Quality Assurance Associate

Columbus, GA, USA|Onsite

Job Overview

Employment Type

Full-time

Work Schedule

Standard Hours

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Paid Time Off

401(k) retirement plan

Employee assistance program

Tuition Reimbursement

Life insurance

Job Description

The J. M. Smucker Co. is a renowned food manufacturing company known for its commitment to quality and innovation. Located in Columbus, GA, Smucker's bakery division is a key part of the company, producing a variety of high-quality bakery products that are enjoyed by customers nationwide. Smucker's values a work environment that supports physical, emotional, and financial well-being of its employees, fostering a culture steeped in integrity, collaboration, and growth. As an equal opportunity employer, Smucker's emphasizes diversity and inclusion in its workforce, encouraging applications from minorities, females, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

As a Quality Assurance Associate at Smucker's bakery in Columbus, GA, you will play a crucial role in ensuring that all products meet stringent food safety and quality standards. This full-time, onsite position offers flexible shift options (8, 10, or 12 hours) during the first shift from 6am to 6pm. In this role, you will be responsible for monitoring production processes on the bakery floor, verifying compliance with food safety practices, and maintaining product consistency according to specifications. Your duties will include overseeing raw material handling, conducting process control audits, verifying production documentation, and ensuring packaging accuracy. You will also conduct sensory evaluations of finished products, advise management on quality concerns, assist in training production staff on standard operating procedures, and play an active role in developing HACCP, Food Safety Plans, and regulatory audits.

This position demands a keen eye for detail, strong communication skills, and the ability to multitask effectively while working in a dynamic food production environment. Knowledge of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), HACCP, and the Global Food Safety Initiative audit schemes is essential. You will also assist in performing GMP inspections, controlling product samples, and conducting equipment inspections during various production stages. The role requires physical ability to stand and walk for extended periods and lift up to 50 pounds. By joining Smucker's quality assurance team, you contribute to the company's reputation for excellence and help maintain the safety and satisfaction of consumers. Smucker's offers competitive benefits and a supportive culture dedicated to thriving together as a community, making it an ideal place for your career growth in food quality assurance.

Job Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent
Previous experience in Quality or Food Safety in a food manufacturing environment
Flexible schedule
Strong computer skills in Excel and other programs
Self-discipline
Attention to detail
Good communication skills
Ability to multitask
Comfortable with training others
Physical ability to stand, walk, kneel, squat, climb, bend and lift a maximum of 50 lbs

Job Qualifications

High school diploma or equivalent
Previous experience in Quality or Food Safety in a food manufacturing environment
Strong computer skills in Excel and other programs
Knowledge of HACCP and GMP
Good communication skills
Ability to train production employees
Attention to detail
Ability to multitask
Self-disciplined

Job Duties

Monitor production to ensure all documentation is complete
Monitor scaling of raw materials, mixing of ingredients to ensure compliance with formula cards
Verify and conduct process control audits and address out of specification findings in a timely manner
Verify control points are being monitored and are acceptable per food safety requirements
Ensure product specifications, weights, color and other attributes of finished product are acceptable
Control out of specification products and provide recommendation of disposition
Monitor packaging to ensure correct labelling, date coding, and correct packaging is being followed
Conduct organoleptic tests of finished goods to ensure acceptance to standards, taste, eye appeal, odor etc
Advise QA Manager regarding questionable product, discarding of bad product or possible stopping of production line to correct or prevent product food safety and quality issues
Monitor production processing and assist operators in making adjustments to processing methods during production to improve product quality and consistency
Monitor metal detectors and scales to ensure complete accuracy
Assist production employees with label printing as necessary
Work with production and warehouse to control, maintain, and or improve as appropriate the handling, storage and usage of all other materials
Provide individual or group training to production employees on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), product specifications, SPC, production controls, formulas, visual quality inspection criteria, GMP, Food Safety procedures
Assist in development of SOPs by working with production operators to understand current operating procedures and identify best methods
Assist in developing HACCP/Food Safety Plans, Food Defense Plans and Global Food Safety Initiative audit schemes such as BRC
Participate in audits including internal audits
Perform GMP inspection
Control and retain samples and associated reports
Conduct sampling as required by company procedures
Conduct inspections of equipment during preoperational inspection, changeovers and or as required by company policies
Other duties as assigned