Regional Quality Manager

The Blount family has been in the food business since 1880. Our product Line includes refrigerated and frozen gourmet soups, side dishes and entrees for food service and retail. The Company, headquartered in Fall River, MA, is the largest producer of clam chowder in New England and the largest manufacturer of Lobster bisque in the country.

This position is responsible for the integration of the newly acquired McKinney facility into the Blount Quality System and is the SQF Practitioner for the facility. A key role is development and enhancement of the food safety and Quality Plans as McKinney facility expands with new lines and products. An important role is development and management of regional suppliers and finished product distribution quality. Providing rapid response to retail and food service quality issues is important. The facility produces USDA and FDA products which include RTE, NRTE, and seafood, Organic, Gluten Free and Halal. This position Implements and manages programs to maintain an acceptable level of product quality and safety as established by regulatory and customer requirements. Works to eliminate defects in new or existing products. Utilizes essential product quality and food safety procedures, as well as providing training in these procedures to quality and production staff.

* Responsible for the validation of all food safety and quality programs. * Authorizes all changes to food safety programs prior to implementation. * Conducts periodic audits of Blount facilities to assure compliance with applicable procedures. * Administers and/or attends necessary meetings pertaining to food safety and product quality, including HACCP team meetings. * SQF Team Leader; Team responsible for maintaining existing and implementation of any new programs. * Manage any outside audits within facility. * Manage customer/consumer complaint analysis and communicates actions to customers as needed. * Manages product hold program, including making decisions regarding questionable product. * Manages a vendor/raw material rating program; ensuring only approved suppliers and raw materials are used. Providing Purchasing with detailed information on performance of specific suppliers or raw materials. * Ensures customer driven testing and requested reports are completed in a timely manner by the QA staff. * HACCP Program maintenance; including implementation of new HACCP plans for new product lines. * Serves as the primary liaison with regulatory officials. * Manages all daily responsibilities of the QA staff over two shifts, assuring that there are no lapses in coverage. * Trains all QA employees in their essential duties, as well as keeping them informed of any changes to the system. * Conducts investigation into root cause of customer complaints, and takes measures to prevent recurrence. * Generate and maintain reports related to FSQA.

**Education and/or Experience:** * Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from four-year college or university; and at least 5 years related work experience. * Ready To Eat/ Not Ready Eat experience important. * Experience in working & managing quality in a USDA facility. **Certificates, Licenses, Registrations:** H.A.C.C.P. Certification, SQF Practitioner Certification. This position requires a valid driver’s license, pre-employment and annual screening of Motor Vehicle Record and personal automobile insurance coverage in accordance with the Blount Fine Foods Employee Handbook. **Other Qualifications:** No known allergies to seafood or other foods.