FSQ Raw Material Lab Manager

Blount Fine Foods is a family-owned and operated manufacturer, marketer, and developer of premium fresh prepared foods, bringing restaurant-quality products to families across the country. Summary Lead and coordinate the Raw Material Inspection and Prep Inspection processes, acting as the interface between Manufacturing, Purchasing, R&D, and suppliers on quality, food safety, and technical matters. The position requires effective communication with both floor employees and upper management to ensure high safety and quality standards. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Manages and continues to develop hazard analysis and risk assessments for raw materials. Oversees and supervises raw material prep inspectors to ensure proper practices and completion of IOC audits. Validates adequacy of material specifications and ensures performance, improving content in food safety and quality attributes. Contributes to consistent raw material quality by developing attributes and specifications. Interfaces for resolution of raw material nonconformities. Acts as technical expert to resolve quality, service, and cost issues, providing direction and management. Manages and directs continuous quality improvement for suppliers and raw materials, owning development accuracy and improvement of metrics. Performs supplier audits and writes audit reports, approves responses, tracks corrective actions, and develops follow-up recommendations. Organizes and reports on supplier food safety assessments, recommending action plans for assessment gaps. Communicates audit findings to affected departments and Quality Assurance management. Assists in internal audits as required. Identifies vendor/supplier quality and compliance issues using complaint data, working with internal departments to resolve and prevent issues. Reviews and tracks all supplier complaint investigations. Manages active raw material risk in conjunction with Purchasing and Corporate QA Supply Chain. Communicates raw material testing criteria with quality technicians. Provides timely assessment, disposition, and feedback to operations teams. Leads and supports root cause problem solving tools for investigating raw material food safety and quality compliance issues. Collaborates with other departments to maintain the entire supplier and material qualification process. Performs other duties as assigned. Responsibilities for Food Safety Responsible for completing required paperwork accurately and honestly. Must adhere to and enforce posted GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) when working within the production facility. Responsible for reporting suspicious packages, activities, and individuals. If monitoring CCPs (Critical Control Points), must be trained in HACCP and adhere to approved HACCP plan(s). Supervisory Responsibilities Directly manages the 2nd Shift Raw Material Supervisor, Raw Material Technicians on 1st and 2nd shift, and supervises the Prep Inspector Lead and Technicians within the Prep processing area. Education and/or Experience Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent and 3+ years related quality assurance experience. Certifications preferred: Food Fraud, FSVP, PCQI, Supplier Quality Professional Certification, SQF Practitioner certification. 3 years manufacturing experience. 3 years food safety experience. 3 years manager experience. Our Total Compensation Package Includes Medical, dental and vision benefits 401(k) with company match Paid time off, including vacation, sick time and holidays Education assistance program Life insurance and short-term disability Discounts on Blount products at company retail locations Discretionary annual bonus program #J-18808-Ljbffr