FSQA Manager

Founded in 2013, Home Chef is the leading meal solutions company with both a retail and online presence. Available online at homechef.com and in retail at more than 2,100 Kroger grocery stores, Home Chef is committed to inspiring and enabling more people to cook simple, delicious meals, no matter how busy they are.

In 2023, Home Chef introduced a new brand, Tempo! Tempo features a rotating selection of ready-to-heat meals delivered directly to your door. These meals are better-for-you versions of familiar favorites, designed to save you time and reduce stress while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Our Tempo menu includes options that are protein-packed, fiber-rich, calorie and carb conscious, keto-friendly, and dietitian-approved.

Similar to our recipes, we recognize that variety is the spice of life, and therefore, our employees also bring their uniqueness and color to our fantastic team. We’re eager to work with humble team players and pragmatic next-level thinkers to innovate on Home Chef’s offerings.

The FSQA manager is responsible for leading and managing the site FSQA team in order to assure the production of high quality, safe and legally compliant products that meet the desired product design and customer expectations. This position is responsible for providing governance of the Food Safety and Quality Management System and lead the implementation of the Home Chef standards at the production facility. The FSQA manager represents the FSQA function at the local plant level and is expected to lead continuous improvement on Food Safety and Quality Assurance. 

Detailed Responsibilities

People Management

• Coach, train and develop FSQA personnel to drive a higher performance level
• Maintain responsibility for ensuring that all FSQA personnel are properly trained to perform job function, as well as possess and in-depth knowledge of food safety and quality principles
• Manage FSQA department staffing in alignment with budget
• Support the development of a talent pipeline for FSQA at the site level
• Partner effectively with other departments to improve food safety and quality

Site FSQA Projects and Priorities

• Lead the FSQA agenda at the site, challenging facility management team where necessary to ensure wholesome products that meet the regulatory requirements
• Lead and support Home Chef and SQF standards implementation at the site and drive the appropriate FSQA mindset and behavior
• Sustain efficient food safety and quality management system, in compliance to SQF, FDA, and Home Chef standards, including CAPA and training programs. 
• Manage Food Safety and Quality incident, supporting decision making for out of specification materials and products, ensuring that relevant corrective and preventive actions are defined and implemented. 
• Accountable for site FSQA review and approval of new products, FSQA risk assessments and change management
• Serve as on-site point person for all regulatory and third party inspections; partners with the plant management team to develop necessary corrective and preventive action plans

Strategy for Improvement of FSQA Objectives

• Lead FSQA Strategy Deployment at the site, delivering against key metrics reflected in the company business objectives
• Utilize internal and external (customer reported) quality data to identify and execute improvement opportunities for FSQA Department and entire plant team
• Collaborate with Production, Warehouse, Continuous Improvement, and other departments to identify and implement initiatives to improve the customer experience (reduce errors)
• Perform key metric, incidents and Continuous Improvement reviews to ensure transparency at management level and coordinate site CAPA activities
• Represent FSQA function on the Site Management Team. 

General Responsibilities 

• Follow the facility GMPs and help enforce policies throughout the facility
• Support the efforts of the company to maintain our food safety system (SQF) and quality programs

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability needed for this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities.

• 7-10 years experience in quality assurance, food safety, food distribution, food manufacturing, supply chain or related field
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, food technology, microbiology, or related field preferred or 10+ years in food safety and quality assurance with a proven track record of success 
• Strong written and oral communication skills
• Ability to problem solve and work in a fast environment without a lot of structure and/or supervision
• Strong leadership skills
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize multiple tasks/priorities
• Minimum 5 years supervisory experience required with at least 3 years successfully managing multiple shifts and/or departments
• Experience with Ready to Eat operations 
• Previous experience with GFSI, FDA, and USDA inspections, programs, and expectations
• Certifications:  SQF, PCQI, HACCP, and ServeSafe Manager at time of hire or within 6 months of position 

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