QA/QC Manager-AS

Role and Responsibilities

POSITION SUMMARY

The Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) Manager is responsible for managing the facility's Quality Assurance and Quality Control Department and ensuring seafood products meet company, customer, regulatory, and food safety requirements.

The QA/QC Manager provides leadership and direction to QC supervisors and QC staff and is responsible for department training, product quality programs, HACCP, sanitation verification, traceability, regulatory compliance, audits, customer specifications, documentation, corrective actions, and product claims.

The QA/QC Manager works closely with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Safety, Human Resources, and other departments to identify and correct food safety and product quality issues.

This position also works directly with the Corporate QA Director to implement company-wide food safety, food quality, food security, regulatory, and customer programs.

The QA/QC Manager reports directly to the Corporate QA Director and is responsible for the day-to-day management and implementation of the facility’s QA/QC programs. The QA/QC manager independently oversees facility QA/QC operations, maintains effective food safety and quality systems, supports department personnel, and ensures compliance with applicable regulatory, customer, certification, and company requirements.

The QA/QC manager works closely with other departments while maintaining the independence and authority necessary to protect food safety, product quality, and regulatory compliance.

The QA/QC manager must promptly communicate significant food safety, regulatory, product quality, audit, and customer issues directly to the Corporate QA Director. This escalation must not be delayed by internal reporting channels.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Department Leadership

The QA/QC Manager is responsible for the overall day-to-day operation of the facility QA/QC Department, including:

·        Lead, train, coach, and supervise QC supervisors and QC staff.

·        Establish clear expectations and ensure employees understand their responsibilities.

·        Schedule and assign department personnel based on production and operational needs.

·        Monitor employee performance and provide regular feedback.

·        Ensure QC staff are properly trained on inspection, sampling, testing, documentation, and product quality requirements.

·        Coordinate hiring, layoffs, disciplinary actions, performance management, and terminations in accordance with company policy and Human Resources requirements.

·        Promote professional communication, teamwork, accountability, and consistent application of company standards.

·        Ensure adequate QA/QC coverage during production operations.

·        Develop QC supervisor and lead staff through coaching, competency assessment, cross-training, and succession planning.

Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance

·        Manage facility compliance with applicable state, federal, international, customer, and company food safety and quality requirements.

·        Manage implementation and maintenance of the facility HACCP program.

·        Ensure HACCP monitoring and verification activities are completed accurately and on time.

·        Maintain HACCP plans, records, supporting documentation, and corrective actions.

·        Monitor regulatory requirements affecting seafood processing operations.

·        Maintain required agency contacts, records, correspondence, permits, and related documentation.

• Implementation of the BRCGS program including documents, reporting, monitoring and data collection related to the BRCGS program.

·        Support compliance with FDA, USDC, ADEC, BRCGS, MSC, customer, and other applicable standards and requirements.

·        Work with the Corporate QA Director on new or changing regulatory, customer, and company requirements.

·        Ensure identified food safety or regulatory issues are immediately communicated and properly addressed.

·        Maintain the facility’s BRCGS Food Safety program, including required documentation, reporting, monitoring, verification, data collection, corrective actions, and continuous improvement.

·        Coordinate the facility’s implementation and verification of applicable prerequisite programs and preventive food-safety controls including allergen controls, foreign material controls, chemical controls, and other site-specific programs.

Food Safety Authority and Product Protection

·        The QA/QC manager authorized to identify, document, and place potentially affected product on hold when food safety, regulatory, customer, or product quality requirements may not have been met.

·        The QA/QC manager is responsible for promptly escalating significant hazards, uncontrolled conditions, or serious nonconformances to the Corporate QA Director and facility management.

·        The QA/QC manager may recommend or initiate a production pause or stop when an uncontrolled food safety hazard or significant regulatory concern exists.

·        Maintain appropriate records of holds, investigations, release decisions, and communications.

Quality Control and Production Support

·        Oversee product quality inspection and monitoring throughout production.

·        Ensure finished products meet company and customer specifications.

·        Review customer product specifications and communicate requirements to Production and other appropriate departments.

·        Work directly with production management and supervisors to resolve product quality issues.

·        Monitor product sampling, testing, grading, specifications, and related QC activities.

·        Identify product or process nonconformances and initiate corrective actions.

·        Verify corrective actions are completed and effective.

·        Review QC reports and production quality data to identify recurring problems or trends.

·        Coordinate and manage investigations of customer complaints and product claims including evidence collection, root cause analysis, corrective actions, written responses, and effectiveness verification in coordination with the Corporate QA Director

·        Recommend improvements to processes, procedures, training, and controls when recurring issues are identified.

·        Verify product labeling, packaging, product identification, lot coding, production dates, and other required markings against applicable regulatory and customer requirements.

Laboratory and Environmental Monitoring

·        Oversee facility laboratory operations and ensure testing activities are conducted using approved procedures ana appropriate sampling protocols.

·        Ensure laboratory equipment is maintained, calibrated, and suitable for the intended use.

·        Coordinate outside laboratory testing, sample submissions, chain-of-custody documentation, and review of analytical reports.

·        Maintain laboratory procedures, records, quality controls, and documentation.

Audits and Corrective Actions

·        Coordinate and participate in regulatory, certification, customer, and internal audits.

·        Participate in FDA, USDC, ADEC, BRCGS, MSC, Kosher, Halal, CSI, customer, and other applicable inspections or audits.

·        Assist with facility internal audits and inspections.

·        Prepare, review, and submit required responses to audit findings and nonconformances.

·        Develop and monitor corrective action plans.

·        Follow up with responsible departments to ensure corrective actions are completed by required deadlines.

·        Maintain organized audit records and supporting documentation.

·        Communicate significant audit findings and compliance concerns to the Corporate QA Director and facility management.

·        Conduct or coordinate root cause analysis, identify immediate corrective actions, and verify effectiveness before closing significant findings.

Customer Complaints, Claims, and Quality Performance

·        Coordinate the facility investigation of customer complaints and product claims, including review of production records, laboratory results, and other relevant evidence.

·        Prepare Corrective Action Reports (CARs) and proposed customer responses for review or approval in accordance with company procedures.

·        Track complaint categories, frequency, severity, root causes, and corrective-action effictiveness.

Traceability and Documentation

·        Manage the facility's product and ingredient traceability program.

·        Ensure accurate records are maintained for raw materials, ingredients, production, finished products, and related processes.

·        Coordinate traceability exercises and mock recalls as required.

·        Maintain QA/QC department records, plans, SOPs, reports, specifications, and archives.

·        Ensure required records are complete, accurate, legible, and properly retained.

·        Review customer surveys, questionnaires, specifications, and requested quality documentation.

·        Maintain appropriate document control practices within the department.

·        Immediately notify Corporate QA Director of any situation that could require product recall, market withdrawal, regulatory notification, or customer notification.

Sanitation and Food Safety Programs

·        Support implementation and verification of facility sanitation and food safety programs.

·        Coordinate with Production, Maintenance, and other departments regarding food safety concerns.

·        Identify conditions that could affect food safety or product quality and ensure appropriate corrective action is taken.

·        Participate in investigations involving sanitation, foreign material, contamination, product quality, or food safety concerns.

·        Support continuous improvement of facility food safety and sanitation practices.

Food Defense, Food Fraud, and Facility Security

·        Maintain the facility food defense program and related food-security controls.

·        Verify implantation of visitor, contractor, and other applicable access control procedures.

·        Maintain the facility food fraud vulnerability assessment and mitation measures in coordination with the Corporate QA Director.

·        Promptly report and participate in the investigation of suspected intentional contamination, product tampering, security breaches, and other food defense concerns.

·        Maintain the required food defense, food fraud, and food security training and documentation.

Safety Responsibilities

·        Implement and maintain safe workplace and safe work practice expectations within the QA/QC Department.

·        Ensure employees follow company safety policies and required PPE practices.

·        Identify, correct, and report safety hazards.

·        Ensure department employees receive required safety training.

·        Work with Safety and facility management to address unsafe conditions or practices.

Budget and Department Administration

·        Assist with administration of the annual QA/QC Department budget.

·        Review and control department purchases and expenditures.

·        Ensure appropriate supplies, testing materials, equipment, and resources are available.

·        Monitor department equipment and coordinate maintenance, calibration, replacement, or repair as needed.

·        Provide reports and department updates to the Corporate QA Director and facility management.

·        Monitor outside laboratory costs, calibration services, equipment replacement needs, and other significant department expenditures.

·        Perform other duties as assigned.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

·        Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, Fisheries, or a related field preferred.

·        Relevant food or seafood processing QA/QC experience may be considered in place of some educational requirements.

·        Previous supervisory or management experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, food safety, seafood processing, or food manufacturing strongly preferred.

·        Experience with seafood processing and product quality requirements preferred.

·        Experience with sampling, inspections, data management, regulatory compliance, and corrective actions.

·        Experience working with HACCP and food safety programs.

·        Experience participating in regulatory, certification, or customer audits preferred.

·        Recognized Seafood HACCP training is required. HACCP certification required within 180 days of hire.

·        BRCGS Food Safety experience.

·        Experience with FDA, USDC, and ADEC inspections, environmental monitoring, microbiological testing and third party audits is preferred.

·        Experience with MSC Chain of Custody, Kosher, Halal, Certified Seafood International (CSI), or other applicable certification programs is preferred.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The successful candidate must:

·        Demonstrate strong leadership and supervisory skills.

·        Be able to train, coach, and hold employees accountable.

·        Understand food safety, seafood quality, HACCP, sanitation, and regulatory requirements.

·        Understand routine laboratory procedures, testing equipment, and sampling protocols.

·        Be able to investigate problems and determine appropriate corrective actions.

·        Be able to organize and maintain detailed records.

·        Be proficient with spreadsheets, word processing, data collection, and report preparation.

·        Communicate clearly with employees, supervisors, managers, regulatory agencies, vendors, and customers.

·        Be able to work effectively with Production and other departments in a fast-paced processing environment.

·        Demonstrate sound judgment and the ability to make timely decisions involving food safety and product quality.

·        Be able to speak, read, write, and understand English sufficiently to perform the essential duties of the position.

·        Work effectively in a multicultural environment.

·        Maintain dependable and regular attendance.

·        Ability to interpret regulatory requirements, customer specifications, certification standards, and company procedures and transfer them into practical facility controls.

·        Ability to conduct and document root cause investigations and develop corrective actions that address systemic causes.

·        Ability to communicate technical and operational issues effectively to corporate leadership, facility management, employees, regulators, laboratories, vendors, and customers.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described below are representative of those required to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

The employee is regularly required to:

·        Stand, walk, sit, talk, and hear.

·        Use hands to handle equipment, instruments, controls, and documentation.

·        Reach with hands and arms.

·        Climb stairs and ladders.

·        Navigate catwalks and elevated work areas.

·        Move through narrow areas around operating processing equipment.

The position requires close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The employee regularly works in and around an operating seafood processing facility.

Working conditions may include:

·        Moving machinery and processing equipment.

·        Wet and slippery working areas.

·        Water spray, fumes, and airborne particles.

·        Cold and changing temperatures.

·        Outdoor weather conditions.

·        Exposure to seafood products, including fish and shellfish.

·        Elevated noise levels.

Required personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn in accordance with facility requirements and applicable company safety policies.