Why should you join our team?
Dianne's Fine Desserts is part of the rapidly growing Dessert Holdings Family, offering potential career growth opportunities. Dessert Holdings is North America’s fastest growing premium dessert company, recognized for providing retail and foodservice customers with chef-inspired innovative desserts made with real ingredients, a flexible and low-cost supply chain, and best in class service. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, it is a collection of premium dessert companies and brands: Steven Charles, The Original Cakerie, Lawler’s Desserts, Atlanta Cheesecake Company and most recently, Dianne’s Fine Desserts. Dessert Holdings is owned by Bain Capital and is continuing its journey of rapid growth.

The company employs approximately 3,000 people across eight manufacturing facilities and its headquarters in St. Paul, Minnesota. The manufacturing facilities are geographically dispersed, with two facilities in Canada and one each in Colorado, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and North Carolina.

Our location in Newburyport, Ma and has an opening for a Quality Assurance and Food Safety Manager


PURPOSE -
Responsible for the development, implementation, and maintenance of various food safety, quality, and sanitation programs and systems designed to assure product wholesomeness and consistency. Stay abreast of development in the quality, food safety, and sanitation fields, upgrading Dianne’s Fine Desserts- Newburyport programs as necessary and appropriate.

Manage key components of the food safety & quality management system and develop programs &/or policy to ensure food safety, product quality, & legality.  Provide technical capability with an emphasis on meeting customer expectations and developing continuous improvement opportunities. 



PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES –
 

• Interact with external stakeholders concerning product issues and needs. Work with internal and external Food Safety and Quality stakeholders during the stage-gate/product development process.
• Maintain GFSI – FSC22000 certification for the Newburyport plant.
• Interact with other managerial disciplines including Production, Warehouse, Procurement, Maintenance, Finance, and Sales to address issues affecting the quality of ingredients and packaging supplies, in-process components and finished goods, the cleanliness of equipment and plant environment, and other environmental issues.
• Manage  the day-to-day activities of the Quality department
• Act as the liaison with international, federal, state, and local regulatory agencies to handle legal and other issues.
• Work with external stakeholders coordinating and conducting inspections and audits and addressing concerns and corrective actions.
• Accountable for implementation and maintenance of the risk controls for the Dianne’s Fine Desserts Quality and Food Safety System
• Oversee continuous improvement in the Quality and Food Service Programs and the departmental personnel
• Develop, and implement the internal food safety programs including HACCP, Allergen, GMP’s, Cleaning and Sanitation procedures, regulatory compliance, vendor approval, etc.
• Manage Consumer Complaint Programs along with Customer Service. Initiate plant level investigations into the cause and rectify with the management team
• Prepare and present the quarterly management review
• Administer, execute and maintain the LEM and SEM environmental programs
• Manage Pre-Requisite Programs (PRP’s), Operational Pre-Requisite Programs (OPRP’s), and Critical Control Points (CCP’s) and all documents associated with these programs.
• Oversee internal inspections and audit programs for the Newburyport facility as part of a continuous improvement program designed to assure product safety and consistency, and to disclose areas needing improvement before an external/customer audit/inspection is conducted.  Follow up with the department managers to ensure documented corrective actions are taken.
• Coordinate and evaluate outside audits with regulatory agencies, and customers. Escort auditors through the facility. With the assistance and cooperation of other department managers, develop and implement corrective actions for external inspections. Provide all documentation necessary to respond to inspections.
• Coordinate lot tracking exercises and actual product withdrawals.  Verify that the Newburyport facility is able to track the ingredients to the finished product level and 100% of the finished products to the first level of distribution. Working with the Distribution and Production Managers, evaluate and develop corrective actions from the lot tracking exercises to ensure that accurate information is obtained in a timely manner from the appropriate department managers
• Maintain product specifications and standards and MRP requirements, and participate in new product rollout with R&D and production departments
• Educate managers, supervisors and employees regarding internal quality and sanitation programs, helping to ensure Newburyport facility has a well-educated and trained workforce
• Provide technical guidance to managers, supervisors and employees
• Oversee the Newburyport HOLD program to prevent substandard materials or product from reaching the consumer
• Coordinate with procurement the Minimum Requirement for Newburyport Vendors to maintain incoming component consistency
• Develop and maintain the annual and period facility Quality Department budgets, monitor spending levels to ensure compliance to budgetary requirements, and keep management appraised of variances from budgetary guidelines
• Interact with various departments including Production, Warehouse, Maintenance, R&D, HR, Finance, Sales, and Retail
• Direct the activities related to the company HACCP program and serve as HACCP Coordinator.
  • Write, review, and revise HACCP plans &/or documentation as needed.
  • Conduct &/or coordinate HACCP-related activities including hazard analysis, monitoring, verification, and validation.
  • Conduct &/or coordinate HACCP audits to ensure integrity of the HACCP system.
  • Coordinate the collection and review of HACCP forms and documentation – maintain files according to the company record retention program.
• Develop company-specific HACCP training as needed

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES:

• B.S. degree in Food Safety, or other related field of study
• Managerial experience for the training and development of department and facility staff
• Thorough knowledge of GMP’s the CFR, and Food Code requirements for processing, labeling, and shipping food products
• Practical experience in troubleshooting and working in a team atmosphere
• Knowledge of microbiological testing and raw material inspections
• Five (5) years or more in a food processing environment, preferably the baking industry preferred
• Detail-oriented with strong analytical, organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to develop, maintain, and write food safety & quality programs and procedures.
• Ability to review & interpret data and prepare reports, presentations, & recommendations as needed to upper management.
• Excellent communication & interpersonal skills.
• Strong computer skills – Microsoft Office, manufacturing / quality databases.

This position reports directly to the VP Quality
 
 PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential function.                                                              

1. Frequently required to stand, walk, stoop, crouch, and climb stairs.
2. Frequently required to use hands and fingers to, handle, or use objects, tools, or controls.
3. Frequently required to reach with hands and arms.
4. Occasional lifting and requirement to occasionally lift 25 pounds, Occasionally, something may weigh more than 25 pounds and assistance must be utilized.
5. Ability to do overhead lifting and vending.
6. Possessing normal to excellent manual dexterity and motor skills.
7. Possessing good eye-hand coordination.

 WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essentials functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

1. Frequently works near moving mechanical parts.
2. Frequently exposed to cool and /or wet conditions.
3. Noise level sometimes loud.  Hearing protection is required in a designated area.                             

OTHER:
                            
N/A
 
Dianne’s Fine Desserts/ Newburyport reserves the right to revise or change job duties and responsibilities as the need arises. This job description does not constitute a written or implied contract of employment.