Senior Manager, Quality Assurance

Position Summary:

Reporting to the Director, Operations, the Senior Manager, Quality Assurance (Poultry Operations) leads the implementation of the Company’s quality and food safety vision and strategic plan. The individual ensures the Company’s overall quality assurance, food safety control, regulatory compliance and customer satisfaction for the facility under their care are successfully implemented and continually challenged. Furthermore, this position liaises internally with cross functional teams, Corporate QA leadership and Plant management. Externally, the incumbent will liaise with regulatory agencies, industry, and customer representatives. The incumbent also acts as Sofina’s expert on Primary Poultry processing from a QA, food safety and regulatory perspective, and animal welfare expert within MPIP performance standards.

Key Accountabilities:

• As a member of the plant leadership team, is a key contributor to developing and executing strategic initiatives and ensuring the overall success of their facility;
• Provide leadership and expertise in the Development, implementation and reassessment of Quality Assurance programs required to operate federally licensed establishments;
• Ensure that Sofina poultry operations are compliant with all food safety regulations and up to date with inspection and regulatory issues, and proposed changes through continuous liaison with the CFIA at both the regional and local jurisdictions;
• Execute Quality Assurance projects (planning, developing, leading, and implementing) with a goal of improved compliance and operational efficiency to achieve process improvement;
• Actively provide input relative to regulatory issues impacting production, processing and animal care with a focus on measurable outcomes; 
• Continuously challenges the QA and Operations teams to drive year over year improvements in food safety, quality and animal care;
• Actively seeks opportunities to improve processes.  Leads solution development and implementation. This is achieved through strong leadership and technical expertise to the facility’s quality management team;
• Direct communication with local/regional CFIA staff on any major issues or concerns;
• Liaise with Director, QA on issues that affect the poultry industry;
• Development of QA management team knowledge and skill sets through coaching and training opportunities;
• Drive the performance, technical competence and healthy management succession of the local QA management team through organizing, developing and motivating of personnel; 
• Other ad hoc duties as determined by the Director, Operations and Sofina leadership team.

Requirements:

• Degree in Food Science, Microbiology or a related discipline;
• Minimum 6-8 years of previous food safety experience in a Quality Assurance management/leadership capacity working in live operations and/or poultry/protein processing;
• Experience in risk management/mitigation/change management is required;
• HACCP Certification is an asset;
• Knowledge of Statistical Process Control is preferred;
• Current knowledge of Safe Food for Canadians Regulations;
• Working knowledge of Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI). Knowledge of BRC (British Retail Consortium) and USDA standards and practices;
• Knowledge and experience with animal welfare requirements for poultry processing facilities (MPIP and/or PAACO Certification preferred);
• Computer knowledge and ability to work with various programs (Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint) to create word documents, spreadsheets, reports and written letters of response.