Quality Assurance Technician, Lead (Days)

General Purpose

The QA Tech, Lead is responsible for insuring compliance, effectiveness, and sustainability of the overall sanitation program for the facility. The primary means of accomplishing this will be by providing leadership and oversight to the overall execution of the facilities Master Sanitation Program and microbiology requirements for collecting, plating, and reading microbiology samples.

The QA Micro Tech will also be responsible for executing these duties directly on a routine basis:

• Provide sanitation and microbiology training to other team members in production, maintenance, and quality assurance
• Generate reports for leadership on the effectiveness of the Master Sanitation Program
• Reviewing cleaning and sanitizing activity and records for both manual and automated cleaning processes to identify gaps that could or are leading to microbiological growth
• Conducting actual microbiological sampling, plating, and reading activities
• Initiate and lead Master Sanitation Program related corrective actions
• Monitoring the completion of Master Sanitation Program requirements

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for training new QA techs on microbiological analysis including sample collection, dilutions, plating, reading and use of aseptic techniques.
• Maintain laboratory Standard Operating Procedures and Safety Manuals.
• Responsible for selecting sites for weekly pre-operational inspection.
• Responsible for assisting with any announced & unannounced audits.
• Must comply with all Company Safety policies and Standards. Proper safety attire is required.
• Responsible for conducting research and special projects as and when required.
• Demonstrate and in-depth understanding of Infinity QS SPC system. Troubleshoot Infinity software.
• Demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of the applicable Quality Manuals/Policies.
• Ability to monitor, operate, and troubleshoot water treatment system as necessary.
• Responsible for preparing microbiological test media's aseptically.
• Responsible for inventorying and submitting purchase requests for Micro related laboratory supplies.
• Perform CCNA proficiency test for microbiological analysis when required.
• Keep Quality Assurance Supervisor, Lead Lab Tech and Production Supervisor informed on any quality issues throughout shift.
• Responsible for verification of Daily incubator temperatures.
• Ensure Master Sanitation Schedule is followed for assigned QA areas.
• Communicate daily/weekly microbiological results to management.
• Track, monitor, and implement preventive maintenance of applicable QA equipment.
• Ability to collect and submit required water samples for THMs, monthly sodium analysis and annual water testing.
• Responsible for having a flexible schedule to meet the demands of the business needs.
• Complete the train the trainer course. Perform training as necessary.
• Responsible for the development, support, implementation and maintenance of the QA Departments part in the ISO systems (Food Safety, Safety, Quality and Environmental) as required.
• Must comply with all Company Food Safety, Safety, Quality and Environmental Policies and Standards, including facility/company GMP Policy.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year of experience in an auditing or inspecting against organizational standards role. Prefer ISO Auditor Certification.
• High School diploma or GED; Bachelor’s or Associates Degree in Food Science, Technical/Engineering Field, Continuous Improvement/Project Management preferred.
• Experience with statistical analysis preferred
• Experience working within an ISO management system or USDA/FDA environment required.
• Two years of food microbiology program experience required; experience in a beverage manufacturing industry preferred
• Ability to interact with multiple levels of leadership, generate clear and concise written reports, and interact with teams in problem solving activities required.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Applications – EXCEL, WORD, Power-Point, Outlook, SAP
• Technical training in food microbiology or overall microbiology required; training must include sampling techniques, plating techniques, plate reading, and overall good practices in microbiology; Actual demonstrated working experience greater than two years in microbiology may be accepted as a replacement for training.
• Experience in training others required