Quality Assurance Manager

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
The Quality Assurance Manager’s primary role is to ensure that all food products produced meet requirements of customers, regulatory authorities, and quality standards of the Company.  The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for the overall coordination and implementation of quality control programs and procedures necessary to meet internal, external and customer specific quality control standards.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Work closely with management on proactively improving quality assurance program. Manage day to day QC and sanitation operations. Build and develop QC staff.
• Responsible for implementing and maintaining quality programs at the manufacturing location
• Ensure all sanitation and food safety guidelines are being met throughout the manufacturing facility. Accountable for monitoring, verification and validation activities and ensure that all products leaving the facility meet quality and food safety standards.
• Must have the ability to build relationships and work collaboratively with cross-functional Teams to ensure that all QA requirements for product and production readiness are met for commercial launches.
• Review lab results, testing requirements, and procedures on BYMT products and processing environments.
• Responsible for all product hold and release. Review production and QA paperwork.
• Generate reports describing QA activities, trends, and expenditures as well as communicate findings and action plans to necessary/appropriate parties.
• Prepare audit reports and action plans for meeting BYMT standards.
• Conduct annual validations of compliance to BYMT standards.
• Lead SQF certification and program maintenance.
• Lead and maintain other certifications including Non-GMO Project and Kosher as required.
• Champion quality and food safety initiatives to monitor and document product, facility, and worker compliance.
• Ensure plant audit corrective action plans are implemented in a timely manner.
• Organize food safety training documentation and tools and monitor effectiveness of training programs for production.
• Interface with all regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and customers and ensure compliance of manufacturing facilities. Ensure compliance with internal policies and procedures, as well as with any regulatory (Federal, State, Local) requirements. Ensure all sanitation and food safety guidelines are being met throughout the manufacturing facilities.
• Review and maintain product specifications, certificates of analysis, and all other QA documents
• Conduct relevant physical, chemical, and microbiological tests on raw materials, WIP items, and finished products per specifications.
• Active member of the site HACCP and Food Safety teams. Duties include identification of hazards and controls related to processes and environment, supporting pre-requisite program verification activities, and developing HACCP plans as needed. Coordinate training and development of employees for all hygiene programs that include sanitation, GMP, pest control, allergens, and hygienic process engineering.
• Assist with the tasting evaluations to ensure that all products are meeting company standards.
• Respond to food safety related concerns and complaints with corrective action reports.
• Attend industry educational training's, seminars, and events to understand industry best practices and provide technical support to BYMT team
• Manage quality budget including testing costs (using internal and external labs), equipment costs, and headcount of quality team (including QA Techs and Lab Techs).
• Responsible for the supervision of the QA support staff, Lab Techs and QA Specialists. Promote quality/hygiene awareness through coaching, training, and onsite audits.
• Organize food safety training documentation and tools and monitor effectiveness of training programs for production.
• Must have ability to work under pressure, problem-solve and find solutions.

Supervisory Duties (if applicable)

• Manage QA staff and direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science or Microbiology preferred or an equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience may be considered.
• Working knowledge of GMP, FDA/USDA, FSMA requirements and SQF standards required.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in a food and/or beverage manufacturing environment.
• Leadership skills, focused on results, employee engagement, decision making, teamwork, and change management
• Strong PC skills; proficient in Microsoft office programs
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, problem solving, and organizational skills
• The employee must have the ability to quantitatively review technical procedures and representative regulations. 
• Ability to effectively present information to groups and respond to questions from peers, supervisors, and managers is essential.
• Ability to multi-task, set priorities within Quality Assurance and work in a fast-paced environment.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This position requires the following break out of a typical day:  70% desk duties and 30% production floor duties. Moderate computer use, emails, and phone calls.
• Office, production, and warehouse floor environment.
• Must be able to lift objects up to 50 lbs.
• Standard hours are 6:30 am – 6:30 pm, Monday – Friday
• Occasional weekend support as needed.
• Travel between local sites required.

Beyond Meat is an equal employment opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, ancestry, veteran status, marital status, gender identify, sexual orientation, national origin, liability for military service, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. If you are interested in learning the status of your application, please note you will be contacted directly by the appropriate human resources contact person if you are selected for further consideration. Beyond Meat reserves the right to defer or close a vacancy at any time.
Please note that Beyond Meat has adopted a COVID-19 vaccination policy to safeguard the health and well-being of our employees. All U.S. employees who (a) physically enter a Beyond Meat facility in the United States, (b) represent Beyond Meat at work-related events, including but not limited to trade shows and product demonstrations, or (c) physically enter customer or potential customer sites in connection with their work for Beyond Meat must take all necessary steps to be Fully Vaccinated as a condition of employment, unless a reasonable accommodation is approved.