Manager, Product Control Division (Food Control)

Industry:

Company: Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc.

The Manager of the Product Control Division is responsible for supporting and enhancing product development at Wismettac Asian Foods, Inc. through import/export operations, domestic purchasing, contract manufacturing, and wholesale distribution. This position ensures compliance with FDA, USDA, state, and local regulations, as well as CFIA standards for Canada while overseeing supplier compliance with FDA FSMA, Canada SFCR, and other relevant regulations. Responsibilities include verifying supplier compliance by reviewing HACCP, Preventive Controls, FSVP (Foreign Supplier Verification Program), and PCP (Preventive Control Plan in Canada). Additionally, this role involves communication with the product department, sales branches, suppliers, and other internal divisions to support food regulations and maintain accurate product information.

This position requires expertise in all aspects of product control, including compliance with regulations in the U.S. and other countries, strategic thinking, and the skills to lead various product control initiatives. This position requires the ability to plan, implement, and lead the operation of measures hands-on while keeping the big picture in mind. They are also expected to have individual interpersonal management skills, such as establishing internal and external networks and proposing creative solutions to business unit issues from the perspective of a product control expert when necessary. The incumbent will be expected to have individual interpersonal management skills.

• Develop and implement a strategic roadmap for product control based on Wismettac’s business strategy and objectives, and drive continuous improvement, as well as leading external stakeholder engagement, including audits of outsourced factories.
• Lead the response to any food manufacturing or product control-related incidents that may occur.
• Actively pursues continuous process and product control improvement as measured by internal indices and external audits/reports.
• Manages activities relating to determining and reporting causes of non-conformances, as well as implementing corrective actions and process improvements; provides appropriate retraining.
• Execute the above measures in a hands-on and hands-off manner, depending on the situation.
• Maintains compliance with all regulatory requirements to include but not limited to FDA, USDA, and CFIA. Develop the necessary training modules to ensure that personnel and employees understand and can execute established procedures while meeting all regulatory requirements.
• Create any needed SOPs and review, correct, and improve upon any current SOPs.
• Conduct audits of suppliers and third-party laboratories in compliance with various regulatory agencies.
• Documents various work according to established procedures and guidelines provides timely and effective oral and written communication and prepares reports (in English and/ or Japanese) to the project team to ensure complete communication of project status,
• progress, issues, solutions, timeline, and accountability.
• Prepare, review, and submit compliance reports to local, state/federal environmental regulatory agencies and key personnel.
• Support new products, and new supplier qualifications, working with the Product Management Department, Procurement, Logistics, and other divisions as needed.
• Involved in the hiring, retention, motivation, and development of qualified personnel in QA/Compliance positions.
• Assists with new employee orientation, job function, Quality Assurance/ Control, and developmental training to employees as required by Standard Operating Procedures, Certification programs, and corporate requirements.

Experience/ Training/ Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Manufacturing, Food Science, Food Technology, or a related field required
• 7 years in food product development or food regulation-related roles in the US (and Canada)
• 5 years of related supervisory/management experience to include building and developing teams
• Demonstrated experience driving results and ensuring key metrics are met and exceeded
• Experience in Product Development and Manufacturing environments in food/beverage and/or produce (fruits and vegetables) is a plus
• Demonstrated experiences in leading change, project management, and driving world-class food safety culture
• Experience in effectively utilizing and developing limited internal resources as well as effectively and efficiently leveraging external resources for product control initiatives.
• HACCP and PCQI-certified preferred

Knowledge, Skills, and Ability

• Knowledge of FDA, USDA, and CIFA (preferred).
• Must be proficient in Microsoft Office applications (i.e. Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and SharePoint).
• Knowledge of human resource management (principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, employee relations, and timecard management).
• Extensive knowledge and experience in the area of food import, procurement, and food labeling.
• Knowledge and ability to deal with sensitive issues in the event of an incident, and the strength to handle individual cases.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including timely follow-up commitment to deliverables, and openness to give and receive feedback.
• Team player with a collaborative style and strong listening and partnering skills.
• Execution skills and business skills to develop measures related to the regulation of food, food ingredients, and labeling while involving internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to discuss technical regulations with non-technical colleagues in an easily understandable way.
• Ability to develop strong cross-functional relationships with internal business partners within PCD as well as Sales, Logistics, and operation staff members to drive strong collaboration and results.
• Self-starter, flexible, comfortable working in unstructured fast-paced environments, able to manage multiple priorities while maintaining attention to detail.
• Ability to proofread and check documentation for accuracy and completeness.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, draw valid conclusions, and offer solutions.
• Able to provide practical advice using more efficient and innovative methods and approaches, as needed, without being bound by existing systems and structures.
• Openness to change and the ability to respond flexibly in unpredictable situations.
• Ability to speak, write, and read English.
• Flexibility with global working hours to adjust for various time zones to accommodate global responsibilities.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Working Conditions:

Managers work in a comfortable office environment. They frequently work more than the standard 40 hours a week to ensure deadlines are met. Managers may spend a few hours in the warehouse to see if products have arrived from vendors. Travel is sometimes necessary. Compliance Managers may even travel outside the United States. Due to global responsibilities or product control-related support, may be required to be on-call on an irregular work schedule, including weekends, early mornings, evenings, and holidays.

Benefits*: Wismettac offers competitive benefits, which include:

• Health Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life & accident insurance
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) with company matching
• 19 days of paid time off
• Wellness program and EAP assistance
• and much more!

*Most benefits require employee contribution

Pre-employment Drug testing is required.
Must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis for any employer.
Principals only. Recruiters, please do not contact this job posting.

Other details

• Pay Type Salary
• Min Hiring Rate $95,000.00
• Max Hiring Rate $125,000.00
• Required Education Bachelor’s Degree

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