Technical Quality Specialist - Effingham, IL

Technical Quality Specialist - Effingham, IL

The Technical Quality Specialist is responsible for being the plant's main point of contact directly with the key account customer. This position is the location's direct lines between sales, operations, purchasing, the key account and others as needed. This position reports to the Location Quality Manager.

Main point of contact for key account customers directly overseeing product management:

• Communicate with customers under a quality agreement any deviations as defined in the agreement
• Responsible for leading key account quality investigations and provide timely feedback
• Write or approve validation procedures, route for approval to meet customer expectations before implementation
• Develop an understanding of allowable tolerances and establish written procedures to ensure these are met based on facility validation information
• Oversee management of change approval with customers on changes that directly impact their products from start to finish
• Understand customer specifications and ensure they can be met per facility capabilities
• Communicate product withdrawals and recalls to key accounts
• Participate in meetings with customers and lead the technical and quality related presentations and discussions.
• Communicate with commercial on customer needs

Oversight of plant process issues that lead to deviations during key account product manufacturing:

• Develop a plan to eliminate the root cause
• Follow up with implementation and ongoing verification to ensure corrective actions are being followed and effective
• Continue to drive improvement into the process by utilizing continuous improvement tools
• Work with engineers on equipment deviations issues to enhance manufacturing design

Lead customer visits and audits through direct oversight:

• Develop a process to present facility overview to explain the production of their product
• Understand customer audit expectations and ensure facility meets all requirements

Food Safety Plan:

• Be an active participant in Food Safety Plan team meetings
• Work with the Location Quality Manager to ensure updated procedures align with current key account SOP changes

Assist operations with rework or product destruction

Provide key account customers with production summaries, annual product quality reports and inventory reports of finished goods, raw materials, and packaging

Maintain required key account production data in a shareable format/summary, compare analytical results to specifications, create COAs as necessary, and identify trends and improvement opportunities

Verify the "Formal Release" requirements

Maintain site specific work instructions related to specific product manufacturing procedures required by the key accounts

Develop an understanding of the Quality Managers role and fill in when needed

Participate in PE methodology

Perform other duties as assigned

• BS degree in Feed Science or related experience AND/OR 5+ years in quality experience in feed/food
• Knowledge of FDA and State Regulatory Requirements
• Trained in Preventive Controls for Animal Food (PCQI)
• Team Player
• Decisive and results oriented
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to lead, coach, build consensus and lead change among a team of production/sales/quality colleagues.
• Strong analytical problem solving/root cause analysis skills
• Highly organized
• Effective use of Microsoft office applications

Excited about this role but don't think you meet every requirement listed? We encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this role or another one of our openings. ADM requires the successful completion of a background check.