Quality Assurance Technician

Damascus Bakery, Inc.; New Jersey; On-site; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Damascus Bakery, Inc. is seeking a Quality Assurance position to uphold the SQF Food Safety & Quality Systems across production during shifts. The role focuses on maintaining GMP adherence, performing quality verifications, and ensuring proper labeling and traceability of ingredients and finished goods.

The incumbent will use Safety Chain for QC checks, SPC charts, and documentation of deviations. Collaboration with sanitation and production teams is essential to sustain food safety and product

Qualifications

• SQF Food Safety & Quality Systems adherence.
• Ability to monitor GMP compliance and document deviations.
• Calibrate and verify critical controls and equipment.
• Coordinate QA activities with production and sanitation teams.

Responsibilities

• Uphold SQF Food Safety & Quality Systems during production shifts.
• Verify temperatures, QC points, and labeling of containers.
• Run Safety Chain verifications and SPC charts as required.
• Document non-conformities and escalate to supervisor.
• Prepare daily shift notes and environmental test results.

Skills

Quality Assurance

GMP Compliance

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Tools

Safety Chain

Prims Verification

SPC Charts

Job description

Job Description

DAMASCUS BAKERIES is a 3rd Generation Bakery founded in 1930. We have three baking facilities: Brooklyn, New York; Newark, NJ, Clifton NJ. Our products include Pitas, Lavash, Wraps, Flatbreads, Pizza Crusts, Breadsticks, Sandwich Buns, and more. We have a very strong-and even historic- presence in the Metro New York market. Since 2000, we have expanded our capacity and distribution to the National Market, supplying and partnering with many of America's top QSR's, Casual Dining Restaurants, Food Service Establishments, Retail, Club and Natural Stores, Institutions, Distributors, and other Bakeries. For many of our customers, we have been the Product Development arm that has created some of America's most Successful and Award-Winning Flatbreads.

We are an SQF company that currently employs between 200-300 people. We are a company that thrives to "Bake a Difference". We are a company that is also responsible to its communities and environment.

JOB SUMMARY:

To uphold the SQF Food Safety & Quality Systems Program(s) during production and non-production hours.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Critical Control Points (Metal Detectors)
• Learn new products
• Calibrate when needed
• Conduct hourly quality verifications
• Verify 30-minute table lead checks.
• Report any deviations to supervisor on duty.
• Manage Quality Control Points (QCPs) via Safety Chain verification. Report any deviations to supervisor on duty.
• Ensure GMP adherence by all. No Exceptions.
• Monitor temperatures of all refrigerators and freezers
• Able to use Safety Chain to perform:
• SPC Charts
• Verify 10-minute checks every hour- Sheeting, Makeup, Oven per specification.
• Verify 15-minute checks every hour- Packaging
• Verify hourly table lead checks per specification
• Ensure the expiration date, production sell by date, open by dates are correct
• Update Specification as per Specification Registry
• Create production and packaging spread sheets for use by operators when SafetyChain is down.
• Verify hourly receiving and shipping forms
• Sentinel
• Display sentinel information on all stations
• Update as needed with pictures
• Update specification information as needed
• Perform startup procedures such as setting up SafetyChain and Sentinel
• Ensure operators are using the correct tools as specified
• Ensure correct lot numbers are assigned to all raw ingredients used in Mixing via Prims Verifications
• Ensure appropriate labelling of pre- scale containers such as buckets, totes, bins used in production
• Perform operational walk throughs and document findings throughout the shift:
• Warehouse
• Shipping & Receiving (cold/ dry docks)
• Freezer
• Defrost room
• Staging area
• Sanitation
• Mixing, Production, Packaging
• Common areas
• Bathrooms
• Lockers
• Sanitation Days
• Ensure employees are properly dressed and equipped on sanitation days (PPE awareness)
• Be aware of all potential cross contamination risks and correct as needed by coaching
• Verifying sanitation employees’ areas are properly cleaned throughout the shift as they are completed
• Responsible for participating in pre-operational inspections and recording any findings
• Conduct allergen tests post sanitation and allergen changeover as needed per production Schedule
• Act as liaison between the quality department and other departments
• Ensure non-conforming finished products, raw ingredients, and packaging materials are placed on hold on prims and with a physical hold tag. Ensure non-conforming product is communicated to all.
• Able to create and submit Non-Conformities for all deviations from company policies and procedures
• Evaluate finished goods from prior production shifts with Supervisors
• Conduct spot Audits of both Receiving and Loading practices (1 of each/per shift)
• Attend Safety and or Production meetings when scheduled
• Create daily shift note reports
• Conduct environmental testing- listeria, yeast/mold, salmonella, EB (when required), ATP swabs (when required)
• Responsible for handling foreign material findings and leading root cause analysis with corresponding department
• Must be aware and proactive for all food safety and quality risks including but not limited to: foreign material, cross contamination, GMP violations, non-conformances, etc.
• Responsible for conducting monthly glass and brittle inspect