Associate, Quality Systems

*Accepting applications through Thursday April 16th, 5pmCST

What You Will Do

We are looking for a dynamic and passionate self-starter to join the team as our Quality Systems Associate. As your primary responsibility, you will oversee the management and maintenance of all quality assurance programs, ensuring steadfast compliance throughout our extensive supply chain network. You will work with internal cross functional teams as well as our co-manufacturing and warehousing partners on new product launches and set-up, onboarding new vendors, and maintain all 3^rd party certifications/claims. This role is crucial to the Chomps quality assurance team and requires someone with a strong attention to detail, excellent organizational skills, and a deep understanding of food safety regulations and quality assurance programs in the meat manufacturing industry.

The Associate, Quality Systems will support the Senior Associate, Regulatory and Quality Systems in overseeing critical areas of regulatory compliance, vendor onboarding, quality assurance program management, and consumer/customer complaint monitoring. This role requires strong knowledge of USDA-FSIS regulations, label approvals, and vendor management systems such as TraceGains. The ideal candidate will excel at organization, communication, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Organization and Oversight of Chomps Quality and Food Safety Systems
  • Responsible for onboarding and approving all contracted vendors including contract manufacturers, warehouses/repack sites, protein suppliers.
  • Review all vendor quality and food safety programs and customer requirements ensuring early quality involvement in program development.
  • Stay current with industry trends and USDA-FSIS regulations to continuously improve and update existing programs.
  • Maintain up-to-date Quality Assurance (QA) Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all systems and programs.
  • Regularly review and update QA programs to ensure alignment with regulatory and company standards.
  • Assist in the development and implementation of new QA programs as needed.
  • Provide support in auditing QA systems and identifying areas for improvement.
  • Organize and ensure accessibility of QA documentation for internal and external audits.
• USDA Label Approvals and 3^rd Party Claims Certifications
  • Collaborate with internal teams and external partners to ensure compliance with labeling regulations.
  • Responsible for submitting labels to external partners for USDA approval and keeping label approvals on file.
  • Works cross functionally with operations, innovations, QA, marketing, and sales for compliance on label and packaging content as well as new product launches.
  • Review and approval of all co-manufacturing and warehousing partners master case labels.
  • Maintain company compliance with all 3^rd party product claims certifications. Update portals with current documentation and obtain and distribute annual certifications.
  • Assist the Senior Associate with USDA-FSIS label approvals, including document collection, submission, and organization.
  • Maintain current USDA-FSIS label approval files and distribute documents to vendors across the manufacturing network.
  • Submit for all generic USDA approvals and maintain clear records.
  • Oversee third-party claims certifications, ensuring their validity across the manufacturing network.
  • Support Active Projects and Stage Gate QA artwork reviews and approvals to ensure regulatory compliance.
  • Assist with the review and oversight of marketing claims for regulatory adherence.
  • Stay informed of USDA-FSIS updates and communicate changes to the Senior Associate and relevant stakeholders.
• Consumer and Customer Complaint Monitoring
  • Monitor and analyze consumer and customer complaints related to product quality and safety. Identify and escalate possible complaint trends.
  • Create monthly dashboard reporting categorizing complaints by manufacturer, product, customer, and type. Submit reports to contracted partners and discuss results during weekly meetings.
  • Work alongside CX and operations teams to maintain complaint logs and reporting. Audit and edit logs to ensure reporting accuracy and consistency.
• Approved Vendor Documentation
  • Collect, review, and manage all approved vendor documentation related to the production and distribution of Chomps products.
  • Develop systems to address annual vendor requirements and stay ahead of expiring documents.
  • Work with procurement teams to ensure vendors adhere to Chomps quality and safety standards.
  • Work alongside the Sr. Associate, Regulatory and Quality Systems to transition all approved vendors and documentation into our new QMS.
  • Utilize and manage TraceGains systems for onboarding new vendors, ensuring accurate setup and compliance.
  • Send prerequisite requirements, questionnaires, and follow-ups to vendors, ensuring timely completion.
  • Monitor expired vendor documents and notify vendors of necessary updates.
  • Create and maintain supplier QA scorecards to assess vendor performance.
  • Collect, organize, and file manual documentation for vendor compliance.
  • Stay current on TraceGains system updates and provide training to internal teams and vendors as needed.
  • Communicate system changes and verify vendor compliance with program requirements.
  • Contact non-compliant vendors, coach them through corrective actions, and ensure re-alignment with standards.
  • Train new team members in TraceGains and identify system improvement opportunities.
  • Develop more efficient vendor questionnaires within TraceGains to streamline onboarding processes.
  • Write, submit, and manage all supplier and ingredient vendor incident reports, verifying CAPA acceptability and ensuring closure.
• Mock Recall and Traceability
  • Perform internal product traceability audits to verify the accuracy and effectiveness of Chomps traceability systems in Netsuite and daily documentation and logging.
  • Schedule biannual training for all new Chomps recall team members.
  • Maintain recall plan and programs; edit/update after each mock recall drill to continuously improve Chomps systems and readiness.
  • Work with sales and operations teams to stay current with all customer recall requirements and documentation.

Who You Are

• 4+ years of experience in FSQA within the meat manufacturing industry
• Bachelor's degree in Food Science or related field is an asset
• In-depth knowledge of USDA regulations, labeling requirements, HACCP and GMPs
• Experience with GFSI standards and food safety auditing requirements
• Formally trained in RCA and CAPA
• Organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills required
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities
• Detail-oriented with a commitment to continuous improvement
• Ability to conduct presentations and training sessions
• Requirement to travel up to 40%
• Knowledge of TraceGains is preferred

Position: Associate, Quality Systems

Reports to: Senior Associate, Regulatory and Quality Systems 

Location: Remote

Type: Full-Time, exempt