Quality Technician

Quality Technician

This position is based at our Hampton Farms location in Franklin, VA.

Hampton Farms is the leading In-Shell Peanut Company in the US. We are also a leading producer of other types of nuts and nut butters for the retail and commercial markets. You can find our product in most grocery stores and major league baseball stadiums. We distribute under the Hampton Farms brand and are also a leading private label manufacturer.

The QA technician will work in conjunction with the Production Team & Quality Assurance department as well as other Hampton Farms team members supporting processing and production requirements of Hampton Farms Peanut Butter Operations. The QA technician will be partnering with other Hampton Farms team members in being committed to delivering the best possible quality to our customers & employees in support of our mission, vision & values. This position reports to the Production Lead/Supervisor and the Quality Supervisor/Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Must NOT be allergic to peanuts
• Ability to provide correct and accurate production paperwork to the floor in a timely fashion.
• Accurately use raw peanut lab results to adjust formulations when required.
• Accurately completed all Quality reporting forms
• Verify that finished peanut butter LOTS are correct. This includes all aspects of the peanut including sensory evaluation, grind, labels, best by dates, DOM, lids, containers, coding, drum seals etc
• Provide accurate sampling of peanut butter lots for micro testing, collect and store retain samples for any future use
• Create accurate labels for products on line 2
• Accurately document samples for testing with proper paperwork as well as arrange for shipment to outside testing labs.
• Perform CCP verification checks on Metal Detector and X-ray machine. Appropriately react to any CCP verification check failures.
• Alert production team to food safety or off quality situations immediately
• Properly identify materials that are non-conforming. Lead efforts to get non-conforming materials on HOLD; including physically tagging items, filling out quality alert and other required documentation.
• Perform visual pre-operational sanitation inspections prior to beginning of the day's production to ensure food safety
• Work with production supervision to get the line up and running if it is stopped for quality or food safety concerns.
• Stop the line when needed to prevent further manufacture of off spec product, once you are aware of the problem
• Perform swabbingallergen, ATP and environmental
• Perform quality checks such as changeover inspections, finished product sensory, evaluations of peanuts in raw or on tote line
• Inspection of incoming materials and shipments of finished product.
• Requires an understanding of all necessary documentation ensuring it is correct and accurate.
• Collect samples for retains and for micro samples and be able to accurately document samples for testing with proper paperwork as well as arrange for shipment to outside testing labs.
• Ability to determine if a product needs to be put on hold and document when product goes on hold or if product is to be reworked.
• Will be responsible for generating report forms, building files and labeling.
• Assist quality Supervisor or other team management in any task, forms, or paperwork that needs to be done as assigned.

Additional responsibilities (Food Safety):

• Have a general understanding of HACCP, SQF, operating procedures and Food Safety Sanitation Including the duty to follow all Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
• Duty to report food safety problems to personnel with authority to initiate action
• Duty to report illness or bodily fluid contamination that could impact food safety

Skills and Competencies:

• GMP Training (New hire and Annual)
• SOP's for Receiving Program, Shipping Program, and Storage Program (Packaging Supplies, Inventory Control, Stock Rotation, Raw Materials and Finished Product)
• SSOP for warehouse facility and forklifts
• Attention to Detail
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (outlook, word, excel)
• Proven problem-solving abilities, sound judgement and decision making
• Above average computer skills
• Basic math skills
• Above average communication skills

Measures for Success:

• 100 % correct production paperwork issued to the floor
• Stop production line in case of problems within 20 minutes of a problem developing
• 98 % correct orders, orders fulfilled accurately and timely.
• Daily production goal of 9500 lbs per hour for line 1 and 5000 lbs per hour for line 2
• Less than 15% downtime for line 1 and 20% downtime for line 2
• Work with team members maintaining daily sanitation by cleaning work area at end of shift.

Quality Assurance:

• Knows and adheres to GMP policy and all Quality policies and procedures.
• Assists in identifying and or reporting non-conforming product to aid in eliminating waste.
• Communicates daily with Quality to ensure customer specifications are met.

Problem Solving:

• Solution Oriented, works to solve problems or achieve outcome
• If needed, find alternative ways to complete a task
• Reacts to challenges by locating or providing solutions.
• Responsible for identifying all requirements of a task, evaluates opportunities or strengths then takes the appropriate action as required.
• Makes timely, well-considered decisions based on current data available and is flexible with scheduled work hours/shifts
• Supports the team by offering to help with unexpected work as needed

Safety:

• Actively follows and ensures all company policies and procedures.
• Engages other employees in setting high safety awareness standards.
• Include safety emphasis in all employee meetings.
• Wears proper PPE at all times and uses appropriate lifting devices when and/or if needed

Work Ethic:

• Dependable and punctual to ensure company and workplace goals.
• Treats everyone with respect and dignity.
• Responds to challenges with a sense of urgency, informing other team members as required and acting accordingly.
• Actively assesses information and identifies issues as necessary or required to ensure a friendly workplace.
• Plans and aligns appropriate resources to accomplish company goals.

Communication:

• Good written and verbal skills and able to communicate in a clear and understanding manner.
• Applies good questioning and listening skills to ensure understanding of information being shared.
• Treats everyone with respect and dignity, even when he/she may not agree on opinions
• Identifies barriers to communication and works towards eliminating barriers.

Additional Sanitation Responsibilities:

• Clean work area and prepare for next shift.
• Follow sanitation schedule for weekends and clean breaks..

Education and/or Experience:

• High School diploma or equivalent (GED).
• Experience with food manufacturing Principles and implementation.
• 1-3 years' production manufacturing experience.
• Must be able to work well both independently and collaboratively.
• Skills/Competencies:
• Ability to clearly present recommendations/ideas and to summarize issues.
• Ability to appropriately handle confidential material.

Job Physical Demands:

• Continuous standing in one location for long periods (2-3 hours before break)
• Climbing: ladders, stairs, etc. using feet and legs or hands and arms 1/3 of the time
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending legs and spine
• Reaching: