Vickerstock are proud to be recruitment partners with our global Food Manufacturing client based in Portadown in their search for a focused Quality Assurance Lead (Hygiene) to join a company which will offer you an opportunity to shape how people across the globe view food and beverages with commitment to a sustainable future.

As the successful candidate, you will uphold and oversee the management of the site hygiene, positive release and departmental SAP programs to ensure all finished products meet global standards and legal requirements.

What we have to offer you:

• Competitive salary
• 25 days holiday plus stats
• Healthcare
• Pension contributions
• Life assurance

What your typical day will look like:

• Ensure adherence to the microbiological sampling and analysis Schedule for incoming Raw Material, Finished Product, Water, Equipment, Trials for micro, chemical, & nutritional analysis in line with Global and site procedures
• Assure dispatch to agreed laboratories within the agreed timeframe and liaise with external chemical and microbiological analytical laboratories to ensure site requirements are maintained.
• Verification of results against the agreed specification, informing the Technical Manager of non-conforming products and conducting investigations as necessary ensuring closed out.
• Maintain Site Positive Release program for all finished goods to supply chain.
• Upload Microbiological non-conformances onto Intelex.
• Reporting of all out of specification results, completion of root cause analysis & close out of all corrective action plans.
• Weekly/Monthly Reporting of all sites bacteriological, chemical, and quality sample results.
• Analysing Microbiological trends and developing improvement plans.
• Managing the environmental swabbing programme for Equipment and personnel, ensuring corrective actions is closed out as and when necessary.
• Conduct in-house hygiene inspections and ensure all results/follow up actions are communicated.
• Liaise with Site Cleaning contractor to assure site hygiene standards are maintained alongside continued maintenance of site Cleaning Manual
• Assist with new employee induction training and on-going operator training regarding quality and hygiene standards.
• Departmental SAP systems superuser interface.
• Provide support to Compliance function for the Internal Auditing schedule.

Your essential ingredients:

• Education Diploma or higher in a Food Science /microbiological related subject.
• Proficient written and verbal skills in English language
• Numerical ability to record, interpret and analyse key process data
• Microbiological background or working knowledge.
• Understanding and ability to apply the principles and tools of lean manufacturing
• Proficient in the use of MS Office tools.
• Understanding of Food Safety and Quality Management Systems
• Knowledge of the BRC Global Food Standard and specific customer standards as they apply.
• Understanding of SAP systems

Desirable Criteria (it would be great if you have these but don't worry if you don't)

• Training Qualification i.e. Train the Trainer
• Experience of managing a hygiene program
• Inventory management experience
• Working knowledge of positive release process for finished goods
• Experience in standardisation of processes
• Ability to solve problems.
• Internal auditing qualification

What we hope you do next:

Sound like the career move you've been after and would like to hear more, pick up the phone to me, Anna, now on 028 9031 3720, or send an updated CV - in Word format - via the link on the page.

If this job doesn't quite get the taste buds flowing but like me, you are passionate about food, let's get a chat and see how I can help.

PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR A FULL LIST OF OUR CURRENT VACANCIES.