Food Safety Specialist

TekWissen LLC; Hershey (PA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

TekWissen Group is seeking a Quality, Regulatory and Compliance professional to lead food safety and regulatory activities for agile innovation and early-stage projects. You will collaborate with QRC, R&D, Operations, Engineering, Packaging and Commercial teams to identify risks, approve ingredients and packaging, and ensure FSMA and FDA compliance across external manufacturing partners.

This intermittent project-support role requires strong communication, on-site support at Technical Center and

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of Food Quality experience.
• Food Manufacturing experience.
• FDA PCQI certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Represents QRC on Front-of-Funnel Innovation and other applicable projects.
• Ensures food quality and food safety in planning and implementation.
• Conducts brainstorming sessions to identify risks.
• Effectively communicates and transfers knowledge on projects and product changes to regional QRC personnel.
• Actively identifies and supports packaging and ingredient supplier approval processes.
• Prepares documentation to support FSMA, Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Compliance.
• Provides on-site support at Technical Center and manufacturing sites during trials or production runs.
• Maintains awareness of government regulations and trends in food safety and HACCP policies.
• Participates in continuous program improvement using audits, KPI data, gap analyses and benchmarking.

Skills

Food Safety

HACCP

GMPs

FDA Regulations

Quality Design

Tools

MS Office

Teams

SAP

Job description

TekWissen is a global workforce management provider headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan that offers strategic talent solutions to our clients world-wide. This client is a German multinational Pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, headquartered in Leverkusen, and areas of business include pharmaceuticals; consumer healthcare products, agricultural chemicals, seeds and biotechnology products.

Job Description:

• This role is designed to support early stages of Innovation with a focus on food safety, speed to market, including “atypical” approaches to develop, manufacture and market new products.
• As a result, this position needs to react quickly to changing business needs and maintain a “fluid” work environment.
• Under direction from the Manager of Quality, Regulatory, Compliance (QRC) Innovation, and in collaboration with R&D, Operations, Engineering, Packaging, and Commercial Teams, this role is responsible for all food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance of the Agile Innovation Process and traditional early-stage Innovation process.
• This includes, but is not limited to, identification and facilitating approval of ingredients and packaging, identifying and raising risks by conducting brainstorming sessions, collaborating with cross functionals to mitigate and resolve risks, and, as needed, providing on-site support of manufacturing and distribution operations.
• Ensures compliance with government regulations, industry standards and Company’s program and procedures.
• Prepare reports, presentations, and one-pagers to communicate risks and situations.
• Work with Client’s QRC, Engineering, Packaging, and R&D team members to identify, standardize, and implement best practices, new technologies and methods related to these areas of expertise and any emerging issues.
• Work with COEs and SMEs to develop and implement global standards for food safety and quality at external manufacturing partners.
• Work with Client Marketing, Sales, and Operations to ensure inclusion of Quality Requirements in Contractual Agreements.
• This position is meant to provide intermittent project support. Scheduled days and hours may vary.

Main Duties:

75% - QRC Leadership for Innovation and Project Support

• Represents QRC on Front-of-Funnel Innovation and other applicable projects.
• Assures that the food quality and food safety aspects of the projects are taken into account in planning and implementation.
• Conduct brainstorming sessions to identify risks.
• Effectively communicates and transfers knowledge on projects and product changes to regional QRC personnel.

20% - Program and Process Leadership and Support

• Actively identifies and supports packaging and ingredient supplier approval process.
• As needed prepares documentation necessary to support FSMA, Food Safety, Quality and Regulatory Compliance.
• Provides on-site support at Technical Center and manufacturing sites during trials and/or production runs.
• Conducts quality issue follow-up and resolution involving the manufacturing sites, distribution and logistics groups.
• Prepares reports for issue resolution, provides timely communication to partners upon learning any service-related issue from manufacturing locations.
• Keeps abreast of government regulations and enforcement, trends in food safety, pest control regulations and techniques and changes in PEP/HACCP policies and procedures.
• Participates in continuous program improvement efforts using audit and KPI data, Gap analysis, and CPG benchmarking to establish yearly goals.

Typical Day

Top Three Technical Skills:

• Thorough knowledge of Food Safety and HACCP, GMPs, FDA regulations, quality design principles.
• Capable of understanding varied manufacturing processes to include dairy, sweeteners, confectionery, cereal, peanuts and tree nuts, ground nuts, raisins, flour, snacks, baking, extrusion and warehousing. Manufacturing plant experience preferred.
• Have an understanding of new product development steps and life cycle.

Must Haves

• At least 5 years; Food Quality experience.
• Food Manufacturing experience.
• FDA PCQI certification preferred.

Software Skills and Purpose (if applicable):

• MS Office.
• Teams.
• SAP.

Industry Experience:

• Food Quality experience.
• Experience with new product development.
• Manufacturing experience.

TekWissen Group is an equal opportunity employer supporting workforce diversity.