Quality Manager - Turnkey

Summary of Position

The Food Safety and Quality Manager will be responsible for overseeing all food safety and quality activities within the Turnkey and Food Service segment for Imbibe. The primary objective of this role is to ensure compliance with Imbibe’s specifications and requirements for products manufactured at contract facilities. Key responsibilities include leading root cause analyses, implementing corrective and preventive actions, managing formula setup and change requests, and serving as Imbibe’s on-site representative during audits and when product support is required.

Essential Job Duties

• Program Development and Management: Develop, implement, and manage integrated programs to ensure compliance with food safety, quality, sanitation, and regulatory requirements. This includes creating and tracking the effectiveness of systems, standards, procedures, and tools.
• Communication and Awareness: Deliver clear and effective communication to stakeholders at all levels, ensuring awareness and understanding of quality assurance standards, program updates, and process changes.
• Food Safety Oversight: Review the Food Safety and HACCP plans for assigned sites, representing these sites in Imbibe Food Safety meetings and ensuring alignment with company standards.
• Compliance Verification: Ensure site adherence to cGMP, Food Safety, and other quality-related policies and programs, including verifying compliance through regular audits and assessments.
• Documentation Management: Review and manage batch records and other manufacturing-related documents from contract facilities, ensuring accuracy and compliance with established protocols.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate regularly with product development, engineering, manufacturing, and customer service teams to establish and define quality assurance standards for products, including the sanitation and disposition of ingredients and finished products.
• Process Verification: Oversee and verify compliance with mandated manufacturing processes, quality checks, testing, sampling, and sanitation activities to ensure the highest standards are maintained.
• Testing Coordination: Coordinate the testing of finished products, raw materials, and packaging components as necessary, and effectively communicate results to relevant stakeholders.
• Quality Issue Resolution: Investigate and address quality-related issues, including customer complaints, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to develop proactive solutions.
• Cross-Functional Representation: Serve as the Turnkey QA/QC representative on cross-functional teams, ensuring quality assurance perspectives are integrated into all relevant activities.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay informed of industry best practices, public health regulations, and food safety standards, and build expertise to drive continuous improvement in food safety and quality programs.
• Program Monitoring: Monitor and maintain the turnkey quality assurance and quality control program in alignment with Imbibe’s overarching systems, conducting regular reviews to ensure effectiveness.
• Data Analysis: Conduct statistical analyses of food safety and quality data to assess program compliance and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Training and Uniformity: Ensure consistent interpretation and application of standards and procedures across all sites, including developing and delivering training programs as needed.
• On-Site Support: Provide on-site production support for Turnkey activities as required, ensuring smooth operations and compliance with all standards.
• Travel Requirements: Travel as needed, averaging 20% but potentially up to 50% during peak times, to provide on-site support and ensure program implementation

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Chemistry, Microbiology, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: At least 5-7 years of experience in the food or beverage industry with progressively increasing responsibilities.
• Certifications:
  • HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point)
  • PCQI (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual)
• Skills and Expertise:
  • Proven experience in Quality Assurance and Food Safety.
  • Strong understanding of HACCP principles and their application.
  • Knowledge of manufacturing processes and operations within the food and beverage sector.
  • Familiarity with FDA Food Laws and Regulations

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience: Supervisory or leadership experience within the food or beverage industry.
• Certifications:
  • CQA (Certified Quality Auditor)
  • FSQCA (Food Safety and Quality Control Auditor)
• Skills and Expertise: 
  • Additional knowledge and experience with flavors and/or supplements, providing added value to product development and quality control.
  • Background in food microbiology.

Working Conditions

Travel as needed, averaging 20% but potentially up to 50% during peak times