Supplier Quality Technologist - Ingredients

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

THIS ROLE CAN BE REMOTE - Candidates can be located anywhere in the US near a major airport

Purpose of Role

The primary role of the Supplier Quality Assurance Technologist is to assure compliance to the “Suppler Management” and “Supplier Risk Assessment & Approval” sections of the MQM & the PQM standards. This role will have accountability for conducting supplier audits and providing subject matter expertise in the ingredient or material assigned such as Essentials, Proteins, Fats, Packaging materials, Vegetables and Grains. This role will have direct accountability for delivering Global metrics related to supplier Audits and Assessments, provide input to the PRA and MRA, qualify new suppliers and drive supplier compliance to Mars Quality and Food Safety requirements. The objective is to mitigate any recall risk, and most importantly assure that we are delivering the best Quality of products to our consumers. This role is a key interface between suppliers and Sourcing managers. This individual is responsible for the delivery of exceptional business results in the following key areas of ingredients and packaging materials:

·  Complete internal and external supplier Assessments
·  Resolution to Assessment corrective actions
·  Provide Subject matter expertise.

The role operates in a pet friendly, open office environment supporting natural pet nutrition and making the world a better place for Pets.

Principal Accountabilities

·  Provide expertise in the processing of materials and Ingredients such as Pre-blends/Pre-mixes, Proteins, Fats, Grains, Vegetables and Packaging ingredients.
·  Assessment and confirmation of a suppliers capability to meet Mars standards of supply, through;
·  Performing the SQA audit in a timely manner
·  Review of analytical data compliance;
·  Performing and review of process capability trial data:
·  Verifying that supplier hazard controls are operating effectively;
·  Support the supplier to address gaps in Q&FS capability identified in audits;
·  Partner with the buyer in ensuring the material specifications are reviewed, understood and agreed by the supplier;
·  Be aware of and assess changes to a suppliers capability to meet the Mars Specification;
·  Ensure that all suppliers are assigned a current status with defined supply and verification requirements;
·  Conduct new supplier qualifications in a timely manner to support sourcing strategy and new product launches and line extensions.
·  Support the use of External audits and Food Safety Certifications.
·  Conduct supplier reviews according to MQM standard.
·  Demonstrate a Quality Culture in Actions, Words and Spirit.
·  Coordinate and provide metric inputs to the supplier quality management review process and identify improvement opportunities across the supplier quality management systems.

Key Technical Knowledge & Functional Skills

·  Effectively manage relationships with sourcing managers, MRA/PRA teams and suppliers.
·  Advanced understanding of quality systems and food safety management programs is critical. Examples: Good Manufacturing Practice, food microbiology, auditing, Hazard analysis and Control, Statistics for sampling and process control
·  Familiarity with food laws and regulatory guidelines
·  Excellent auditing and risk management skills.
·  Excellent knowledge of pet food ingredient processing.
·  Ingredient/Material category expertise
·  Planning and Prioritization
·  Verbal and written skills – ability to properly document and communicate supplier audit/assessment results.
·  Ability to influence sourcing managers and suppliers.
·  Excellent team working and interpersonal skills.
·  Ability to prioritize activities appropriately, and make trade-off decisions as appropriate.
·  Analytical skills for capability assessments and issue identification.

Minimum Qualifications

·  A Bachelor of Science Degree is required with emphasis in food science/animal science.
·  At least two years Quality experience in the Food Industry is preferred.
·  The physical capability of working in a manufacturing environment is essential.
·  Computer skills sufficient to use data input and retrieval systems, spreadsheets, word processors and formulation applications are required.
·  Travel Required: 40-50%

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

Nearest Major Market: Nashville
Job Segment: Risk Management, Quality Assurance, Finance, Technology