Quality Assurance Manager

Trophy Foods is Canada's leading supplier of high-quality edible nuts, dried fruit and confectionery products. We pride ourselves on providing the highest quality products, at the best value, through our direct channel of global grower relationships.Trophy Foods Inc. is Canadian owned and operated with over 40 years of experience in serving our customers. We produce edible nuts, dried fruits, confectionery and bulk foods under our Trophy brand. We also work with grocery retailers, mass merchandisers, drug channel, and food service customers across the country to create and produce a wide variety of private label branded products.Overview: The Quality Assurance Manager is the champion of problem solving, testing, and process improvement to ensure Trophy’s Quality and Food Safety Standards meet BRC standards of excellence for Mississauga facility. The QA Manager will understand the why’s and how’s behind defective products through root cause analysis, and will initiate preventative measures, creating and executing through the QA Team process improvement plans to address issues. This is a cross-functional role, engaging with all Operations departments, Maintenance, Supply Chain/Customer Service, and NPD for purposes of supporting commercialization of new products. Key responsibilities include, but are not limited to:Support, mentor, and lead Quality Assurance team to ensure executional capability and QA support on each shift.Assist QA Compliance Manager in developing, implementing, maintaining, and reassessing Food Safety & Quality Management Systems ensuring regulatory compliance and company objectives. Responsible for identifying, developing, and managing quality objectives/KPI’s monthly, with the goal of driving continuous improvement through measurement and management.Responsible for developing methods for accurate, reliable, and efficient quality testing within Trophy standards.A leader of people and processes - overseeing and managing QA Department resources, both budgetary and staff, to meet budget standards and QA executional accountabilities across all shifts.Oversee the daily operations of the QA team to ensure continuous adherence to the standards. Perform regular inspections in the plant. Responsible for development of departmental staff: lead the QA Team in the areas of communication, performance management, health and safety, and training/ development, ensuring team clarity of purpose and QA Team executional excellence.Train and orient new staff in the specific functions and tasks of their job in the areas of QA systems, procedures, and health and safety practices.Promote and comply with TROPHY’s Health and Safety policies and procedures including the wearing of PPE, Lockout, WHMIS, etc. Reassess current programs annually to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.Lead & maintain Customer Complaint Investigations Program for the plant. Maintain monthly trends and provide an update to senior management.Perform annual risk assessments as required by BRC Standard.Stay current with any regulatory changes. Update the team on any new requirements and lead the implementation.Prepare for and assist with all third-party Audits. Work collaboratively on the corrective and preventive actions for timely closures. Ensure proper follow-ups of any deviations identified. Perform thorough root cause analysis to implement effective Corrective action to prevent the re-occurrence. Train the QA team to be competent in the respective areas. Support the QA Director on projects, customer requirements, and regulatory initiatives.Accountabilities for Success:Collaborate and partner with others through actively building positive and productive relationships, working to understand different viewpoints, and treating people of varying backgrounds and perspectives fairly.Communicate ideas and information in an effective manner by listening, demonstrating understanding, readily sharing information, and keeping appropriate parties up to date.Take initiative to understand and produce results aligned to department priorities and accept responsibility for performance and results.Identify causes of problems and develop solutions to make effective, timely decisions. Demonstrate a commitment to Trophy’s vision and mission. Understand how individual decisions and actions impact the needs of the department as well as overall business goals. Build teams by selecting individuals with the skill set required for the roles. Set clear goals and develop others to build new skills and capabilities. Provide support, resources, and constructive feedback to achieve objectives. Manage conflicts within the department and between the department and others.Ensure teams are communicating by building an environment of collaboration, partnership, and trust, as well as holding others accountable.Lead change by example through generating unique ideas and solutions, championing new initiatives, and overcoming resistance to change.Demonstrate strategic thinking by developing plans, balancing immediate priorities with long-term goals, anticipating future conditions and circumstances, and aligning with department and corporate goals when implementing initiatives.Experience, Qualifications, and Educational Requirements:Bachelor’s or master’s degree in microbiology, Chemistry, Food Science, Engineering, or related technical field.5 – 8 years of proven managerial experience in a technical area such as: laboratory management, quality management systems, or food process engineering.2 – 3 years of experience leading/managing a team QA team within a 3-shift manufacturing environment.Experience effectively leading a team and accomplishing goals through others.Detailed understanding of GFSI, SFCR, USDA and other regulatory requirements, including Export/Import Requirements Proven Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and food safety management executional capability.Required to have HACCP, Internal Audit and PCQI certification. Comfortable managing project and creating positive change through continuous improvement.Word, Excel, PowerPoint, ERP (preferably JDE) experience is required.Practical Integrated Sanitation and Pest Control Management knowledge and expertise.Trophy is an equal opportunity employer that values workforce diversity. Diversity is core to our business: by embedding diversity into all aspects of our culture, we maximize the opportunity toachieve sustainable business success and growth. Trophy Foods Inc. provides equal opportunities in employment, promotions, wages, benefits and all other privileges, terms, and conditions of employment to all qualified persons without regard to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected by the applicable Federal and Provincial laws.Trophy Foods has an accommodation process in place and provides accommodations for employees with disabilities.