Quality Assurance Manager - Food Manufacturing

COMPANY DESCRIPTION
At Beyond Meat, we started with simple questions. Why do you need an animal to create meat? Why can’t you build meat directly from plants? Thus, we make plant-based meats that allow families to eat more, not less, of the traditional dishes they love while feeling great about the health, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits of plant protein. Our goal is to bring exciting change to the plate—and Beyond.
OVERVIEW
Beyond Meat is focused on raising the bar on talent. We are dedicated to shaping an inclusive culture that drives excellence, innovation, and results by enabling talent acceleration and development, engagement, and the employee experience.  The Quality Team is a matrix organization within Beyond Meat that is dedicated to creating food products that are leading the gold standard in plant-based proteins. They are looking for an outstanding individual to join the team located in Devault, PA as a Quality Manager.
The Quality Assurance Manager’s primary role is to ensure that all food products produced meet requirements of customers, regulatory authorities, and the Company.  The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of quality control programs and procedures necessary to meet internal and customer specific quality control standards.

TASKS, DUTIES, & GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely with executive management on proactively improving quality assurance program
• Champion and maintain quality and food safety initiatives to monitor and document product, facility, and worker compliance at the manufacturing site
• Conduct annual validations of compliance to company and government standards
• Lead SQF certification, Non-GMO Projects, and program maintenance
• Interface with all regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and customers and ensure compliance of manufacturing facilities
• Support production at manufacturing locations in producing top quality products that meet internal specifications
• Collaborate with Regulatory Team to conduct packaging/nutritional audits on current production as needed
• Organize food safety training documentation and tools and monitor effectiveness of training programs for production
• Review and maintain hold log, product specifications, certificates of analysis, and all other QA documents
• Coordinate relevant physical, chemical, and microbiological tests on raw materials, WIP items, and finished products per specifications
• Review lab testing results, testing requirements, and procedures on products and processing environments
• Oversee all plants HACCP, pre-requisite quality programs, and all quality/food safety related programs to meet internal, regulatory, and/or customer requirements
• Ensure all sanitation and food safety guidelines are being met throughout the manufacturing facilities
• Generate reports describing Quality Assurance KPIs, activities, trends, and expenditures as well as communicate findings and action plans to necessary/appropriate parties
• Help with the Sensory Evaluation process to ensure that all products are meeting company standards
• Manage food safety related concerns and complaints with corrective action reports
• Attend industry educational trainings, seminars, and events to understand industry best practices and provide technical support to the facility
• Manage quality budget including testing costs, capital expenditures, and headcount of quality team
• Assist with BOM development and management of products 
• Assist with plant trials for new and existing products
• Coordinate shelf-life studies of existing products to validate instructions, microbial limits, and organoleptic properties
• Adhere to all facility policies concerning safety, security, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
• Performs other duties, as assigned, and follows through on requests in a timely manner

Supervisory Duties

• Lead, manage, and supervise employees, delegate training for all processes within the Quality area setting
• Provide mentorship and training to functional team members
• Accountable for developing talent through on-going performance feedback and career management coaching

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education, Technical Skills, and/or Previous Experience: 
• Bachelor's of Science degree in Food Science or Microbiology preferred or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in a food and/or beverage manufacturing environment
• Thorough knowledge of GMP, FDA/USDA and Food Safety, SOP’s, and SQF
• Leadership skills, focused on results, employee engagement, decision making, teamwork, and change management
• Strong mathematical skills


• Other