QA Compliance Foreman

Dairy Farmers of America; Turlock (CA); On-site; USD 39,000 - 44,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

401k Employer Match

Life Insurance

AD&D/STD/LTD - Company Paid

Paid Vacation

Paid Holidays

Paid Sick Time

Job summary

Dairy Farmers of America in California is seeking a QA/Food Safety professional to support the Quality Assurance and Food Safety programs. You will review records, participate in HACCP/FSMA activities, and back up lab testing while coordinating training for plant staff.

Responsibilities include ensuring compliance with DFA policies, customer specs, and regulatory requirements; leveraging SAP for documentation and audits; and contributing to continuous improvement in quality systems.

Qualifications

• High school graduate or equivalent.
• Associate degree or equivalent course work preferred.
• 2 years of experience in food processing environment or food lab.
• Certification in HACCP/SQF or related is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Assist management to ensure daily plant operations for Quality, Food Safety and Personnel Safety are aligned with DFA policies and regulatory requirements.
• Participate as a Food Safety and Quality team member and escalate non-conformance events.
• Coordinate training for plant employees to meet FSMA/HACCP requirements.
• Perform daily record review of preventive control-related documents and communicate findings.
• Support laboratory testing procedures and act as backup in the lab department.
• Navigate SAP for purchases, holds/releases, and lot traceability; maintain documentation on file.

Skills

Quality assurance

Food safety

Documentation review

Training delivery

Laboratory procedures

SAP

Regulatory compliance

Audits

Team collaboration

Education

Associate degree or equivalent

High school graduate or equivalent

Tools

SAP

Excel

MS Office

Job description

Schedule: Tuesday to Saturday - 9:00am - 5:30 pm

Days Off: Sunday & Monday

(Schedule is Subject to Change)

General Purpose:

Assist the facility staff to maintain Quality Assurance and Food Safety Programs in compliance with all DFA policies, procedures, customer specifications, and regulatory requirements. Responsible for a variety of document review functions. Participate as a member of the Food Safety (HACCP) team. Deliver training to team members. Support the laboratory, be familiar with the laboratory testing procedures, and occasionally act as a backup in the lab department. Conduct quality assurance and other compliance inspections as needed.

Job Duties and Responsibilities:

• Assist management to ensure daily plant operations for Quality, Food Safety, and Personnel Safety are following DFA policies, procedures, customer requirements, as well as local, state, and federal regulations
• Participate as a Food Safety and Quality team member
  • Perform daily record review of all preventive control-related documents (HTST charts, metal detector logs, etc.) and document findings
  • Escalate non-conformance events to the proper QA and operations personnel
  • Assist with annual review of the Food Safety (HACCP) program and associated documents
  • Coordinate training for plant employees to meet requirements for FSMA/HACCP
  • Create or review documents and policy statements to meet assigned sections of SQF or other standards
  • Obtain and maintain CIS status for PMO Appendix N antibiotic testing program
• Coordinate vendor compliance
  • Complete evaluation of all incoming ingredients and packaging materials following the "Hold and Release" program, including review of Certificates of Analysis, comparison to specifications, and release in SAP
  • Work with DFA corporate staff to ensure all necessary documentation is on file from vendors to meet customer and DFA requirements and is kept current (Kosher certificates, Halal certificates, Letters of Guarantee, Statement of Origin, Allergen Statements, etc.)
• Function as backup to lab tech and lab lead
  • Maintain familiarity with and perform all duties and responsibilities as described for general lab tech
  • Perform laboratory tests (chemical, physical, organoleptic, and microbiological) according to prescribed standards on in-process, finished food products, and ingredients
  • Determine compliance to specifications
  • Communicate results to Forepeople and other staff
  • Develop working knowledge of other lab duties, including EMP/PEM/HEM swabbing, equipment calibration, and basic maintenance/troubleshooting
  • Perform lab lead tasks (equipment calibration, lab inventory management, glass inspection, equipment troubleshooting, etc.) as assigned
• Provide training
  • Facilitate scheduling and/or delivery of quality/food safety training to plant employees, visitors, and service contractors to meet corporate and regulatory requirements
  • Develop and deliver short "Quality Topics" and other training
  • Ensure training effectiveness and comprehension, revise/update training material as needed
  • Provide monthly progress reports to the QA Manager
• Participate in audits
  • Actively participate in plant internal audits, pre-start inspections and other audits as assigned
  • Document findings and generate reports to be distributed to cross-functional teams for corrective actions
  • Coordinate document preparations and review for audits and inspections (customer, third-party, DFA, or regulatory) as assigned
• Assist QA management staff
  • Conduct investigations into incidents and quality issues; assist with product evaluations
  • Generate Quality Assurance reports from meetings, inspections, and service provider reports (pest control, sanitation, complaints, etc), including trending and charting as appropriate
  • Coordinate Corrective Action Plans and distribute to staff in a timely manner
  • Coordinate Repacks with production supervisors
• Organize all quality and production records in a clear and orderly manner so that they are readily accessible to QA staff. Ensure all records are accounted for in a timely manner
• Utilize SAP
  • Navigate SAP and learn Tcodes for completing common transactions
    • Requests for purchase requisitions
    • Work requests via SAP for plant repair work
    • Hold and release activities in SAP, including data entry, spec review, and blocked stock transactions
    • Lot traceability and mock recall
  • Coordinate Label Review program for finished product labels and weight labels
  • Standardized Operating Procedures (SOP's) and Sanitation Standardized Operating Procedures (SSOP's)
    • Ensure plant personnel have access to the most recent versions of the Corporate Standardized SOP's and plant SOP's and SSOP's and that all training records are current
    • Maintain a matrix chart by job description at the plant which indicates which SOP's are applicable by job description
    • Prepare plant specific versions of SOP's as needed for the plant
    • Ensure all forms and work instructions are linked to the plant SOP's and coordinate the review, revision, and updates annually
    • Utilize the DFA document management tool to manage document/SOP annual review and revisions
• Participate in continuous improvement programs and department 5S
• Maintain current knowledge through seminars and industry publications to develop skills and improve job performance. Attend required training, including but not limited to Safety, GMP, HACCP, FSMA and Safe Quality Foods (SQF).
• The requirements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employee, but is not a complete list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required. Other duties may be assigned as required.

PAY

• Competitive pay - $28.00-$32.00 per hour based on experience
• Rate includes $1.00 shift differential for hours worked between 6 PM and 6 AM
• Paid Overtime

BENEFITS

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• 401k Employer Match
• Life Insurance - Company Paid
• AD&D, STD and LTD - Company Paid
• 144 hours of Paid Vacation
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Sick Time

Minimum Requirements:

Education and Experience

• High school graduate or equivalent
• Associate's degree or equivalent course work preferred
• 2 years of experience in food processing environment or food lab
• Certification and/or Licences (must have or be able to obtain within 120 days or as agreed)
  • HACCP/Food Safety Manager certification
  • SQF Practitioner certified
  • May be required to obtain and maintain other certifications and/or licenses in the future (PCQI certification, Appendix N CIS, etc.)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Able to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing, and to speak in front of large groups and lead employee education classes successfully
• Able to work in collaboration effectively and foster good teamwork
• Critical thinker, able to take appropriate steps to find solutions to problems
• Able to organize and prioritize resources to achieve goals; able to keep organized records; able to work with accuracy and attention to detail is crucial to success
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and company computer systems, specifically Excel, Word, and SAP
• Able to complete basic arithmetic in all units of measure using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
• Able to demonstrate knowledge of basic microbiology
• Able to adapt and manage to change effectively
• Able to take initiative in performing job without direct supervision
• Able to type minimum 30 wpm
• Able to work multiple shifts, weekends, holidays

Must be able to read, write, and speak English. Fluency in Spanish is a plus.