Company Description: Instinct® is a rapidly growing, family-owned marketer and manufacturer of science-based 100% natural pet food for dogs and cats. Instinct® is the Raw Brand, with a mission to get more raw nutrition into every bowl of dogs and cats, for proven healthier and happier long lives. Our company mission is to Empower people to transform the lives of pets. We are committed to hiring and developing a team of passionate, performance-oriented professionals who live by our 4 values of championing raw, empowered to make a difference, collaborating as one team, and striving for excellence through continuous learning and improvement. Our home office is located in St. Louis, Missouri with our Center of Excellence Raw Food kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Instinct® is part of the family-owned group, Agrolimen, who owns leading pet food and human food businesses in the US, China, Europe, and Africa.

Position Summary:

The Food Safety & Quality (FS&Q) Operations Superintendent is responsible for managing the food safety and quality execution for our manufacturing facility. The FS&Q Operations Superintendent will be responsible for ensuring that the manufacturing facility meets the requirements outlined by SQF, FSMA, HACCP programs and regulatory bodies. This position will also play a lead role in working with the Operations and Maintenance Teams to lead investigations, root cause analysis (RCAs) and develop corrective and preventative actions (CAPAs) to drive continuous improvement in execution of our food safety and quality programs. As a member of the larger FS&Q team, they will be involved in all aspects of quality and food safety including but not limited to audits, customer complaints, facility non-conformance, returned product, training, program reassessments, verification activities and other program support as needed.

This role is the primary back-up for the Food Safety & Quality Operations Supervisor and Lab/EMP Specialist; this includes 1st and 2nd shift flexibility coverage and possible weekend work.

Key Responsibilities:

Lead SQF Practitioner

Management of SQF & FSMA requirements and compliance.

Oversee the development, implementation, review and maintenance of the SQF food safety & quality system.

Take appropriate action to ensure the integrity of the food safety and quality system.

Communicate to relevant personnel all information essential to ensure the effective implementation and maintenance of the food safety & quality system. This includes regular communication with the non-exempt employees as well as the exempt employees.

Assess and develop food safety plan and food quality plan.

Escalate issues to senior site management including supporting management review discussion.

Develop and modify data structure, as necessary to build out data visualization and Statistical Process Controls (SPC) to adequately identify negative trends and opportunity areas

Lead role in conducting investigations and facilitating RCAs, CAPAs, and consumer complaint resolutions

Support development of validation studies (HACCP/HARPC, Sanitation, PRP, etc.)

Lead development and reassessment of SOPs, SSOPs, work instructions, forms, and training content; including management of document control software.

Identify opportunities to strengthen FS&Q programs including culture

Develop and maintain quality compliance audits through electronic compliance software

Manage FS&Q Operations Supervisor and QA inspection team

Support test and hold program including pre-shipment review, release of WIP and finished product, and monitoring of FS&Q hold inventory.

Lead mock recalls and product traceability with inventory systems, usage reports and recall documentation.

Performs verification activities for FS&Q documentation and applicable CCP functions.

Assists in establishing tools, maintaining data and reporting for KPIs and scorecards.

Build an engaged team and trust with other department personnel

Performance Management: develop goals, development plans and drive results

Ensure employees are following expectations (safety, quality and operational)

Task Management: plan, coordinate and follow up

Develop programs, procedures and deploy training

Inspection, escalation, and record keeping

Esystems: Microsoft Office Tools, ERP, Electronic monitoring system, Document Management, Incident Management

Other duties as assigned

Personal Attributes:

High Values: integrity, encouragement, courteous, respectful and trustworthy

Team player: work effectively across levels and departments, cover responsibilities of others, and work holidays/weekends as needed

Highly driven: self-motivated, work with urgency, assertive and drive action

Organized with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple things at once

Effective verbal and written communicator

Ability to deal with ambiguity and limited information

Ability to remain calm in stressful and conflict situations

Able to challenge the status quo, identify opportunities (process, data) and come up with creative solutions

Champion and embrace change

Skills and Technical Expertise:

Knowledge of employee safety and well-being

Operational knowledge of Food Safety and Quality Management System (i.e. SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000)

Knowledge of food regulations (FDA, APHIS-Export)

Knowledge of sanitation (methods, process, chemicals, safety)

Product, processing, and controls knowledge

Continuous improvement champion (Lean Concepts, RCA)

Required Experience:

Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Meat Science or equivalent

4-6 years of progressive responsibility in food safety and quality

Compensation And Benefits

Competitive compensation package includes health and dental insurance, life and AD&D insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings account, short and long-term disability, paid time off, Purpose Days off for company partner volunteer opportunities, and 401k with company match

Our Instinct is to CHAMPION Diversity

At Instinct, we are as passionate about our people as we are about the pets we call family. We are committed to inclusion, empowerment, and respect. We believe that just like our pets, what sets us apart unleashes our greatest strengths. We thrive on the ability to not only empower people to transform the lives of pets through raw nutrition, but also to empower each other to inspire a culture that celebrates our differences. Our unique approach to pet food is what makes us who we are as a company, and our individual identities are what makes us a successful, innovative, authentic team.

Food Safety & QA jobs in Lincoln

Food Safety & Quality Operations Superintendent