Quality Assurance Officer

Title: Quality Assurance Officer

Working Hours: Day shift 07:00 – 19:00 4on 4off

Reports to: Technical Team Leader

Location: Chessington, Surrey KT9 1TW

Salary: Upto £31,000 DOE

New England Seafood International – who are we?

New England Seafood International (NESI) was established in 1991 and is an importer and processor of premium fresh and frozen sustainable fish and seafood. NESI employs circa 650 people across two sites in the UK and imports a wide range of wild and farmed fish and shellfish from all around the world. We are part of the Sealaska Corporation, an Alaska Native corporation formed in 1971 and which is owned by 22,000 Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian shareholders, who are all bloodline descendants of the first settlers to the Americas.

Our vision is to “show people how to enjoy fish every day” and we pride ourselves on our supply chain integrity, sustainable sourcing and high-quality product. Our values run through our business and are Respect, Customer Care, By Learning We Grow, Team Spirit and Integrity.

Accountabilities – what will I learn and be trained in

We are looking for highly engaged, motivated people to join our technical team, where you will be given a fantastic opportunity to develop your skill set. The right attitude, willingness to learn, a sense of humour and team working ethic is a must!

We have highly experienced trainers on hand, waiting for your arrival to equip and train you with everything you need! At the end of your training, you will be able and confident in your role as a Quality Assurance Officer and accountable to:

• To verify and measure the delivery of the technical and food safety standards across the site, ensuring standards are maintained and are in line with both customer and NESI requirements.
• To ensure the technical requirements are understood across the various business areas and by the Operations team implementing the standards.
• To ensure monthly procedural audits are in place to validate these requirements supported with an annual review that demonstrates any trends within the data and the preventative measures implemented to prevent a reoccurrence.
• To ensure GMP audits are completed as part of a multi-disciplinary team, against the defined schedule and NCR’s are raised within the relevant support systems (ie: Pirana for Eng.) to drive closure.
• Ensure any trends within the GMP audits are highlighted to the relevant Technical Team Leader for discussion within the T2/T3 daily meeting.
• Deliver the environmental product Micro and chemical monitoring programmes ensuring samples and swabs are taken as per the schedules. Support the investigation of any OOS results.
• Support the investigation of any complaints using RCA to prevent a recurrence.
• To ensure the required technical documentation is in place, accurately populated and easy to retrieve.
• To support both internal and external audits representing the technical function
• Collect taste panel samples and conduct taste panels and end of life sampling capturing and trending the results
• To be part of the technical risk assessment process for any new equipment, and ensuring the delivery of any training requirements are captured
• Carry out daily, monthly and annual calibration checks as required against the schedule
• Conduct shelf life assessments as required against the schedule
• Conduct line start up checks ensuring any issues are escalated to the relevant member of both the operations and Technical Management team.
• Attend necessary meetings for cross functional discussion.
• Complete Hygiene swabs across both the day and night shifts to verify the cleaning standards completed by the production operatives. Both in-process and post-cleaning.
• Sign off hygiene documentation completed by the Operations team to verify correct completion of work against the required schedule to the correct standard. Raising where this is not the case directly with them and noting the required corrective actions taken on the paperwork.
• Conduct rejected product analysis from metal detectors.
• Generate of the product life matrix sheets, ensuring they are kept up to date and communicated and issued to the factory in a timely manner.
• Sign off the AFOS defrosting charts ensuring the data is saved and trended and any non-conformances raised to the relevant department head for investigation and preventative actions to be introduced.
• Conduct CCP audits against the defined schedule ensuring all non-conformances are highlighted to the relevant department head and closed, using RCA to prevent a reoccurrence.
• To address any non-conforming product and /or, activity quickly, ensuring that both the NESI brand and customer brands are protected.
• To be involved in project work /tasks as requested by the Technical Team Leader or Site Technical Manager.
• To influence and work closely with, but not manage the Operations team, Engineers and other members of the Technical team.
• Support in providing data for the issue of accurate, on time, fully completed external KPI reports.
• Support and manage the use of the dispensation log, and the downgrade material process.
• Manage the systematic collation of all supplier microbiological and chemical test results. Working with the Technical Manager to ensure all reoccurring issues are addressed and prevented using RCA techniques.
• Trend and publicise key technical supplier data on a quarterly basis in the form of ‘supplier scorecards’ to the Technical Manager, Supply Chain Manager and relevant Species Experts and Directors.
• Conduct checks at the ‘back door’ on all raw materials and ingredients incoming to NESI. To ensure only approved suppliers and in-specification material is receipted on to site.
• Ensure the Approved Supplier Matrix is kept up to date and reflective of the current supplier status, via attendance at monthly meetings with the Supply Chain Manager.
• Conduct ‘in-process’ raw material audits across site to verify the correct use and handling of Raw materials. Generating detailed audit reports and highlighting non-conformances to the relevant production and Technical personnel.
• Coach Production Operatives on the correct handling of raw materials utilising species experts to support this work as required.
• Attend regular taste panels and provide information to support any issues highlighted through this process.
• Conduct temperature logging across the supply base as required to support investigations.
• The timely completion of supplier non-conformance reports where non-conforming raw materials are receipted at site, ensuring follow up and full closure of the report is achieved.
• Participate within customer visits and audits as required
• Support third party audits as required
• Align with New Product Development, to ensure that all new product requirements for raw materials are correctly identified, communicated and controlled.
• Completion of audits across the supply base in line with the Audit Schedule complied by the Supply Chain Manager.
• Support cross functional project work streams as and when required
• To work closely with the Technical Team Leader, Factory Managers, Operational colleagues, Group Technical Account Manager, Group Head of Technical, Factory Technical Managers (Unit B, C and Grimsby), NPD, Engineering and Species team

What experiences, knowledge and capabilities do I need to demonstrate?

To be successful in this role you should be able to demonstrate recent experience in a similar role, preferably from a fast-paced manufacturing environment, coupled with strong technical and food safety knowledge

Required:

• Experience within a FMCG environment (preferred)
• Working knowledge of technical management systems
• Ability to influence
• Sound organisational skills
• Ability to work cross functionally over the organisation
• Ability to analyse data and support in the formulation of action plans
• Ability to drive increased technical compliance through a coaching and development style

Benefits:

• 20 days holiday, including bank holidays (pro rata) increasing by 1 day per year up to 25 days
• Pension 5% employee contribution 3% employer contribution
• Life Insurance: 3 x annual salary
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Staff discount on products
• Unlimited Refreshments
• On-site parking
• Referral Programme
• Sports & Social Fund

Our core purpose is to enhance lives through fish. Our vision is to be the “go to” partner, loved by our customers, chosen for our species and famous for consumer-led innovation, in showing people how to enjoy fish every day. Our organisation is category led, organised by our core species of Tuna, Wild Salmon, Sea Bass & Sea Bream, and deeply connected to our customers.

Our values run through our business and are Respect, Customer Care, By Learning we Grow, Team Spirit and Integrity.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Salary: Up to £31,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Casual dress
• Company events
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted or free food
• Employee discount
• Free parking
• Health & wellbeing programme
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Sick pay

Schedule:

• 12 hour shift
• Day shift
• Overtime

Supplemental pay types:

• Bonus scheme

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Chessington, KT9 1TW: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• Quality control: 2 years (required)
• Technical management systems: 1 year (preferred)
• FMCG: 2 years (preferred)

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (preferred)

Work Location: In person