Quality & Food Safety Auditor

Chiquita Brands International; Freeport (TX); On-site; USD 52,000 - 78,000; Full time

Job summary

Chiquita Brands International is seeking a Quality & Food Safety Auditor to support analysis of quality processes for bananas and pineapples at distribution centers and transfer hubs. The role combines inspections, data collection, analysis, and reporting to management, enabling improvements across the supply chain.

The position requires 1–3 years in fresh fruit quality control, strong analytical and communication skills, and the ability to work independently and with teams.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1–3 years related experience in quality control of fresh fruit.
• Fundamental knowledge of the fresh fruit business.
• Demonstrated problem solving capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multitask and have a sense of urgency.
• Ability to prioritize duties in a changing environment and still meet business objectives.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within teams and at all levels of the organization.
• Strong computer skills in MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.

Responsibilities

• Conducts regular quality inspections of the fruit at arrival to distribution centers and/or customer locations.
• Make independent decisions on quality, audit commodity lifecycle, and advise on loads to purchase; may reject or accept.
• Provide immediate feedback to Quality, Sourcing and Sales, and Supply Chain to enable corrective action.
• Ensure accuracy of statistical data collected and communicated.
• Coordinate with other auditors/coordinators to ensure inspection accuracy and educate customers about quality requirements.
• Maintain timely updates and reports to customers/business partners.
• Manage quality information tools for analysis of product, transportation, and other parameters.
• Track and follow up on quality resolutions to ensure adherence to policies and procedures.
• Investigate quality issues and develop corrective actions from data gathered.

Skills

Quality control

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Written & verbal communication

Multitasking

Prioritization

Team collaboration

Office software (MS Word)

Office software (MS Excel)

Office software (PowerPoint)

Office software (Access)

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree preferred, not required

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Access

Job description

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Quality & Food Safety Auditor supports the Quality and Food Safety department in the analysis of quality processes and output related to Chiquita products, Pineapples, and Bananas. The Banana and Pineapple auditor analyzes the quality of the fruit, processes, systems, and product information and identifies potential improvements in addition to providing business related information to the respective Chiquita businesses.This job manages the inspection of incoming and outgoing shipments of bananas and pineapples at Chiquita distribution centers and transfer hubs to look for characteristics that can create an impact (positive or negative) on our customers/consumers. For example: temperature, appearance, size, and weight.

This is an exempt position within the Quality Assurance Department responsible for quality control. The primary duty of this role is to perform inspections of fruit, collect data, analyze, communicate, and prepare reports to management, while supporting the business operations of the employer and its customers. This role includes discretion and independent judgement in matters of significance.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Conducts regular quality inspections of the fruit at arrival to our Chiquita Distribution Centers and/or customer location.
• Make independent decisions continuously on the quality of the commodity, audits commodity lifecycle, decide what loads, farms, or source countries for purchases and make recommendations. Based on results, he/she can either reject or accept the load.
• Provides immediate feedback to the Quality Division or Sourcing and Sales Department, as well as others in the Supply Chain regarding fruit quality and its condition. This will allow for immediate corrective action where necessary and to avoid customer issues by making decisions about the product.
• Responsible for accuracy of statistical data collected and communication
• Periodically collaborating with other Quality auditors/coordinators/inspectors to ensure accuracy of inspections. These inspections provide an excellent opportunity to educate our customers and consumers about our fruit, including its quality requirements and conditions, how to identify defects and assess their severity, and how to properly conduct fruit inspections.
• Maintains timely information updates and reports to respective customers/business.
• Manages quality information tools for the analysis of product, transportation, and/or other parameters that could impact product or system quality.
• Tracks, follow up and ensures Quality resolutions comply with customer and Chiquita Quality policies and procedures.
• Investigate potential causes and actions for quality related issues, including review of information collected from various sources.
• Generate weekly Quality reports.
• Provides administrative support as assigned.
• Other duties as assigned.

EDUCATION:

• Bachelor's degree preferred not required.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Minimum 1-3 years related experience in quality control of fresh fruit.
• Fundamental knowledge of the fresh fruit business.
• Proven analytical skills resulting in effective decision making.
• Demonstrated problem solving capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to multitask and have a sense of urgency.
• Ability to prioritize duties in a changing environment and still meeting business objectives.
• Ability to work effectively and collaboratively within teams and at all levels of the organization.
• Strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
• Travel requirement: occasionally visit customers, training purposes, and other quality contingencies.

PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT:

• Most work is performed in an open-air warehouse staging area exposed to ambient temperature conditions and environment.
• Incumbents may stand for extended periods of time at inspection of work area.
• Incumbents may use calculators, keyboards, telephones, tablets, and other office equipment during normal workdays.
• Stooping, bending, twisting, lifting, and reaching are required in completion of job duties.