QA Technician

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Responsible to monitor, verify and enforce Freshstone Brands (FBI) safety and quality standards on a daily outlined in our food safety and quality plan based on CFIA, SQF as well as FBI customers standards. QA specialist is responsible to perform the following duties in order to provide a safe quality food for our customers.

**ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS**:
**Perform pre-operational inspection at start up before production start**
- Verify a visual compliance of the cleaning process based on the required standards outlined on the pre-operation SOP.
- Verify the effectiveness cleaning compliance through environmental swabbing (ATP, APC, and Allergen swabbing)
- Perform an environmental listeria/salmonella swabbing based on the weekly schedule
- Verify the sanitation compliance of the SSOPs during cleaning process.
- Verify the chemical binders and maintain up to date for required chemical docs i.e. SDS and approval latter of the chemical.
- Verify equipment compliance ensuring that all equipment is safe to be used and no food safety risk is present.
- Preform the chemical concentration check for soap and sanitizer before start sanitation activity including dishwashing room.
- Release all operations areas based on compliance and hold any area /equipment which does not comply with our standards.
- Verify and maintained the sanitation related docs such as Non-Daily Sanitation checks and QC daily check list for sanitation and daily pre op check list.
- Perform a daily monitoring on following food safety requirements.
- GMP’s / allergen/ temperature / in process sanitation / receiving and shipping requirements/ product handling, housekeeping, building compliance recording observations on the QA daily check sheet for each area
- Verify on sites daily all the monitoring records such as CCP’s / labeling records/ metal detector/ X-ray, MAP and vacuumed packing other which are monitored from production/ receiver/ shipper/ maintenance employees ensuring that comply with requirement daily.
- Conduct a GMP / CCP’s/ SOP / HACCP /SQF onsite training as required for any violation observed. on daily basics
- Report and Issue maintenance work request for the equipment’s and the premises issues which impact food safety.
- Identify and advise corrective actions required for any food safety deviation and follow up to close a loop ensuring that the deviation has been corrected
- Communicate and inform QA supervisor and or QA manager any time QA technician is not able to make a call or decision on food safety deviations observed in the floor.
- Collect any information if required for any food safety customer complaints and follow up on corrective action proposed from QA manager
- Release the product on hold for micro when the result has been received
- Verify and release areas cleaned during operations ensuring food safety compliance
- Verify daily that traceability coding and product identification has been properly followed as required in all areas such as receiving/ production /shipping
- Assist the Orkin technician to conduct the PCO audit as required every two weeks and follow up on deviations observed during the audit
- Verify shipping requirements ensuring that all of them comply with regulation such as labeling trailer condition/ temperature.
- Responsible for filing all the food safety documentations as required
- Participate actively as required in recall situation following the direction given from recall coordinator

**Product quality**
- Conducts on site verification to ensure the production employees are following the recipe requirements such as ingredients amount, cooking temperature, placement in to the cooking rack, handling to eliminate the damage
- Verify the recipe compliance daily ensuring that operators are following the recipe instructions at any time
- Collects daily samples for Sensory evaluation and file the evaluation form daily
- Monitors a shelf life through visual observation
- Performs a Ph and viscosity control for all dressing / salsa/ sauce and record them daily in computer
- Verifies visually the product quality in production line such color, overcooked, under cooked, damaged/ leakers
- Follows up on any quality customer complaints as are instructed from QA manager or R&D
- Monitors the new products ensuring the all the steps are followed properly
- Collects a retain sample as required for different product and keep this sample until the shelf life is over Verifies that all recipes are filled properly and there is no missing information
- Communicates with R&D personnel on quality issues observed during quality audit in production

**REQUIRED SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE**:

- Bachelor's Degree in Food Science, Biology, Chemistry or other related degree
- Knowledge of GMP’s, HACCP and SQF.
- Scientific method and data gathering skills.
- Lead others to solutions by being organized, patient and respectful, communication skills.
- Set priorities and meet those standards.
- Precision and quality min