Quality Assurance Specialist

VersaCold is a food-first supply chain company with one of North America’s largest cold chain networks. We're dedicated to ensuring the safety, quality and freshness of the food families eat. With 65 years of experience, we collaborate as entrusted partners to maintain cold chain integrity and deliver customized solutions to complex business challenges. The foundation of our culture is based upon The VersaCold Way demonstrating our commitment to health and safety, integrity, innovation, performance and collaboration.

We are a growing organization and currently looking for a passionate and motivated **Quality Assurance Specialist **to join our winning team.

**Employment Type**: Full Time

**Shift**:Monday to Friday 9h00-5h00pm

**Reports To**:Manager

**Office/Facility**: Lachine, QC

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The Quality Assurance Specialist provides technical expertise and executional assistance to VersaCold’s business units to ensure Compliance to Regulatory, Food Safety and Quality Managements Systems (QMS) programs, and to ensure such programs are implemented and executed to meet corporate, customer and regulatory requirements.

The position is responsible for the facilitation of effective programs, systems and communications to ensure the safety, legality and quality of products at VersaCold. The position is responsible for ensuring (a) VersaCold’s compliance to HACCP and all related regulatory agencies’ (_e.g., _Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)) requirements within the regions; (b) quality management exceeds customers’ expectations and; (c) food safety strategy and quality initiatives are communicated and implemented across VersaCold business units.

The Quality Assurance Specialist will work with sites to address customer specifications, regulatory issues, and deliver against corporate regulatory, food safety and quality management directives.

**KEY RESPONSIBILITIES**
- Provides sustained support to Food Safety systems, operational designs, new business implementation and related qualification, and verification processes.
- Provides support for regulatory compliance, food safety, and quality, including crisis management, and liaises with regulatory agencies (CFIA, FDA and provincial/municipal agencies).
- Aids the execution of strategic quality and food safety programs within VersaCold business units.
- Performs food safety and quality audits to verify compliance to VersaCold QMS requirements, and regulatory and Food Safety standards. Partners with sites to close any identified gaps.
- Trains and consults with key stakeholders at each facility.
- Facilitates the resolution of issues related to quality policies, procedures, regulations, and compliance, and sets action priorities.
- In partnership with the Quality Assurance leads, VP/GM of Operations, Warehousing Solutions Managers and Terminal Services Managers, and all regional stakeholders, works to develop food safety and quality objectives, and ensures that objectives remain a top operational priority.
- Reviews all customer specifications, technical requirements, and product standards available at the region and facilities and ensure that corrective actions are implemented for gaps.
- Verifies root cause corrective action plans with stakeholders of related VersaCold business units.
- Ensures proper document control procedure is implemented, properly maintained and followed, and conducts verification during site assessments.
- Ensures that facilities are achieving improvement on related Key Performance Indicators (% Audit Score, Number of Non-conformance/Audit Findings, _etc._).
- Maintains awareness of current trends in Regulatory, Food Safety and Quality Systems and related fields and advises the Company of opportunities for improvement. This includes awareness and knowledge of the CFIA regulations and the BRC _Global Standards for Storage and Distribution._
- Continuously grows and develops knowledge, expertise and leadership capabilities by participating in professional development opportunities.
- Keeps informed of new and emerging trends in the food safety, supply chain and related industries by reviewing the latest industry literature (books, trade journals, online articles) and participating in industry associations and events.
- Performs other duties as assigned.

**KEY REQUIREMENTS**

**Experience**:

- Minimum of 2 to 5 years’ experience in managing Regulatory, Food Safety and/or Quality systems.

**Education/Certifications**:

- University completion in Microbiology, Food Science or related discipline.

**Knowledge, Skills & Abilities**:

- Comprehensive knowledge of HACCP, GMP’s, CFIA regulations, Food and Drug regulations, and Consumer Packaging Act and Regulations.
- Experience with, and a strong understanding of, Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) recognized schemes (BRC, SQF).
- Commitment to health and safety in the workplace.
- Driven to provide exceptional customer service.
- Prove