Senior Specialist, Quality Assurance

Loblaw Companies Limited; Brampton; On-site; CAD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading Canadian retail corporation in Brampton is seeking an experienced professional to manage product quality compliance and food safety. The ideal candidate will have a university education in food science, along with 4-7 years of relevant experience in a quality leadership role within a food manufacturing environment. This role involves collaboration with vendors and product development teams to ensure high standards of quality and safety throughout the product lifecycle.

Benefits

Comprehensive training

Flexible work options

Competitive benefits

Qualifications

• 4-7 years of work experience in food manufacturing quality leadership.
• Solid understanding of HACCP and Canadian food regulations.
• Ability to travel locally and internationally as required.

Responsibilities

• Ensure product quality compliance and food safety management.
• Conduct detailed product risk assessments for quality and safety.
• Collaborate with vendors to develop accurate product specifications.

Skills

Product development knowledge

Problem-solving skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Education

University education in food science

Job description

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued – as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

Why is this role important :

This role is accountable for product quality compliance, food safety management and the delivery of established landmarks to achieve Loblaw quality strategy and objectives. The role works closely with control brand product development and management teams, vendors and other business partners, supporting product reformulation and maintenance projects. The role is the technical expert in ensuring product compliance and specification.

What you’ll do:

• Must have functional knowledge of product development of finished goods and retail products. Including key understanding of various manufacturing techniques, knowledge of related ingredients and properties in various applications, knowledge of process parameters that impact final product and any applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements.
• Work with product development and vendor to support the development of technical, accurate and comprehensive manufacturing and finished product specifications which take into consideration vendor operating standards and customer expectations.
• Provide proficient technical insight to conduct a detailed product risk assessment throughout the projects to ensure that all risks to the performance of the product from a quality and food safety perspective are considered and recommendations are provided to attain a high level of compliance.
• Work with vendor to conduct appropriate review of ingredient specifications, allergen controls, packaging, operational controls and other applicable validation studies to assess food safety and quality risk mitigations.
• Attend production events, conduct sample evaluation, review product analysis reports, and customer complaints to ensure product quality consistency, sensory and alignment to specifications to determine vendors capability of a successful launch through the warranty period.
• Act with pace and efficiency during investigations and ensure timely resolution of customer complaints, trends and non-conformances ensuring that root cause analysis and corrective/preventative actions are implemented.
• Commitment to promoting a workplace of inclusiveness and belonging.

What you bring:

• University education in food science or other applicable degree.
• 4-7 years related work experience in a food manufacturing environment in a quality leadership role.
• Solid understanding of the product development process, including specification creation, plant trials, first production events, warranty periods and associated document requirements.
• Solid understanding of HACCP, GFSI, Quality Management Systems and Canadian Regulations and their application in the food industry.
• Strong problem‑solving skills that are risk based and data driven, to identify root cause and future actions.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills to optimally engage will all levels and team members with minimal direction.
• Result oriented, passionate about business needs.
• Highly organized with a solid focus on detail and accuracy. Able to effectively prioritize and run multiple projects, tasks, and timelines.
• Travel is required for the role and varies through the year. Travel may include local, national and international. Requires use of personal vehicle.

Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars – Environment, Sourcing and Community – and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values – Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence – guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits – these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team. We have a long‑standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.