Food Safety Specialist

Company Description

Wonderful Citrus is North America’s leading integrated grower, shipper and packer of fresh citrus, including clementines/mandarins, navel and Valencia oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, and other citrus varieties. Wonderful Citrus farms more than 74,000 acres of fresh citrus and has supplier relationships around the world to ensure a year-round supply. Our citrus can be found in all channels of distribution, with our consumer brands most visible in the produce department of grocery stores across the globe under our flagship consumer brands, Wonderful Halos Mandarins, Wonderful Seedless Lemons, and Wonderful Sweet Scarletts Texas Red Grapefruit.

Job Description

Overview:

Develop and implement food safety and quality system processes for the Mission campus. Conduct audits of production facilities to ensure company, federal, state and local food safety standards are maintained. Support Food Safety Manager in conducting farm and packinghouse food safety compliance audits, and the execution of required corrective actions. Consult with Food Safety Manager to develop, implement, and monitor food safety programs and strategies to ensure accurate and consistent food safety monitoring and reporting. Function as an information source to pack house management team, farming team, and outside company departments to provide food safety data.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Implement food safety audits in accordance with directives from local, state and federal agencies, including, but not limited to FSMA, FDA, and USDA
• Confirm that plant audit procedures are properly carried out and assigned work schedules are maintained
• Support in periodic HACCP and Food Safety program reviews
• Evaluate food safety program effectiveness through verification testing and visual inspection
• Educate and instruct plant personnel in food safety, GMP practices and general sanitation. Ensure these procedures are continuously maintained
• Conduct traceability exercises and mock recalls and execute the appropriate corrective actions, improvements and/or necessary training based on results completed exercises/recalls
• Support the sanitation group to improve sanitation and micro-testing programs in accordance with food safety requirements
• Consult with plant supervisors and leads on better operational procedures to improve overall efficiency and product yields while still maintaining the effectiveness of food safety programs
• Facilitate and audit packing and harvesting processes at supervisor/lead level to ensure program effectiveness and to identify process improvements
• Monitoring and correct (if necessary) GMPs, food safety incidents and/or sanitation activities during production cycle
• Document and implement food safety program criteria and procedures
• Support Food Safety Manager in conducting on-site ranch compliance audits
• Provide direction and support in the completion of food safety corrective actions in the packinghouses and ranches
• Monitoring, develop, and execute food safety monitoring audits in the packinghouses and ranches
• Ensure that third-party growers implement, achieve, and maintain GFSI certifications
• Deliver training to third-party growers on food safety regulations and requirements, best practices for compliance, food safety procedures, and any relevant topics that contribute to them having an effective and compliance food safety program
• Perform periodical internal audits and assist growers in external audit preparation
• Work closely with growers in the areas of program management, inspection coordination, and testing requirements, including microbiological testing and pest control programs
• Support in maintaining FSVP compliance with all foreign suppliers
• Maintain active role on internal Continuous Improvement teams
• Ensure safety of all associates and encourage participation in WOW initiatives
• Management of food safety programs across digital storage and data collection systems
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications

Here’s what you’ll bring to the table:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Minimum of 2 years’ experience in a food processing environment and/or combination equivalent education and experience
• Strong analytical skills
• Computer literate - Experience with Oracle or other SAP program desired
• Advance knowledge of food safety practices and GMPs required
• Must be able to trou