Food Safety & Quality Ops Technician - 1st Shift

Instinct; Lincoln (NE); On-site; USD 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental insurance

Life and AD&D insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Health savings accounts

Paid time off

401k with company match

Job summary

Instinct is seeking a Quality Assurance professional to perform quality audits and support food safety monitoring across our manufacturing facilities in Lincoln, NE. The role involves reviewing materials, documenting adherence to safety programs, and supporting continuous improvement in product quality.

The candidate will sample products, verify temperatures and weights, and ensure compliance with SSOP, GMP, and HACCP standards while collaborating with cross-functional teams and maintaining

Qualifications

• Able to read, write and speak in English.
• Must be able to perform in a manufacturing environment with temperatures of 40-50 F.
• Lifting up to 50 lbs may be required to perform audits.

Responsibilities

• Execute activities related to reviewing, monitoring, documenting, and assessing food safety and quality standards to verify materials meet product specifications.
• Gather product samples from production lines to identify defects and take corrective action.
• Audit facility and personnel daily for compliance with cGMP, FSMA, HACCP, SQF, and sanitation guidelines.
• Assist with inspections and training related to Food Safety and Quality tasks.
• Enter data in spreadsheets and generate reports on monitoring activities.

Skills

Employee safety knowledge

Food safety knowledge

Sanitation knowledge

English fluency

Team player

Effective communication

Organizational skills

Self-starter

Tools

ERP QAD

Microsoft Office (Excel, Outlook)

Redzone electronic monitoring system

Job description

Company Description: At Instinct®, our purpose is to feed the unspoken bonds between pets, their people, and the planet. As The FreshRaw Brand, we believe nothing is fresher than raw and that raw nutrition has the power to help pets live healthier, happier lives. Guided by our leadership capabilities — acting as Change Agents, driven by Consumer Obsession, and fueled by a Challenger Mindset — we’re redefining what’s possible in pet food and challenging the status quo. From our St. Louis headquarters to our Center of Excellence Raw Food Kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska, we’re united by a shared passion for making a meaningful difference through the power of raw.

Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading pet food and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.

Sign-on Bonus up to $2,000

Position Summary: Rotating shift through three manufacturing facilities, performing quality audits and food safety monitoring in a pet food processing facility. This includes monitoring raw materials, processing areas, finished product and providing accurate documentation to support the SSOP, GMP & HACCP programs, and labs.

Key Responsibilities:

Executing activities related to reviewing, monitoring, documenting, and assessing food safety and quality standards to verify materials are compliant with product specifications including, but not limited to net weights, product quality, product codes/labels, temperatures, CCP’s

Gather product samples from production lines to identify defective and non-conforming products and take appropriate corrective action if necessary

Gather product samples from production lines aseptically for product testing; ensure on-time sample pick-up for product release

Ensure cGMPs and best practices are being followed by auditing the facility and personnel daily for compliance

Monitor production processes, personnel, and facilities to ensure adherence to cGMP, FSMA, HACCP, SQF, Sanitation guidelines, etc.; taking corrective action as necessary if standards are not being met

Assist in employee training as needed for Food Safety and Quality tasks

Pre-Op inspection of processing area/equipment daily before the start of operations to verify cleanliness

Perform swabbing to verify the cleanliness of equipment and surrounding environment

Generate complete and accurate documentation of all monitoring activities; distribute all reports in a timely manner

Perform scale and thermometer verifications; calibrations of other equipment may also be required

Communicate with all cross-functional departments to notify them of issues, take appropriate actions and resolve problems; may assist in non-conforming product investigations and CAPAs

Perform verification activities for FS&Q documentation

Maintain organization and inventory of on-site product samples/retains.

Enter data in spreadsheets as required

Support Food Safety and Quality initiatives and data collection

Other assigned projects and other tasks/duties when appropriate

Crosstrain and support onsite laboratory as needed

Assist with preparations for SQF audit

Back-up for other QA personnel

Assist with fostering Food Safety/Quality Culture within Instinct manufacturing

E-Systems: Microsoft Office Tools (Excel, Outlook), ERP (QAD), Electronic monitoring system (Redzone)

Must be able to occasionally lift up to 50 pounds

Must be willing to work in refrigerated temperatures (40F to 50F)

Other duties as assigned

Personal Attributes:

High Values: integrity (do the right thing), encourager, courteous, respectful and trustworthy

Team player: work effectively across levels and departments, cover responsibilities of others, and work holidays/weekends as needed

A self-starter with the desire to follow work instructions and work with urgency

Organized with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple things at once

Effective verbal and written communicator

Ability to remain calm in stressful and conflict situations

Skills and Technical Expertise:

Employee safety knowledge (Knowing what you can do to keep yourself and others free from work injuries)

Food safety and quality knowledge (Knowing what you can do to assure safety, high-quality product)

Sanitation knowledge (operational sanitation)

Required Experience:

Able to read, write and speak in English

Must be able to perform in a manufacturing environment with temperatures of 40 -50 F

Lifting of up to 50 lbs. may be required to perform audits

Preferred Experience:

Bilingual (Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, French)

Prior experience in Production

Compensation and Benefits: Competitive compensation includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match.

Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity

At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.