Part-time QA Specialist

**About us**

Piccola Cucina Inc., a woman owned, Canadian food manufacturer located in Winnipeg, Canada, was founded in 2009 originally manufacturing a single line of almond based products. Since its founding as a specialty, Italian-inspired single product business, Piccola Cucina Inc. has evolved from a producer of allergy-friendly, certified gluten-free, dairy-free, almond-based Italian macaroon cookies to include a diverse product line which now includes almond flour-based pie shells, almond flax wraps, gluten free pizza crusts, finished pizzas, and gluten free vegan superfoods desserts. The pizza and desserts lines were a result of the acquisition of the assets (including the brands) of Judy G Foods Inc. in 2023. We operate a certified gluten free, HACCP certified and CFIA federally inspected facility manufacturing a suite of 20 products made with ingredients sourced using sustainable practices, that include minimizing by-products, achieving zero food waste, recycling processing and packaging materials, and conserving water and energy. Piccola Cucina strives to consistently provide quality products while educating and influencing their customers into making positive lifestyle changes around food and ingredient consumption. Each product is made with the utmost care and attention. This commitment to excellence maintains the integrity, quality and freshness on which the business continues to grow.

Job Overview:
Piccola Cucina is seeking a Part-Time QA Specialist to join our energetic team. This position will be responsible for maintaining Piccola Cucina's GMP, HACCP & Safe Food for Canadians Certification(CFIA) as well as Kosher and Gluten Free Certification. You will also be spearheading SQF Certification. You will work in a team and with little supervision.

**Duties**:

- Continuously improve food safety and food quality performance at the plant.
- Manage the internal audit program of the facility to verify that procedures mandated by the company, Province and Federal government agencies are being adhered to. This includes GMPs, Sanitation, HACCP, Preventative Maintenance and Safety.
- Troubleshoot quality problems associated with production; investigate root cause, develop and implement corrective actions, prevent reoccurrence through development of long-term solutions.
- Implement, maintain and ensure conformance to Quality Assurance programs to prevent food quality or food safety issues to include Environmental Monitoring, Pest control, Sanitation, GMPs, etc.
- Coordinate and manage sampling plans as per the corporate standards to monitor finished product quality, raw materials, and compositional results to ensure standards of identity are maintained.
- Perform microbiological and analytical sampling for product and environment as required.
- Oversee the management of all aspects including microbiological, chemical, physical and sensory aspects of all food products manufactured at this facility.
- Manage the food safety programs (i.e., pest control, allergen, sanitation) and quality programs in the facility.
- Maintain plant specific Standard Operating Procedures based on the Food Safety and Prerequisite Programs.
- Participate in troubleshooting events associated with production, ensuring root cause/corrective actions are appropriate and are fully implemented.
- Manage updates of HACCP, Food Safety, and SOP programs as required.
- Manage updates of Kosher and Gluten Free programs as required.
- Manage the reviewing and maintenance of all required processing records and regulatory inspections and reports. Develop tools to monitor deficiencies and quickly implement corrective actions when necessary.
- Coordinate corrective actions with plant and operations.

About You:

- Experience working with GMP and HACCP programs
- High attention to detail
- Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
- Proficient use of Microsoft Office programs (ex. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
- Ability to work and stay on task without direct supervision
- Experience working in the food processing environment is an asset

If this opportunity appeals to you and you have what it takes, we are interested in hearing from you. Piccola Cucina is an equal opportunity employer and invites all individuals to apply. We thank all applicants, however only those under consideration will be contacted.

**Job Type**: Part-time

Pay: From $17.00 per hour

Expected hours: 10 - 15 per week

**Benefits**:

- Casual dress
- Discounted or free food
- Flexible schedule
- Work from home

Flexible language requirement:

- French not required

Schedule:

- Day shift
- Monday to Friday
- Weekends as needed

**Education**:

- Bachelor's Degree (preferred)

**Experience**:

- quality assurance: 2 years (required)
- HACCP: 2 years (required)

Work Location: In person

Application deadline: 2025-08-17
Expected start date: 2025-08-25