Quality Engineer - Cedar Rapids, United States - Lesaffre Group

Description

This position will assist with the oversight of the Food Safety and Quality Assurance (QA) programs for Bio Springer North America Corporation in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Work in collaboration with the EHS specialist, Process Engineer and Operations team to develop, implement, communicate and maintain the Quality systems policies and procedures for BSNAC. Work proactively to manage and drive continuous improvements through direct partnerships to instill quality ownership, knowledge and awareness in all aspects of making, packing and shipping our products. Provide leadership in the identification and implementation of product and process quality improvement opportunities to identify, solve and prevent problems affecting quality and resultant productivity gains. Establish and improve standards for manufacturing practices and methods that will produce uniform products in compliance with specifications and all government regulations. Leader in providing and analyzing statistical information in weight control, product composition, product attributes, consumer complaints and other areas as required; in order to write summaries, validate or show deviations from standards. Maintain current capability data on all systems. Perform in-depth, fact based assessments of manufacturing operations in order to identify losses and gaps in program, process or procedure as a part of a zero loss mentality. Provide technical support by identifying program and process variation and implementing corrective and preventative actions via proven practices or innovative technology. Actively communicates with QEHS Manager and Engineering teams to ensure appropriate actions to meet system capability and key consumer requirements. Take a lead role in sanitation and food safety inspections to ensure root cause of deviations are determined, standard and acceptable operating conditions are re-established and corrective and preventative actions are implemented through collaboration.

Provide direct leadership for operations across all shifts through strong floor presence. Perform quality control tests/ inspections or assays on products, materials at various stages of the production process to ensure compliance with quality and reliability standards.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Other duties may be assigned depending upon operational needs.

• Product release
  • Takes a lead role in plant hold and release program for raw materials packaging supplies and finished product. Grading to efficiently disposition, communicate and track held products and or materials.
  • Calculate, monitor and report all KPI information for the department.
  • Support traceability exercises.
• Floor support
  • Supports production in decisions related to quality and food safety.
  • Audits GMPs, procedures and paperwork on the production floor.
  • Conducts coaching and training to employees.
  • Identify gaps in procedures or processes through daily observations.
  • Participates in and or lead continuous improvement activities such as DMAIC and FEMA .
  • Attends developmental training as agreed.
  • Maintain plant awareness through distribution of top complaints, quality and food safety briefs to operator level
  • Active member of consumer complaint team and follow up.
  • Manages Foreign Bodies Task force.
  • Review of HACCP documentation.
  • Responsible for assigned follow up activities driven by CA/PAR from internal audit team and third party audits
  • Member of internal audit team.
  • Conducts special projects as assigned consisting of developing an idea, improving or developing systems, gathering data and implementing solutions.
  • Able to work flexible hours.
• Laboratory
  • Conducts sample analyses as needed following Good Lab Practices.
  • Interprets data and reports on trends to appropriate personnel.
  • Monitors laboratory internal control plans to ensure a high quality of products, services, housekeeping and hygiene standards are maintained and improved analytical areas.
  • Organizes laboratory records and files, summarizes data and prepares and interprets reports for use by management.
  • Reviews or writes procedures and work instructions.
  • Supports lab compliance (Calibration, equipment testing, td.) to BRC and BSNAC requirements while driving continuous improvement for quality metrics/ KPI in the lab.
• Quality
  • Providing broad quality leadership on innovation projects.
  • Support the investigation and reporting of complaints.
  • Lead loss elimination processes.
  • Driver regarding key project work, working with vendors to implement solutions including the use of information technology, lab technology and instrumentation technology.
  • Supports improvement initiatives (e.g. complaints, holds) and drives improvements projects.
  • Provide technical expertise by identifying program and process variation and implementing corrective and preventative actions.
• Drive understanding and upholding existing quality standards and developing new standards arising as a result of innovation or system failures.
• Participate as needed in the move to be "Pharma-like", this may include travel, training and research working with customers or consultants to understand requirements.
• Maintain required documents, as per the Record Retention policy, to ensure information is readily available to the QEHS Manager.
• Responsible to take a lead role and work directly with QEHS manager in the creation and delivery of new hire on boarding for hourly and salaried members.
• Will assist in monitoring and training personnel in good manufacturing processes to ensure food safety, regulatory compliance and adherence to company policies.
• Supports audits of the conditions and practices at outside warehouses containing BSNAC products when needed.
• Audits formulas, batch sheets and lab standards to ensure that all are correct and current and drives corrective actions where necessary.
• Collect, analyze and interpret in-process and analytical data to support quality retargeting and other improvements and optimizations.
• Identifies cost savings or avoidance opportunities to support plant productivity goals.
• Identifies and implements new technology to drive continuous improvement.
• Ingredient analyst, manage supplier documentation /ingredient files, participate in supplier audits - based on the written policy and procedures.
• Submit new materials and final products for Kosher certification using database.
• Maintain files for customers with key customer requirements and information from Eureka management system.
• Member of the Food Safety team (BRC/ HACCP) including the review of procedures, internal audits and inspections.
• Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) programs monitoring during daily operations.
• Conduct and record environmental monitoring program and support adenosine triphosphate (ATP) testing
• Complete trend reports monthly and organize quarterly reports for review (Quality).
• Maintain and catalog samples for the retention program, coordinate shelf life study/ review of samples.
• Prepare reports on food quality status for both employees and upper level management quarterly.
• Utilize SAP for traceability.
• LIMs implementation and administration.
• Document administrator.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor degree in Food science, Science, Engineering biology, chemistry or any other physical science, or related field. Minimum of three year work experience in Quality, Operations, or related field within the food industry, the pharmaceutical industry or biotechnology.
• Knowledge of GMP, HACCP and related Food Safety standards and systems.
• Knowledge of GFSI standards and FDA requirements for food manufacturing.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Ability to use and create complex spreadsheets.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to lead projects and programs with a positive attitude.
• Organized, attentive to details, ability to prioritize and to handle multiple assignments / projects with competing deadlines.
• Ability to deal effectively with all levels within the organization as well as with external parties, including regulatory and contract personnel.
• Ability to influence diverse audiences/ customers and provide technical leadership to cross functional teams.
• Must have good Mathematical, (basic statistical skills highly desirable,), problem solving and analytical skills.
• Must be able to perform in a demanding, fast paced environment.
• Proficiency in SAP systems preferred.
• Direct or indirect supervisory or management experience of hourly or salaried employees.
• Ability to use scientific principles and statistical methods to investigate manufacturing problems to formulate solutions.
• Experience with auditing quality systems such as sanitation, GMPs Recall traceability HACCP.
• Prior experience in microbiology, laboratory and statistical data analysis.
• ASQ certification preferred.

LANGUAGE SKILLS

Read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Write simple correspondence. Effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to customers, clients, and other employees of the organization.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS

Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals.

Ability to compute rate, ratio, percent, and to draw and interpret bar graphs

REASONING ABILITY

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGRISTRATIONS

Ability to be forklift certified required.

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 job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; and reach with hands and arms; occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee is occasionally required to sit and talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 60 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, peripheral vision, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to dry and dusty and/or humid conditions; moving mechanical parts; high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme cold or extreme heat. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.

Food Quality, Safety and Legality Commitment

Bio Springer North America Corporation (BSNAC) and its employees will ensure that all products meet quality, food safety and legality requirements in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and that food safety will never be compromised. BSNAC will utilize BRC Standards as our way of operation every day. I understand that as an employee of BSNAC, this is part of my day to day responsibilities, in addition to the job description of my position.

Lesaffre Yeast Company is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical or mental disability, marital status, veteran status or other protected categories.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR c)