Director, Quality Assurance and Food Safety
Chicken of the Sea is an iconic American brand that was founded in 1930. Today, Chicken of the Sea enjoys broad distribution across all major retail channels, with growth opportunities in foodservice and outside the U.S. Besides its eponymous brand, Chicken of the Sea also sells Genova and King Oscar premium seafood products.
Chicken of the Sea International (COSI) has been wholly owned since 2000 by Thai Union (TU), the largest global producer of ambient seafood. Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods is a sister U.S. company that focuses on frozen and chilled seafood sales. Other iconic seafood brands in the TU Global portfolio include John West, Mareblu, and King Oscar.
Join the Chicken of the Sea brand as our Director, Quality Assurance and Food Safety. In this pivotal role, you will spearhead the development, refinement, and execution of protocols aimed at ensuring that all COSI processes and products align with our company's stringent safety and quality benchmarks, as well as relevant regulatory mandates. Your responsibilities will include leading a team in vetting and granting pre-approval to co-packer facilities for COSI production, overseeing adherence to established standards and specifications across Company operations, co-packer facilities, and warehouses, and devising and implementing corrective measures when necessary.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assess needs, draft/review procedures for COSI and regulatory standards, obtain management approval; ensure current standards and specifications are in place.
- Review and summarize Quality Control, Production, and Quality Assurance data; place non-conforming products on hold and develop recommended dispositions; provide updates through Monthly QC/Prod Reports, Consolidated Audit Reports, and Monthly QA Hold Reports.
- Consult with Resourcing, arrange pre-contract inspections, evaluate inspection results, and confirm QA approval; develop pre-contract inspection reports summarizing findings and confirming QA approval.
- Partner with Senior Manager of Regulatory Affairs and Nutrition who manages the Consumer Affairs staff, to review new or revised letters, and track and recommend action on consumer claims as necessary.
- Monitor held product inventories, assist in developing dispositions, and submit for management approval per established procedures.
- Review incoming product inspection reports, audit warehouses, and audit product lots for compliance.
- Develop and update procedures for product tracing; audit product tracing program and ensure compliance with FDA regulations.
- Prepare hiring, termination, or other personnel recommendations; identify and communicate objectives/expectations to staff, provide training; monitor performance, provide feedback, and develop action plans for improvement.
- Liaison with the food industry's Process Authority on food safety issues; liaison with FDA regulatory personnel and foreign suppliers on thermal process issues.
REQUIREMENTS
- Bachelor's degree in food science or related field or equivalent experience.
- Proficiency in food-related regulatory requirements and statistical quality control.
- Previous supervisory experience.
- Strong written (including technical writing) and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders, including corporate and plant management, co-packers, regulatory agencies, and trade association staff.
- Prior management experience in quality assurance or a related field.
- Familiarity with commonly used computer software.
- Previous experience with protein, retorted products, and low acid food is preferred.
The employee is required to comply with all company policies, rules and directives, including safe work practices.
VALUES
- Collaborative – works well with diverse workforce; communicates professionally with associates and leaders.
- Responsible – punctual, proactively communicates status of issues and projects.
- Humble – eager to learn new skills, asks for assistance when needed.
- Passionate – has a support-mindset; committed to be the best.
- Respectful – exhibits behaviors of caring, compassion, honesty, integrity, and fairness.
- Innovative — constantly looks for ways to be more efficient and productive; committed to continuous improvement.
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