Manager, Quality & Food Safety - OFI

We are a global leader in food & beverage ingredients. Pioneers at heart, we operate at the forefront of consumer trends to provide food & beverage manufacturers with products and ingredients that will delight their consumers. Making a positive impact on people and planet is all part of the delight. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable, and transparent supply. Supplying products and ingredients on a scale is just the start. We add value through our unique, complementary portfolio of natural, delicious, and nutritious products. With our fresh thinking, we help our customers unleash the sensory and functional attributes of cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts, and spices so they can create naturally good food & beverage products that meet consumer expectations. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.

Position Summary

Reporting to the to the Director of QFS (Quality and Food Safety) Systems, the Quality and Safety Manager serves as the subject matter expert (SME) that supports the Food and Beverage Solutions (F&BS) team working with QFS, Operations, R&D, Innovation, Commercial, Sales, Marketing and other functional areas that enable successful go-to market execution. Provides food safety, quality, and regulatory support to ensure QFS criteria are properly defined at earlier stages of the design, to comply with stipulated product requirements, customer specifications, and ofi QFS expectations.

The ideal candidate should have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate verbal and written matters regarding QFS within internal and external audiences.

Position Responsibilities

• Work with F&BS Innovation, R&D, Co-man, Regulatory, Sourcing, Procurement, and Finance to drive the product and specification approval, pre-evaluation, and selection of contract manufacturers and other third-party service providers.
• Develop requirements for on-boarding new Contract Manufacturing Organizations (CMOs) including the communication of ofi FB&S, Food Safety and Quality expectations and requirements (i.e. validations, capability assessments, etc).
• Provide guidance and oversight for supplier activities relating to food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, labelling, and commercialization standards.
• Work with the operating companies to establish regular communications and meetings on quality and food safety topics with these suppliers.
• Oversee the evaluation process for contract partners to determine product and process compliance with industry regulations and company standards.
• Evolve the new QFS Management System to assemble effective quality KPIs to provide regular CMOs performance Ratings (QSRs).
• Work with NA (North America) Vendor QFS and Supply Chain for the management and optimization of CMOs relationships to achieve operational excellence and cost-effectiveness, including the selection of preferred long-term partners.
• Work with the Co-man Operating Company QFS staff to improve QFS issue investigations and achieve effective CAPA plans at CMOs, co-packagers, and distributors.
• Manage risk assessment and mitigation strategies related to supply chain and manufacturing.
• Support innovation in manufacturing and packaging processes through technological advancements and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop procedures to ensure the smooth off-boarding of suppliers.
• Demonstrate strong organizational skills, team-working abilities and technical knowledge in manufacturing quality and regulatory requirements.
• Act as the regional SME for implementing the global ofi Finished Spec Management Program QuEST and coordinates any request of revisions, adjustments, concessions, or   spec deviations.
• Institutionalize process for the retirement of the specification, satisfying the regional standards for document management (control & retention) protocol within the global Document Management Platform (QuEST).

Position Requirements

• Ideal candidate will have graduate degrees in Food Science, Food Safety, Microbiology, or related disciplines to develop a basic understanding of the food and beverage industry.
• Must have 7+ years of R&D, Quality Assurance, or Commercialization roles in consumer-packaged goods.
• Must be able to accurately write and review QFS standards, specifications, reports and keep related system documentation current.
• Experience with managing external audits and conducting internal audits withing GFSI approved schemes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 25% of the time is required to align with QFS product platform groups.
• A working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and Power Point is required. 
• Getting familiarity with ofi products, raw materials, process, and methods are definite assets. 
• The selected candidate should have an inquisitive nature, open-minded, able to work independently and as part of a team, creative, personable, and assertive.

Note: This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. The selected candidate may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.

ofi provides equality of opportunity for all persons with respect to hiring without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. All employment will be decided based on qualifications, merit, and business need. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us for support at: US-Talent.Acquisition@ofi.com

At ofi, we celebrate our diversity. Olam Americas Inc. is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.