Food Safety Quality Auditor
Location: Ballymena
Reports to: Food Safety Manager

Implementing, auditing and continual improvement of the Quality Assurance System by providing Technical Support to the Production, Maintenance and Hygiene teams. Ensuring that products are produced safely to meet customer quality standards and legislative requirements by taking corrective action in order to guarantee that products are maintained within specification.

Responsibilities:

• Auditing of factory environment (including hygiene / cleaning activities), processes, products and records to verify the business is operating to agreed standards and procedures, and identify discrepancies, agreeing action plans with the Manager responsible to correct any non-conformances / prevent re-occurrences.
• Reporting of factory technical status and issues of non-compliance, both verbally and in writing and any subsequent action plan that may be devised.
• Product quality day to day. In Despatch / On-Line / at Taste Panel etc.
• Maintenance of Quality Assurance System – Retrievability of process and quality records to verify product Specification, quality, safety and due diligence. Continuous improvement and internal auditing of procedures, records, product and hygiene specifications, cleaning effectiveness, stock management (raw materials, work in progress, finished product), crate / trolley / tray wash effectiveness, photographic standards. Auditing may be both in the local business or as part of the independent auditing team.
• Auditing of HACCP system to guarantee product safety e.g.: nut and glass policies.
• Traceability of all ingredients through to finished products to customer deliveries – including forward and backward traceability exercises.
• Performance of critical tasks to maintain the Quality System e.g. thermal process validation (datapaqs and p values), calibration (e.g. probes, datapaqs, weights, MAP, metal detection, anemometer), temperature monitoring etc.
• Provide Technical guidance and support to other departments (particularly Production / Hygiene / Engineering), encouraging understanding and awareness. Provide specific training as required.
• Participation in operational problem solving, technical / hygiene problem solving, and project work as allocated.
• Any other duties as may be required to fulfil the needs of the role.

Continuous Improvement

• Take responsibility for, and always promote workplace organisation

People

• People management not part of role

Environment

• Optimise energy usage, looking at opportunities for energy reduction and carbon footprint reduction.
• To work in a manner that actively seeks to reduce any negative environmental impact in relation to the processes and procedures operating within their area and across the wider business e.g. reduction of waste, recycling etc

Essential Criteria:

• Communication and interpersonal skill through cross – functional teams and departments.
• Good General Education to include Maths & English at Grade C or equivalent
• Initiative, self-motivated, assertive, tenacious, well organised, influencing skills.
• Team worker.
• Customer focussed approach.
• Problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Working knowledge of Excel / Word / PowerPoint.
• Experience in similar food quality role

Desirable Criteria:

• A” level / HND (preferably food related)
• Knowledge of HACCP, BRC Standards, Food Legislation, Food Hygiene.
• Advanced Diploma in Food Hygiene Management
• Intermediate Certificate in Applied
• HACCP Principles