Plant SQF Practitioner

Company Overview:
Tara Foods, a proud member of the nation-wide Kroger Manufacturing, is looking for a SQF Practitioner to be part of our team.  At Tara Foods, we uniquely offer the resources and benefits of a Fortune 500 company while maintaining a hometown atmosphere centered around teamwork, support, and development. Tara Foods is in the city of Albany, Georgia, which is strategically located an hour from the Florida border, 2 1/2  hours south from Atlanta and about 3 hours from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. We have been in business under the Kroger name since 1977 and are currently producing Peanut Butter, Juices, Sauces and Liquid Water Enhancers for Kroger grocery stores nationwide.

Why Live in Albany?
You can watch Ray Charles play piano, enjoy divine climate conditions or get an eyeful of the universe and come face to face with creatures of the deep. You can do all of that and more in Albany, located on the Flint River in southwest Georgia. With a lively lineup of attractions – Chehaw Park; Thronateeska Heritage Center with Wetherbee Planetarium, Science Discovery Center and Museum of History; the Flint RiverQuarium and Imagination Theater – Albany transports visitors to good times. You can visit the Art Museum of Albany, Theatre Albany, beautiful parks and trails, and Radium Springs Gardens, one of Georgia's seven natural wonders. Albany has more than two dozen hotels, lots of eateries, a family- and pet-friendly brewery, and a mild year-round climate. It is an affordable home base for day trips to regional attractions, such as the Jimmy Carter National Historic Site in Plains and Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta.

Why Work at the Tara Foods?
To support and reward our hardworking and friendly associates, we offer much more than just a paycheck. We strive to feed your future by offering the ingredients you need to create your own recipe for success at work and in life. Our associates receive a full plate of benefits that promote their physical, emotional, and financial well-being, including access to competitive health care and retirement benefits, vacation, mental health resources, associate discounts, and opportunities to learn, grow and advance.

What We Offer:

• Competitive wages depending on experience
• Annual Bonus potential
• Personal Days after 90 days of employment and Two weeks of paid vacation after completion of first year 
• 10 Paid Holidays (4 of your own choosing)
• Full benefits package (Low Cost), including medical, dental, vision, 401k and life insurance. 
• Set Schedule, do not rotate between shifts
• Tuition reimbursement
• Employee discounts at all Kroger stores nationwide
• Many other perks

Position Summary:
Maintain food safety and safe quality food (SQF) programs in the plant. Perform all jobs safely, efficiently and accurately to maintain and improve the performance of the entire plant in the areas of Safety, Quality, Reliability (SQR) and our Customer 1st strategy. Provide leadership that embodies our 7 Kroger Manufacturing High Performance Work System principles. Demonstrate the company’s core values of respect, honesty, integrity, diversity, inclusion and safety.
Essential Job Functions:

• Develop and execute in-plant procedures and implement corporate procedures/templates to achieve and sustain compliance with Kroger Manufacturing food safety and quality requirements, including level 3 SQF system requirements
• Oversee compliance with and maintenance of SQF systems through a process that effectively reviews, monitors and reassesses the effectiveness of all elements of the program (e.g., commitment, verification, validation, pre-requisite programs, document control, procedures, training) to ensure ongoing compliance and certification
• Be the site’s backup contact for the SQF certification bodies and during certification audits with the certification auditor
• Assist in conducting an annual in-house SQF self-audit using the SQF audit form to review SQF program status, level of participation and commitment at plant level
• Develop and maintain an action register to manage audit follow-ups
• Verify employee food safety training is conducted in a timely manner with proper documentation/verification
• Provide guidance and leadership where potential risks have been identified that could impact food safety or quality
• Perform project related tasks as assigned by facility senior quality leader
• Follow established programs, policies and practices to produce safe, quality foods that meet regulatory and company requirements
• Support the development, implementation, maintenance, and ongoing improvement of the SQF 2000 Systems
• Accountable to the Kroger Manufacturing Food Safety and Quality Principles
• Must be able to perform the essential functions of this position with or without reasonable accommodation

Minimum Position Qualifications/Education:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Effective oral and written communication skills
• Proficient Microsoft Office skills
• Ability to record testing data
• Ability to work well with others and communicate issues

Desired Previous Job Experience:

• Knowledge of microbiology and experience in a dairy/bakery or food plant
• Associates/bachelor’s degree in the areas of food science or microbiology, dairy/bakery or food science

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