commissioning of new products and processes and issue final sign off for the factory
• Provide technical support to factory operations including trouble shooting and solution generation, Plant Run Request, and plant projects
• Perform annual performance appraisals for all direct reports and develop key personnel through coaching, training, and employee and organizational development means
• Manage the Quality Assurance budgets

The Right Place for You

We are bold, kind, strive to do the right thing, we play to win, and we believe in a strong community that thrives together. Our culture is rooted in our Basic Beliefs, and we believe in supporting every employee by meeting their physical, emotional, and financial needs.

What we are looking for:

Minimum Requirements:

• A bachelor's degree
• A minimum of 5 years of quality experience
• Demonstrated experience leading, managing, supervising, and / or developing a team
• Working knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and HACCP

Additional skills and experience that we think would make someone successful in this role:

• A degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry, Business Management, Engineering, or related field
• Working knowledge of FDA and USDA regulations, food plant production and best practices, environmental regulations, food safety and sanitation methods and best practices, and SPC
• Continuing education within quality
• Experience using Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), continuous improvement, Operational Excellence, and / or High Performance Organization (HPO) tools to deliver business results

Learn more about working at Smucker:

• Our Total Rewards Benefits Program
• Our Thriving Together Philosophy Supporting All Impacted by Our Business
• Our Continued Progress on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity

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