Food Safety & Quality Assurance Technician

Position Summary

 FSQA Technician will be responsible for ensuring plant sanitary conditions, and that raw and in-process materials and finished products meet established food safety and quality standards. Responsible for HACCP verification activities. Responsibilities will include making decisions to accept or reject area, equipment, products or materials when deemed insanitary, possibly contaminated, or if the product is determined to be out of Ajinomoto Foods North America, Inc. (AFNA) specifications. When any deficiency in requirements occurs, it is the responsibility of the Food Safety & Quality Assurance (FSQA) Technician to take appropriate action and inform the appropriate personnel.

Position Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Verifies conformance to FSQA and Safe Quality Foods (SQF) requirements in daily production operations.
• Checks, inspects and investigates to ensure that GMP’s are followed, that sanitary conditions prevail, and that raw and in-process materials and finished products meet company and/or government standards as required.
• Verifies that the HACCP plan is being followed. Verifies CCPs and CPs through records review or direct observation of production employees that are monitoring and documenting CCPs and CPs.
• Takes control action (i.e. Hold) when ingredients, product or the manufacturing environment are not within expected specification or standards.
• Keeps accurate and complete records.
• Conducts plant testing as required. This may include testing machinery and equipment, temperature and process controls, new products, new raw materials, assisting in new product development, conducting supply and ingredient studies, etc.
• Audit facility product weight control program as required.
• Assists in root cause analysis of problems. Recommend solutions and preventive measures in areas involving product quality, raw materials, and sanitation controls.
• Checks operating procedures and institutes changes coming from new product requirements, equipment changes, line speed requirements, raw material variations, etc.
• Assists in developing and applying quality controls and related procedures in plant operations.
• Provides advice regarding safety, sanitation, processing, filling and packaging techniques.
• Indirect responsibility for quality and food safety costs and financial benefits to AFNA through compliance to specifications
• Able to perform pre-operational audit or 100% inspection to verify the effectiveness and adequacy of all cleaning activities.
• Assists with investigation of micro failure of finished products or environmental. 

Physical Demands

• 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 frequently 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.
• 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.
• Perform all other work as assigned. 

Position Qualifications

• A High School Diploma or its equivalent is desirable. Meaningful education and experience may be substituted for the degree requirement.
• Sufficiently broad experience in food manufacturing Food Safety and Quality Assurance and/or food plant production operations, processes, and policies to permit execution of assigned duties is strongly desired. Limited food manufacturing experience combined with an appropriate college degree may be considered.
• Certifications such as HACCP, PCQI, SQF, or through ASQ and other professional quality associations are helpful.
• Must have keen ability to analyze problems encountered and to make reasonable decisions based on facts/data, procedures, specifications, and experience.
• Good English communication skills (reading, writing, verbal) are essential to interface with the various levels of plant management, co-workers, and suppliers.
• Bilingual is a plus (English and Spanish).
• Position requires good organizational, mathematical, and recordkeeping skills.
• Must be able, both mentally and physically, to do the analytical tests. Requires good eye/hand coordination.
• Must be willing to work together with co-workers as part of a team; also, must be self-motivated and able to work with little or no supervision.
• Strong computer skills including Microsoft Outlook and Office, specifically Microsoft Excel.

1st shift 

Pay rate: $22.90 hr+ DOE