Quality Manager

About the role

Champion Foods, a pizza producer, is looking for a Quality Manager to lead its quality assurance programs, policies and initiatives. The role covers inspection, testing and quality control procedures, quality training programs, customer complaint investigations, quality audits and leading the quality assurance staff, including training food technologists.

Key responsibilities

• Create and implement policies, procedures and programs ensuring product safety and quality, including product specifications and change management.
• Identify and resolve supplier food safety and quality issues, and liaise with the quality control function.
• Manage critical food lines, implement new laboratory procedures and instrumentation, and assist the International department with manufacturing and problem resolution.
• Communicate product specifications and program changes with staff, departments and suppliers.
• Take part in product recalls and retrievals, maintain documentation, run mock recalls at distribution centers and coordinate samples, sanitation audits and lab testing.
• Lead, coach and train the quality assurance staff, and help leadership with vendor policies, evaluations and audits.
• Maintain the approved manufacturer list for regional vendors and perform other duties as requested by the supervisor; may include hiring and performance management.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in food science, biology, chemistry or a related discipline.
• At least 5 years of quality assurance experience in the food industry, totaling 7 years.
• Knowledge of food manufacturing practices and applicable government regulations (OSHA lab standards and FDA Good Manufacturing Practices for domestic roles).
• Experience documenting issues, resolutions and policy changes, and managing several complex projects at once.
• Ability to travel up to 30% of the time and follow the corporate travel policy.

Required skills

• Effective communication with franchisees, vendors and other departments, conveying complex technical data.
• Establishing, documenting and tracking quality metrics, preferably through standard process control procedures.
• Sensory evaluation of products and Microsoft Office proficiency.
• Preferred: HACCP and foodservice sanitation certifications, and lab analysis experience for pizza products.