New Century, KS - Onsite 5x/week

At Upfield our purpose is clear: we make people healthier and happier with nutritious and delicious, natural, plant-based products that are good for you, our planet; and with packaging that’s free from plastic.  We’ve got iconic brands like Rama, Country Crock, Blue Band and Flora that people all over the world know and love. We’ve been a trusted category leader since 1871 and yet we feel like we’re only just getting started.

Performance, Passion and Care define who we are as a company, how we work every day, and the responsibility we feel toward our Associates, our consumers, our business partners and our world.

We have big ambitions to grow this business and we want to attract the right people – those that love what they do, thrive on responsibility and are looking for career defining opportunities.

About the Role

The Quality Supervisor is responsible for managing laboratory staff ensuring lab coverage and operations, the coordination of Quality systems and processes throughout the facility in order to improve overall plant performance, attend daily meetings and become integrated into the factory’s Supply Chain operations as a Quality representative, provide factory technical support (specifications, process equipment, Cobra batching systems, SOP maintenance, SAPQM, Free-weigh systems), troubleshoot any product non-compliant issues, and manage the daily release of finished goods.

This position will also provide R&D support for new product innovation, plant trials and in-house technical support, help analyze consumer and customer complaint issues, product holds and monitor raw material losses and support the implementation of Q-systems to improve overall plant performance.

The Quality Supervisor will serve as a backup, in the absence of the Quality Manager, responsible for lab management and the contact for any Quality and Food Safety concerns as well as being the Quality point person during regulatory inspections.

Main Responsibilities:

• Manage Lab staff and the personnel development planning process; ensures lab coverage and operations.
• Key facilitator for developing Quality systems to optimize production efficiencies and quality performance.
• Improve Quality awareness by effectively communicating and coordinating initiatives with all departments and personnel such as: Maintenance Planner, Manufacturing Supervisors, Warehouse and lab team members to drive the continuous improvement process.
• Ensure lab projects are in alignment with the Quality strategy and that the strategy is understood by the Quality team.
• Work with Research & Development (R&D). Plant process capability testing, scale up, innovation projects, including a capability evaluation, respective testing requirements and process improvement identification such as phase consolidations and capacity issues.
• Ensure consistency of plant process documentation (SOP’s) as well as the follow-up auditing and subsequent training to maintain product quality.
• Ensure FSSC standards compliance, conduct product hold investigations, resolution, disposition (SRC/RCA), specification compliance and quality systems support.
• Assist in the development, review and standardization of internal plant, Corporate SOP’s, HACCP and GMP programs. Manage the HACCP program as well as the quality auditing, training and modifications to relevant SOP’s. Support the development of Quality systems which are integrated into the day to day operations of all plant team members.
• Optimize specifications and SOP’s and support plant auditing and training programs.
• Responsible for maintaining the accuracy of the specification databases and the manufacturing and Quality SOP’s as well as the Quality auditing programs and respective training modules.
• Driving Safety, Health, and Environment (SHE) and Quality culture by protecting employee’s health and safety, ensuring compliance of all regulatory and plant safety rules, meeting legislative requirements, providing instruction in regards to safety procedures and supporting plant SHE and Quality initiatives as required.
• Develop an understanding for product requirements, production and processing equipment and methods.
• Facilitating required training programs to employees.
• Investigate and identify root cause of Safety, Quality and environmental incidents utilizing World Class Manufacturing (WCM) Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process.
• Champion World Class Manufacturing (WCM) and Safety objectives. Strive for zero incidents and ensure a people centered safety culture exits within the department.

About you!

You can operate on days, off-shifts and weekends as factory requirements demand.

You have strong communication skills (both verbal and written) and interpersonal skills and can build collaborative relationships and networks with multiple and diverse stakeholders.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Industrial or Chemical, Food Science, or a related field required.
• Minimum 3 years’ experience in Quality Departments or Laboratories.
• Experience leading Quality projects related to factory expansions, factory improvements, and factory change management.
• Proficiency with MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) required.
• Experience in lab analytical methods, handling lab chemicals, understand food industry safety and GMP, Micro sampling, using Access database, and handling scale equipment desired.
• Ability to drive change and innovation by gathering knowledge and resources to ensure tasks are completed within timelines to a high degree of accuracy and professionalism.
• Manage conflict effectively while creating an inclusive work environment.

You’ll have to enjoy working in a fast-paced environment and it will take hard work and determination; we will give you the ownership you need to make an impact. 

You’ll have to deliver on the commitments you make. And we’ll give you the freedom and flexibility to do your job and build your own career. 

At Upfield we want you to bring your ideas, your motivation and desire to succeed! This part of the role is up to you to complete.

What’s next

If this position sounds interesting, please hit the apply button now!

We understand your resume might not be up to date and recommend that you apply with what you have or your LinkedIn Profile. Upfield is dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workplace, we understand that you might not meet all the requirements stated in the description, but we encourage you to apply anyway. You might be the right candidate for this role or other roles. 

Upfield is an employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and equal opportunities for all. We recruit based only on values, qualifications, performance, skills, behaviours, experience, and knowledge. We ensure job advertisements are free from unintentional bias. 

No personal characteristics should be a barrier to joining Upfield. We prohibit discrimination and harassment based on race, color, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or other personal characteristics.

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