Quality & Food Safety Technologist- Leipsic, OH

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

Purpose of this Role
This position is responsible for developing and implementing innovative solutions to site based quality and food safety systems to ensure operational conformance to consumer and customer expectations.

As a site based R&D resource, this position requires working closely with supply, maintenance, engineering, logistics, central and global quality, food safety & distribution systems specialists and regulatory affairs to identify opportunities to improve product quality, systems and safety.

This position is also responsible for acquiring and understanding the advancement of global petfood processes and auditing techniques to drive appropriate innovations for the site.

As a Quality & Food Safety associate who represents the R&D and the business, the jobholder must possess a high degree of initiative, responsibility, work ethic, and flexibility. The associate must be willing to involve himself / herself in any aspect that relates to our company's products or activities, even if such aspect is not directly related to other parts of this job description.

Principle Accountabilities
• Facilitate and document site based hold management systems (SAP and Nexus), requirements and procedures including product disposition and destruction in accordance with Mars Quality and Food Safety Standards
• Facilitate/lead plant microbiology testing program including data analysis, trending, reporting and recommendations.
• Facilitate and document Risk Assessment process for all new commodities, equipment, processes, etc. in accordance with Mars regulatory requirements.
• Food Safety Representative for site HACCP Team.
• Facilitate site based audit program for quality systems compliance, pest control, product traceability and food safety in accordance with Mars Inc. Quality and Foods Safety Standards and FDA regulations
• Facilitate site based quality systems to assess compliance to published product and process specifications
• Maintain site Statistical Process Control systems including deviation reporting and recommendations. Design, develop and implement site based programs to trend, report and address consumer feedback information
• Maintain current formula/recipe database system and verify new recipe accuracy prior to implementation.
• Design, develop and provide quality systems training and education programs for site based associates.
• Assist in facilitating site document and record control, and corrective & preventative action programs.

Key Functional Skills/Knowledge
• Strong background in math and computers; working knowledge of descriptive statistics
• Proven application of engineering principles, laboratory methodologies, food science, statistics, and quality tools.
• Strong oral, listening, and written communication skills in order to communicate with all levels of the organization
• Strong project management and planning skills with proven ability to manage numerous projects simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal communication and leadership skills, and the ability to effectively negotiate, influence, and persuade.
• Excellent analytical and troubleshooting skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence, motivate, and lead a team.
• Building and sustaining relationships to ensure a strong team environment.
• Strong decision making skills and prioritization skills.
• Ability to work independently without supervision as well as within a team setting.
• Attention to detail required when working with scientific data and analysis.
• Ability to work different schedules as needed for testing and projects.
• Ability to work in a pet food factory environment with noise, raw meats, automated machinery etc.
• Physical requirements: Sufficient mobility, strength, flexibility, hearing, and sight to access all job relevant areas of warehouse in a high forklift traffic environment and perform routine activities as necessary to deliver required results. Some pushing/pulling, bending/stooping, and lifting (up to 50 lbs.) necessary.

Minimum Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in food science, engineering, biological sciences, chemistry or related field of study
• 1+ years’ experience in a Quality, Food Safety, Regulatory Services and/or Engineering area.
• Working knowledge of CPG/production environment within processing and packaging
• Ability and aptitude to work in an R&D, Manufacturing, and/or Distribution environment
• Understanding of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP's), Good Laboratory Practices (GLP's), Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point Systems (HACCP), ISO, Regulatory Guidelines, Sensory, and/or Microbiology
• Knowledge of the Windows working environment including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Preferred Requirements
• 2+ years experience in a Quality, Food Safety, Regulatory Services, or Engineering area preferred.

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

Nearest Major Market: Lima
Nearest Secondary Market: Findlay
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