Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Manager - Lunds & Byerlys

Our Commitment to You: Lunds & Byerlys is committed to taking care of the employees who take care of our customers. We are committed to creating work environments centered around the values of hospitality, teamwork, and opportunity. Lunds & Byerlys is committed to providing equal opportunities to all interested and qualified candidates.

A little bit about us, we might be for you if you are looking for a...

• Strong culture based on values, family and team. These words are not just tossed around. They are at the core of who we are.
• "Great place to work" - we are a Star Tribune Top Workplace 2019-2024.
• Hometown team with a beloved brand and solid reputation.
  

NOTE: The following is a profile or persona of who we are looking for. If you have many of the characteristics below, please apply so we can start a conversation.

JOB SUMMARY

This position will establish, maintain, and improve programs that ensure food safety and product quality. Additional responsibilities include ensuring compliance with regulatory agencies; coordinating training relating to quality, food safety, sanitation, and applicable certifications; providing assistance with new product development; administering product labeling procedures and approvals; and ensuring accurate documentation within the department.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

The following description of work to be performed by this individual is not intended to be all-inclusive. Rather, it focuses on the major tasks that must be accomplished. There are many necessary activities to satisfy any of the following performance guidelines.

• Establish, maintain, and improve programs that prevent food safety issues and achieve quality objectives
• Ensure plant sanitation and quality assurance teams are operating efficiently and meeting performance metrics
• Ensure the review of production food safety, sanitation, and daily quality checks including when corrective actions are required
• Ensure regulatory compliance, food safety, and HACCP program requirements are being met
• Manage and facilitate all internal and external audits or inspections pertaining to food safety, sanitation, and quality including corrections
• Create and maintain plant food safety and quality procedures and documentation
• Ensure new product launches meet food safety and quality requirements including external product testing
• Work collaboratively and proactively with all facility departments toward common goals
• Attend and facilitate problem and defect management meetings
• Manage internal deviations, complaints coming from internal Lunds & Byerly's stores, consumer complaints and internal product recalls
• Monitor testing program of finished food products including the submission and review of microbiological analysis and adjustments to recipes
• Management of the environmental monitoring program (EMP) including internal testing, correction, root cause investigation, and oversight of ordering and inventory of supplies
• Ensure plant employees wear proper personal protective equipment (PPE) and follow Good Manufacturing and Sanitary Practices
• Lead monthly townhall sessions on food safety, sanitation, and quality topics to the facility production teams
• Monitor supplier management with regard to ingredients, food packaging, and chemicals
• Responsible for FSQA vendor relationships including contracts with external vendors
• Review and communicate plant food safety and quality performance to leadership
• Provide input for plant food safety, sanitation, and quality budgets
• Coach, mentor, and lead direct reports to accomplish business goals and professional goals for each staff member
• Hire, train, and develop staff, including performance evaluations, performance management and general supervision of quality and sanitation teams
• Oversee training program implementation in sanitation, food safety, and quality in an effective, timely manner
• Ensure all key management personnel, supervisors and lead personnel are current on food safety training requirements and attend required training

OTHER JOB DUTIES (Not considered essential to the job)

1. Perform all other related assignments (including special projects) as required in a professional and cooperative manner.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

1. Education
   • Required: Bachelor's degree in food science or related field
2. Certifications
   • Required: HACCP Certification and Sanitarian Training
   • Desired: REHS, SQF Practitioner, Seafood HACCP, PCQI Certification, CFPM, Sanitary Design & Sanitarian Training, Sensory Training, Labeling Training, Food Defense/Food Fraud, Lean Six Sigma, and/or equivalent experience
3. Experience
   • Five or more years' experience in a food manufacturing facility.
   • Experience must be in a food manufacturing facility that is third-party GFSI certified.
   • Two or more years' leadership experience in a food safety and quality management role to include sanitation oversight or involvement in.
4. LFHI Competencies expected of all employees include: action oriented, highly collaborative, customer focus, appropriate functional/technical skills, informing, integrity and trust.
5. Otherrequiredknowledge,skills,and abilities:
   • Service-oriented with high energy and a friendly demeanor
   • Understanding of quality principles, research and development functions, analytical and bacterial principles, sampling concepts, and testing.
   • Excellent customer service, interpersonal, communication and problem-solving skills
   • Prior team leadership experience, project management and decision-making skills
   • Ability to respond to continually changing priorities and coordinate multiple projects
   • Strong math skills
   • Strong computer skills (Outlook, Excel, Word and PowerPoint)
   • Ability to maintain compliance with USDA, FDA, HACCP, OSHA and all other regulatory agencies while complying with good manufacturing practices
   • Ability to read and write English
   • Spanish fluency is strongly desired

OTHER REQUIREMENTS/EQUIPMENT USED, IF APPLICABLE

Equipment Used

• Office Equipment (this may include computer, phone, printer, scanner, copier and fax machine)
• Basic microbiology lab equipment