Food Safety and Quality Assurance Supervisor

At Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc., it is our main priority to cook delicious food that not only taste great but feels great. We are dedicated to sharing the joy and creating memorable experiences through our passion for food. As a leading brand in the frozen food industry, we offer a wide range of cultural cuisines that creates unique and memorable dining experiences for all consumers. Ajinomoto Windsor delivers exciting flavors from all corners of the world to the comfort of your own home.

This position will assist the Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager with basic supervision and the direction of the FSAQ staff as well as serving as backup for the FSQA Manager in all quality and food safety matters when the QA Manager is not present. The responsibilities include conducting quality audits, perform pre-operational inspections of equipment and processing areas, gather and compile production samples, provide incoming ingredient inspections, monitor and ensure with facility HACCP, SSOP, Quality and GMP programs. This position will work on multiple tasks at a time while making decisions independently and handle themselves calmly in stressful situations. There will be travel to cold storage facilities as well as suppliers to conduct ingredient inspections, supplier approvals, and other special projects.

**Initial Duties And Responsibilities:** * Complete all required activities as defined by the Food Safety & Quality Assurance Manager. * Supervise staff of technicians to closely monitor product quality and food safety to ensure compliance to Windsor standards. * Assure adequate staffing by working with the FSQA Manager to evaluate new hires, and conducting performance evaluations of the QA staff. * Develop thorough knowledge of AWI policies and effectively enforce them in a timely manner.Make recommendations regarding policy changes, additions and deletions. * Develop, implement and manage programs, and food safety staff, that maintain and optimize the facility’s quality and food safety focus. * Under the direction of the FSQA Manager, develop, test, and implement quality operational procedures, practices, requirements and standards, according to scientifically sound protocols (e.g. SPC, HACCP, SOPs), to assure all products meet AWI quality, food safety and regulatory requirements. * Verify full implementation of the HACCP, SSOP and GMP requirements and programs, and modify them according to changes in regulatory requirements or needs of the facility. * Will work with the FSQA Manager to develop and implement programs to monitor Customer Care consumer complaint reports and assist with the response to customer complaints, potential food borne illnesses, including the development of crisis plans, and the communication of these responses and plans to local management. * Ensure compliance with all USDA and other applicable government statutes and regulations. * Be available to work different shifts as required by the FSQA Manager. * Knowledgeable of all purchased ingredients, their usage and ideal product conditions, including labeling, USDA regulatory compliance, and direct quality testing for adherence to standards. * Ensure all outgoing and received products & ingredients meet AWI specifications and quality parameters and are stored in a safe and sanitary manner, as well as special storage circumstances (frozen, refrigerated and dry warehousing). * Ensure and maintain FIFO (First-In-First-Out) procedures are followed and that proper tracking capabilities are implemented as the products circulate throughout the facility. * Knowledgeable of proper handling of all products and able to develop new policies and procedures to improve quality and operational efficiencies. * Under the direction of the FSQA Manager, collaborate with other facility departmental managers and supervisors to ensure the training and enforcement of new procedures. * Maintain quality check points to ensure compliance to quality & food safety standards during production, storage and shipping.Ensure all product specifications are up to date, for both ingredients and packaging materials. * Assure full knowledge of recall system, regulatory authority and crisis communications is required, along with minimum annual test of effectiveness and modification when necessary. * Microbiological knowledge required, and ability to design and execute sanitation programs to manage and reduce microbiological risks.Knowledge of microbiological lab testing protocols, particularly the positive swab investigation procedure is required. * Knowledgeable of standard packaging equipment, requirements, materials and procedures.Ensure all Windsor products are properly packaged, labeled with appropriate nutritional and USDA information, and coded accordingly. **Financial Responsibilities :** Indirect responsibilities for quality and food safety costs and financial benefits to AWI through compliance to specifications, regulatory performance and reduced customer complaints. Direct responsibility for purchase of laboratory services and materials.

**Requirements:** Must be able to read, write, speak and understand English. Must have clear understanding of HACCP, GMP, SSOP guidelines. Possess good working knowledge of microbiological testing procedures. Must have excellent communication and leadership skills. Must possess basic computer skills and knowledge with an emphasis on Microsoft programs. **Education:** * BS degree in Food Science, Meat Science, Microbiology, Biology or other science equivalent required. * Certifications through ASQC, SQF, GFSI and other professional quality associations are helpful. **Experience** * Minimum 5 years Quality Control/Quality Assurance experience in USDA food manufacturing environment with at least half of experience being in a supervisory capacity is required.Frozen food experience preferred, but not mandatory. * Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures or government regulations.Ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedural manuals.Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers and the general public. * Valid Driver’s License * Fluency in English (Written and Verbal) – required * Bilingual - helpful but not required * Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts and draw valid conclusions.Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. * Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference.Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportions to practical situations. * The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. * While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. * The employee is frequently required to stand, sit, walk and taste or smell. * The employee is occasionally required to use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance in a manufacturing facility; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. * The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. * Specific vision abilities required by this position include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. * Ability to taste product (poultry, pork, vegetable shrimp, wheat) required. * The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. * While performing the duties of this position, the employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts.The employee is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, extreme cold and extreme heat.The noise level in the work environment is usually loud in the production area. * Capable of 24-hour, 7-day a week, emergency work assignments.