• Microbiology and allergen testing practices, including GLP implementation and compliance

• Management of third-party laboratories

• LIMS rollout, utilization, and data analysis

• Troubleshooting microbiology and allergen-related incidentsPareNCAJA

• Developing routine and non-routine testing plans

• Documenting programs, policies, and procedures

• Supporting Pathogen Environmental Monitoring (PEM) and special events

• Providing technical input for HACCP risk assessments

• Formula safety evaluations

🛠️  Key Responsibilities:

• Perform internal lab audits and necessary training to ensure they are producing accurate, precise data following GLP’s.

  • Microbiological

  • Allergen

  • LIMS rollout, implementation, and Subject Matter Expert for micro and allergens in EU for LIMS

  • Provide training, mentoring, and recommendations for microbiological and allergen program modifications.

  • Develop and/or adjust micro and allergen sampling plans. Analyze data and provide feedback.

• Primary contact for 3rd party labs microbiological & allergen testing.

  • Perform 3rd party audits.

  • Ensure labs are doing the correct testing in the right way.

  • Provide directions on analysis.

  • Work with labs on contracts, pricing, and relationship maintenance

• Interface with operations and EQFS (EU and corporate in Green Bay, WI) to

  • Document programs and policies for microbiology and allergen topics. Aligning on what needs to be EU-specific and global (minimum expectations, addendums, and exceptions). Work with plants on implementation and execution.

  • Troubleshoot microbiology and allergen issues.

  • Work with Field Managers and Sanitarians on Micro and Allergens policies implementation/incident investigations.

• With others in EU and global EQFS, evaluate PEM and special events containment and CAPA actions.

• Perform risk assessments (process, ingredient, finished product)

• Evaluate routine and event sampling plans as necessary.

• Perform HACCP and quality risk assessments

• Formula, ingredient, and process approvals in systems

• Assist in setting up challenge studies or special testing plans as needed.

• Interface with other Areas of Business (AOB)

  • Customer facing to explain programs and policies; testing requests and analysis.

  • Sourcing - provide sourcing recommendations to leverage our testing volume to obtain the best price for testing materials and equipment.

  • Finance - write business cases and appropriation requests (ARs) as needed.

  • R&D - evaluate the food safety of new products and processes for food safety and quality risks and shelf life studies .

• Develop Food Safety and Quality and Culture: train, coach, evaluate, and reinforce continuous improvement principles with partners. Personal, people, business, and process leadership.

💡  Key Ingredients:

• MBA or Masters in Microbiology, Biology or Food Science

• 10+ years of experience Microbiological technical/laboratory & personnel leadership.

  Lab management, microbiological analysis, hazard analysis, quality assurance.

• Fluency in English & Spanish (oral & written)

• Lab management and auditing

• Working in a fast-paced food manufacturing & lab environments

• Leadership and customer-facing professionalism

• Data analysis & ability to problem-solving ability

• Capable of working in systems (LIMS, Product Lifecycle Management, Enterprise Quality Management System, etc.), statistical data analysis, creating BI dashboards