Food Safety & Quality Assurance NSIS Technologist

Position Summary

The position summary states the general nature and purpose of the job. Overall accountabilities are defined in this section.

As a valued member of our Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FS/QA) team, you'll play a key role in maintaining the highest standards of food safety. You'll conduct routine sanitation checks, ensuring that HACCP and USDA regulations are consistently followed. Your work will directly impact the safe delivery of our top-quality products from renowned brands like Smithfield, Eckrich, and Nathan's Famous, all the way to our customers and consumers.

In this role, you'll be responsible for performing NSIS procedures. The New Swine Inspection System (NSIS), developed by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), is designed to create a more flexible, efficient, and fully integrated meat inspection system. Unlike traditional methods, NSIS shifts more control to the establishment, with Agency personnel focusing on carcass and verification activities. As an NSIS Technologist, you'll conduct critical inspections of live hogs, heads, carcasses, and viscera.

You'll be on the front lines, identifying and controlling potential food safety hazards related to pathological conditions and contamination during processing, ensuring the safety and quality of our products every step of the way.

• Disease, Contamination & Compliance: recognize and identify diseases, consumer concerns, and contamination in pork/swine, ensuring compliance with Federal Regulations, Directives, and Guidelines.
• Product Monitoring & Documentation: ensure products meet RTC pork definitions, communicate with helpers to use the correct tags/markings, and verify inspection documentation with USDA officials and Plant Management.
• Collaboration & Problem-Solving: work with other departments to implement procedure changes, address non-compliance issues, and apply technical knowledge to prevent and resolve product/process failures.
• Quality Control & Continuous Improvement: interpret customer specifications, apply subjective quality decisions (appearance, texture, etc.), and continuously improve product quality through attention to processes and ongoing improvements.

• High school diploma or general education degree (GED). For internal candidates with 4+ years of experience with the company, the Company has the discretion to waive educational requirements.
• Must have the ability to complete required applicable forms in English, which requires the ability to read and write in English.
• Technical Skills & Documentation: ability to follow written and verbal directions, create and interpret technical documents (quality specs, safety rules, manuals), use monitoring equipment, and work with software like spreadsheets, presentations, and word processing.
• Communication &
  
  Collaboration:
  
  strong written and verbal communication skills for reporting and addressing inquiries from customers or regulatory agencies. Ability to make decisions, problem-solve, and work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, fostering positive relationships and a team-oriented atmosphere.

• 2+ years' experience (Harvest processing, USDA inspector, or FSQA) in a related field.
• Bilingual skills are a valuable asset, allowing you to communicate effectively in diverse, multicultural environments and enhance team collaboration.
• Quality Assurance & Regulatory Knowledge: strong understanding of quality assurance principles, food science, meat processing, and USDA regulations. Ability to uphold regulatory and company standards whil