Lab Technician Foreman

Description

We are currently seeking a Lab Foreman to join our Dairy Farmers of America plant in Cedar City, Utah. In this role, you will serve as a key member of the plant leadership team and lead the QA team to build and maintain an effective culture of food safety and quality through continuous improvement and regulatory compliance. The action-oriented leader we seek will be highly organized and knowledgeable to influence and cultivate a robust food safety and quality culture. This position reports to the QA Manager.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Help manage and ensure daily plant quality and food safety operations are compliant with DFA policies and procedures and local, state, and federal regulations.
• Help maintain audit readiness.
• Work with the QA Manager to manage the Corrective and Preventative Action (CAPA) program and conduct follow-up to ensure the effectiveness of actions.
• Identify gaps and opportunities for improvement and drive implementation.
• Escalate nonconformances to the QA Manager and plant manager in a timely fashion.
• Ensure the plant pest control programs are current, followed, and utilized to enable proactive maintenance.
• Ensure compliance with specifications, manufacturing instructions.
• Help the QA Manager with investigations relating to non-conforming events driving to the root cause(s) and effective resolution.
• Manage hold and release programs.
• Review records to ensure they are completed as required and review/approval is current for preventive controls, laboratory, sanitation, production, and verification checks.
• Give the QA Manager the required inform they need to track and report on plant quality key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Provide quality leadership during unplanned events or emergencies.
• Provide visible leadership by participating in facility walk-throughs and conducting internal audits.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and influence, along with a proven track record of success.
• Collaborate with R&D during new/reformulated product introduction to ensure compliance with already established specifications and regulatory requirements. Send out samples as requested on new/reformulated products.
• Monitor compliance with customer expectations and specifications; communicate any issues/concerns. Complete product specific positive release packets in a timely manner.
• Help maintain plant preparedness for customer and regulatory visits.
• Help manage all analytical and micro activities performed at the facility.
• Oversee the development and management of complex laboratory practices to ensure accurate and precise quality control (QC) results.
• Coordinate the collection and evaluation finished products.
• Ensure the Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) is robust, and risk-based with a search-and-destroy mentality applied. Work with QA Manager to determine the root cause of failures and take the appropriate corrective action.
• Coordinate external lab testing of samples.
• Keep calibration records updated daily.
• Help maintain the quality management system and ensure documents are up to date and comply to the food safety and quality (FSQ) policies and standards.
• Prepare plant-specific work instructions as needed.
• Ensure all forms and work instructions are reviewed, revised, and updated annually.
• Perform supervisor activities such as conducting ongoing performance conversations; mentoring, training, and coaching employees.
• Follow all DFA good manufacturing practices (GMP) and work in a manner consistent with all corporate regulatory, food safety, quality, and sanitation requirements.

Requirements

• Strong knowledge of both laboratory and plant current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).
• Certification and/or License - PCQI, HACCP, SQF Practitioner certifications preferred; may be required during the course of employment. This position will be the back-up SQF Practitioner and will be on the HACCP team
• Critical thinking, analysis, mathematical calculations, and statistical evaluations.

An Equal Opportunity Employer