Quality Assurance Technician

Job content

Job Description

Job Title: Quality Assurance Technician

Reports to: Quality Systems Manager

Location: Nantwich Spinneyfields Farm, Main Road, Worleston, CW5 6DN

Hours: Monday to Friday, Rotating shifts 6am-2pm, 2pm-10pm

Salary: Up to £25,000 per annum - depending on experience

Benefits

Free Onsite Parking, 33 Days Holidays including 3 pre-booked bank hols, Pension, Subsidised Staff Canteen, Company Shop (offering discounts on products), Sports and Social Club, Staff Lottery, Discount on Bikes and Tech Scheme, Confidential Employee Assist Programme.

ROLE PURPOSE:

To manage the site technical agenda, driving technical excellence, to assure product quality and food safety, meeting customer expectations in line with all relevant quality, service, legal and regulatory standards and obligations.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Engage in the development of improvements in the effectiveness of the Technical Team through contribution to cross-functional working, performance improvement initiatives and development of the operational process.
• Investigate deviations and internal rejections, liaising with colleagues and team members to undertake root cause analysis, implement corrective actions and preventative measures in a timely manner that meets with customer expectations and prevents reoccurrence.
• Police, educate and audit the production process to ensure CCPs, QCPs, QAS documentation is completed against the standards (e.g. daily CCPs/QCPs checks, daily GMP audits, daily temperature checks).
• Ensure all non-conformances are properly investigated, utilising the internal audit team and cross functional expertise to undertake root cause analysis, and identify/implement corrective and preventative actions to stop reoccurrence.
• Manage supplier deviations on site, liaising with the supplier to undertake root cause analysis, implement corrective actions and preventative measures in a timely manner that meets with customer expectations and prevents reoccurrence.
• Audit the cleaning process and take all the required environmental swabs.
• Ensure that all the required environmental testing is completed as per agreed schedule.
• Design any new bag prints and box labels and complete any required label amendments to ensure the label database is always up to date.
• Conduct random sampling and cook testing in order to test product functionality.
• Assist with pilot trials and main plant trials / launches as necessary.
• Provide technical subject matter expertise to advise, educate and support internal factory personnel in food safety and quality management systems.
• Manage the on-site taste panel team, including but not limited to: sign off taste panel members, manage taste panel procedures, re-assess team members at defined frequency & order taste panel solutions when required.
• Complete any required traceability exercises (internal and requested by customers).
• Check the production traceability paperwork to ensure this is always completed legibly.
• Ensure all the relevant equipment is calibrated – i.e. temperature probes.
• Adopt an ethos of "safety first"(and encourage others to do the same), taking responsibility for Health & Safety performance and reporting, ensuring risks and issues are actioned immediately in line with Health & Safety regulations.
• Take personal responsibility for understanding and agreeing performance expectations, completing the necessary mandatory training and developing the levels of capability and competence needed to be effective in the role.
• Provide cover for other technical team members (including QA Assistant) in periods of absence.
• Carry out any other reasonable requests as directed by the Technical Manager & Quality Systems Manager.
• Collect samples from the factory and warehouse and pack, send them to the laboratory for testing inline with customer requirements.
• Submit samples on laboratory portal to ensure the samples are tested as per customer and site requirements.
• To complete all key systems audits as per defined schedules.
• Release raw materials onsite using Supplier CofA’s & CofC’s. Follow the defined release and CofA processes.
• Check the raw material intake traceability paperwork to ensure this is always completed and legible.

Key requirements

• In-depth understanding of Food Safety – Level 2 (preferably Level 3)
• Intermediate level HACCP
• Internal auditing qualification/certificate and experience of internal auditing and compliance monitoring in a food manufacturing environment
• Detailed knowledge of quality and food safety systems and processes
• Demonstrable experience of data analysis, trend monitoring/identification and investigation non-conformance
• Detailed understanding of sampling process and principles
• Excellent influencing skills with the ability to clearly communicate objectives, provide feedback and get buy in at all levels
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure
• Ability to work within a team environment but also have the ability to work using own initiative
• Driven, enjoys a challenge and strives for continuous improvement and development

KEY COMPETENCIES:

• WORKING TOGETHER: Encourages co-operation in own team and supports cross-functional working.
• COMMUNICATIVE: Communicates confidently, adapting style for different situations.
• EXPERTISE: For projects that involve others applies effective professional skill, analysis and decision making, and planning and reviewing.
• CURIOUSITY: Encourages others to learn and demonstrates the courage to be creative.

Company Overview

Ornua is a dairy co-operative which sells dairy products on behalf of its Members, Ireland’s dairy processors and, in turn, Irish dairy farmers. It is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products, exporting to 110 countries worldwide. Headquartered in Dublin, it has annualised sales of over €2.3 billion and a global team of 2,850 employees. Ornua operates from 10 business units worldwide, including 16 production facilities, and has sales and marketing teams working in-market across all four corners of the globe.

The Group is structured across two divisions: Ornua Foods and Ornua Ingredients.

Ornua Foods is responsible for the marketing and sales of Ornua’s consumer brands including Kerrygold, Dubliner, Pilgrims Choice, Kerrygold, Avantage, Forto, and BEO. Markets are served by production facilities and in-market sales and marketing teams in Africa, Asia, Germany, Ireland, the UK, the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and the US.

Ornua Ingredients is responsible for the procurement of Irish and non-Irish dairy products and for the sale of dairy ingredients to food manufacturing and foodservice customers across the world. Ornua Ingredients is also responsible for managing volatility through de-risking and trading strategies. The business is supported by production facilities in Saudi Arabia, Spain, the UK, the US and by in-market teams in Africa and the Middle East.

Ornua’s Values

At Ornua, our Values guide us as we work together and care for each other to achieve great things. Our five values, and their underlying behaviours, encourage us to Seek and Embrace New Ideas, Make It Happen, Be Our True Selves, Show You Care and Achieve Great Things Together.