Document Control Specialist

Document Control Specialist

Position Summary:

The Document Control Specialist is responsible for the administration, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the company's document control and records management systems. This position ensures that all quality, food safety, regulatory, operational, and training documents are reviewed, approved, distributed, revised, archived, and retained in accordance with company policies, FDA regulations, SQF requirements, and applicable customer standards. The Document Control Specialist serves as the central coordinator for controlled documents and records, ensuring employees have access to current approved versions while preventing the unintended use of obsolete documents.

This role supports compliance with 21 CFR Part 507, SQF Food Safety Code, AAFCO requirements, and other regulatory and certification standards applicable to pet food manufacturing.

Reports To:

QMS Manager Works closely with: QA/QC, Production, Maintenance, Supply Chain, R&D and Regulatory Teams

• Maintain the company's document control system for policies, procedures, work instructions, forms, specifications, and records.
• Assign document numbers, revision levels, and effective dates.
• Ensure all controlled documents follow established approval workflows.
• Maintain master document lists and document inventories.
• Ensure only current approved documents are available at points of use.
• Remove and archive obsolete documents in accordance with retention requirements.

• Coordinate document revisions and change requests.
• Verify that document changes have been reviewed and approved by appropriate personnel.
• Track revision histories and maintain document change logs.
• Communicate document changes to affected departments.

• Manage retention, storage, retrieval, and disposition of quality and food safety records.
• Ensure records are complete, legible, accurate, and readily retrievable.
• Maintain electronic and hard-copy filing systems.
• Support record retention requirements established by regulatory agencies, certification bodies, and company policies.

• Provide requested documentation during FDA inspections, SQF audits, customer audits, and third-party assessments.
• Ensure audit-ready documentation is readily available.
• Assist with corrective actions related to document control findings.
• Training Documentation
• Maintain training records and competency documentation.
• Ensure training records accurately reflect employee qualifications and required certifications.
• Support onboarding and annual training programs.

• 21 CFR Part 507
• SQF Food Safety Code
• Company document control procedures
• Customer requirements
• Applicable state and federal regulations

• Administer electronic quality management systems (EQMS) when applicable.
• Manage user permissions and document access controls.
• Support system improvements and process automation initiatives.

• Identify opportunities to improve document control efficiency.
• Recommend process enhancements to reduce document errors and improve compliance.
• Participate in quality improvement and food safety initiatives.

• No supervisory responsibilities for this role.

• Adhere to all company safety policies and procedures; actively support a safe and healthy work environment.

• Follow all Food Safety and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) standards to ensure product quality, integrity, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

• Assign document identification numbers according to company procedures.
• Determine appropriate document formatting and control requirements.
• Return documents to authors for correction when required information is missing.
• Reject document change requests that do not follow established approval processes.
• Archive obsolete documents according to retention schedules.
• Restrict access to obsolete or superseded documents.
• Esc…