Quality Manager

TITLE: Quality Manager

REPORTS TO: Plant Director

LOCATION: Walton, NY

Lactalis Heritage Dairy is currently seeking candidates to join our team in Walton, NY.

Lactalis Group, the world leader in dairy, is a family-owned business with more than 85,000 pragmatic and ambitious professionals worldwide, committed to providing healthy and delicious dairy products that bring people together every day. At Lactalis, our core values of AMBITION, ENGAGEMENT, and SIMPLICITY are at the heart of everything we do.

If you're looking for a unique experience with a company that offers strong brands, professional expertise, and a dynamic work environment that champions entrepreneurial spirit, hands-on responsibility, and real opportunity for career development, we want to hear from you!

Lactalis Heritage Dairy: inviting you to share with us your STORY, your PASSION, and your EXPERTISE.

From your PASSION to ours

As a Quality Manager, the role will carry out responsibilities such as but not limited to for the overall food safety, food quality, and regulatory compliance of the products produced at the Lactalis Heritage Dairy (LHD) plant. . Additionally, the Quality Manager will collaborate across all the departments at the plant and corporate quality to align duties with the company's goals and values.

From your EXPERTISE to ours

Key responsibilities for this position include:

• Leads development and continuous improvement of the plant quality programs and processes.
• Assesses food safety and quality risks & recommends mitigation strategies in collaboration with production, sanitation, and maintenance.
• Implements and manages execution of the Groupe Lactalis Quality Policy
• Maintains, and improves the quality management systems (HACCP, FSSC22000)
• Maintains appropriate records that support a robust food safety program (e.g. HACCP and pre-requisite programs) and other documentation to support compliance with policies and procedures.
• Conducts effective root cause analysis on food safety and quality issues, implements corrective and preventative actions.
• Implements process control limits and applies in-process corrective actions when needed.
• Reviews in-process testing requirements for production of consistent products.
• Oversees pest control program and serves as liaison with vendor; managed through site sanitation team.
• Oversees the sanitation program and ensures sanitation activities are performed on schedule.
• Oversees environmental control program and ensures sampling is performed on schedule.
• Oversees the plant sensory program and ensures tasting sessions are performed on schedule.
• Review and maintain all product specifications in collaboration with Production Manager.
• Oversees site vendor performance meets quality expectations with non-conformance reports and corrective actions as appropriate.
• Participates in the preparation of operation shut down weeks, engineering projects, sanitation and start up practices prior to resuming production.
• Works with corporate cross functional team members to drive continuous improvement at site and with vendors and services associated with Quality and Sanitation. Including but not limited to Procurement, R&D, and Corporate Quality.
• Reviews consumer and customer complaints and works cross-functionally to decrease complaints.

Regulatory:

• Primary interface with routine & non-routine regulatory agency representatives at the facility.
• Communicates with all necessary parties (employees, plant management, etc.) on regulation changes related to Quality and Food Safety.
• Timely and effective regulatory response.
• Appropriate documentation and development of local policies to support compliance to policies and procedures.

Internal & External Audits

• Prepares and leads FSSC22000 certification audits, customer, and other third-party audits.
• Ensure the facility is always audit ready.
• Completes necessary CAPAs and reports post audit.
• Develops and trains a team of internal auditors.

Laboratory

• Oversees the plant laboratory.
• Maintains a close working relationship with the Corporate Lab Relay.
• Regular meetings with the lab manager to ensure all micro and analytical tests are being carried out in a timely manner.
• Keeps a close working relationship with the external laboratory.

Organizational & Cross-Functional Support

• Maintains a close partnership with the cross-function teams at the plant: Materials, Operation, HR, Maintenance, Health and Safety, Engineering and Controller.
• Maintains a connection with Groupe Quality Department & Corporate Quality to maintain and gain technical knowledge.
• Facilitates exchange of data between departments and quality employees to ensure quality compliance is met
• Collaborates with Corporate Quality in development of plant KPIs and scorecard

Team Management

• Motivates and inspires the team
• Develops the quality and sanitation team's skills and expertise
• Sets realistic goals, provides regular feedback, and completes mid-year and year-end appraisals
• Prepares and distribute Food Safety objectives
• Delegates, communicates, transfers a culture of adaptability & accountability

Other

• Shares and promotes best practices throughout the organization.
• Travel and/or extended/off-work hours.
• This description reflects management's assignment of essential functions, it does not proscribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned.
• Behaves in a professional manner that always represents the Company in the highest ethical standards.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES

The incumbent is responsible for the overall direction, coordination, and evaluation of a Quality Supervisor, Lab Manager, and Quality Department in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

WORK CONDITIONS

Extended hours may be necessary depending on the project needs

To fulfill these responsibilities, tools such as a computer, phone or, and / or allowance(s) will be provided.

To fulfill these responsibilities, a cell phone is required.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential duties and responsibilities.

From your STORY to ours

Qualified applicants will contribute the following:

Education:

• A bachelor's degree is required.
• Majors in food science, dairy science, or life science is preferred.

Experience

• 7+ years related experience is required.
• 5 years of people management is required
• Experience in food manufacturing is required, cheese is preferred

Certifications and specific knowledge

• Knowledge of GFSI, HACCP, US food regulations is preferred.
• COMPETENCIES
• Analytical Thinking
• Analyze rigorously data and situations, to identify and analyze causes/effects and to select only appropriate information use to make effective decisions

Leadership & Impact

• Acting and leading as a role model, positively influencing others with energy and enhancing their ability to contribute to a goal

People Management

• Manage people in daily work by identifying potential and recruiting best profiles, setting concrete and ambitious goals, delegating missions, motivating and developing every day a cohesive team in a change environment

Problem Solving

• Ability to build a logical approach (assess situation, identify causes, target solutions, deploy it) to address problems or manage a situation by drawing on own knowledge and experience base and calling on other references and resources as necessary

Strategic Thinking

• Provide an holistic and systematic perspective on strategic issues and leverages them to articulate and give a clear vision of the future.

Transfer of Expertise

• Ability to spread and develop a high level of expertise (knowledge, technologies, methods, ...) within the Group by sharing our own expertise and training others to sustain people and Group development.

BEHAVIORAL COMPETENCIES

Ambition

• Performance: Challenging yourself and others in order to work efficiently and
• to deliver required business results.
• Continuous Improvement: Looking for ways to continuously improve quality,
• efficiency/effectiveness of the Group performance.
• People Development: Identify areas for developing oneself and the others.

Engagement

• Entrepreneurship: Manage the business as if it were theirs.
• Loyalty: Support positively and protect the Company.
• Tenacity: Overcome the obstacles.
• Accountability: Stand by one's commitment, deliver the results in a transparent
• manner

Simplicity

• Accessibility: Ensure relationships based on accessibility, modesty, and
• proximity.
• Pragmatism: Work in a practical and effective manner (with common sense).
• Transparency: Act and communicate with clarity and transparency.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

Care

• We create a safe and trusting working environment.
• We foster a culture of listening and mutual feedback.
• We unlock potential and enable people to play to their strengths.
• We take responsibility for our impact on the environment and our stakeholders.

Share

• We work and win as a team.
• We respect local cultures and are open to new ideas and ways of working.
• We share our learnings and best practices across the group.
• We are proud Lactalis ambassadors, any time, any place.

Dare

• We take initiative and learn from experience.
• We challenge the status quo and ensure continuous improvement.
• We lead innovation by being curious, flexible and open-minded.
• We act as intrapreneurs.

Inspire

• We live our vision and our values in an authentic way.
• We lead by example.
• We walk the talk.
• We live our passion and motivation to strive for more and better.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The Physical Demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully

perform the Essential Duties and Responsibilities of this job.

Plant/DC Non-Office: While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be regularly required to stand, sit, lift, talk, hear, reach, stoop, kneel, and use hands and fingers to operate machinery and move product. This would require the ability to move around within a production environment and stand and walk for prolonged periods. Regularly communicates with others verbally to convey information and must be able to work in, on, around, over and under fixed equipment and machinery, manipulate multiple controls and machinery; to work in adverse temperature conditions, to wear and work in personnel protective equipment. Specific physical demands associated with lifting limits, etc. will be found in the FSSC22000, if applicable.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The Work Environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters

while performing the Essential Functions and Responsibilities of this job.

Plant/DC Non-Office: This job operates in a manufacturing environment with moderate to excessive noise and distractions. This role occasionally uses standard office equipment, such as computers or phones and requires interaction with others on a regular basis. When moving about the production area may encounter areas that are cold, wet, slippery, obstructed, and loud and will be required to wear safety attire or protective gear.

Lactalis Heritage Dairy is an equal employment opportunity employer. We will not discriminate against applicants with regard to any legally-recognized basis including, but not limited to: veteran status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, and physical or mental disabilities.