Senior Director - Aseptic Quality Assurance - Niagara Bottling

At Niagara, we’re looking for Team Members who want to be part of achieving our mission to provide our customers the highest quality most affordable bottled water.

Consider applying here, if you want to:   

• Work in an entrepreneurial and dynamic environment with a chance to make an impact.   
• Develop lasting relationships with great people.   
• Have the opportunity to build a satisfying career.

We offer competitive compensation and benefits packages for our Team Members.

Senior Director - Aseptic Quality Assurance

The Sr. Director of Quality Assurance - Aseptic & Beverage is responsible for overseeing the sanitary process design, commissionings and quality systems of Niagara Aseptic and Beverage bottling facilities.  This position must ensure all products and processes meet the required Food Safety and Product Quality Standards.  This should include but not be limited to our Niagara Sanitation standards and policies for both Aseptic and Beverage bottling locations.

This position will provide quality and food safety oversight for Beverage and Aseptic projects including, but not limited to new beverage technologies, potential cost savings, efficiency improvements, CIP extensions, equipment retrofits, process improvements, new product rollouts, and other miscellaneous projects as dictated by customer needs.  This position is also responsible for providing technical support to other cross functional departments, including scoping of new sales opportunities and ongoing customer discussions.

This position reports to the Vice President of Quality Assurance, Beverage.

Essential Functions

• The Sr. Director of Quality Assurance, Beverage & Aseptic will oversee the development and maintenance of all Niagara Quality Assurance procedures, policies, and standards in use by our Beverage and Aseptic bottling locations and applicable bottled water lines and facilities.  This includes but is not limited to the Sanitation procedures, policies, and standards for both Beverage and Aseptic. 
• Ensure that all Aseptic, Beverage, and Sanitation Quality Assurance standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies, and standards are written with the intent of assuring that all finished products meet and/or exceed the product/packaging standards as set forth by Niagara Bottling, FDA, local state requirements, and ISBT and IBWA (where applicable). 
• Provide technical expertise and collaborate with Engineering and OEMs in designing and validating Aseptic and Beverage bottling systems, including but not limited to kitting, batching, thermal processes, sanitation and bottling.
• Assist Engineering with the development of Aseptic and Beverage equipment and process specifications to satisfy requirements of current and future products.
• Collaborate with vendors, corporate project managers and plant operations to support Aseptic and Beverage equipment installation with the objective to ensure a successful commissioning.
• Oversee the development and implementation of Niagara Aseptic, Beverage, and Sanitation Quality Assurance SOPs, policies, and standards through the necessary plant and corporate personnel within Niagara Bottling. 
• Oversee and ensure bottling facilities meet and are prepared to successfully complete the necessary audits and maintain all documentation required for federal/state regulatory inspections, kosher certificates, SQF certificates, 3rd party customer audits, etc. 
• Interacting with our Corporate Quality Program Manager and Consumer Affairs as needed by collecting and organizing the necessary information and/or corrective actions when customer and/or consumer complaints are received on products/packages.  Communicate these CAPAs to customers as needed.    
• Be the technical point person for Niagara Aseptic, Beverage and Sanitation information and quality related issues. 
• Ensure the necessary Corporate Quality personnel are on site for all new plant, line or process start-ups, commissionings, new beverage formulation and/or reformulations as needed.  This may include but not be limited to Beverage, Sanitation, and Bottled Water treatment processes as applicable.
• Ensure the necessary Corporate Quality personnel are on site when necessary to assist with customer commissionings, visits and/or audits.  Interact with customer’s quality assurance department when technical information is requested. 
• Work with Corporate Supplier Quality to develop/implement the necessary ingredient quality requirements.  Provide the necessary technical oversight and dispositions of expedited ingredient shipments.
• Represent Niagara at association or certification body meetings as needed.  This may include, but not be limited to ISBT, AIB, IBWA, and SQF. 
• Formulate and manage the development and implementation of Aseptic and Beverage group’s goals, objectives, and job designs.
• Travel requirement of 25% to 50% (domestic and international).
• Please note this job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive list of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without prior notice.

Qualifications

• Required:
  • 10+ years - Experience in Beverage Quality Assurance
  • 10+ years - Experience with the operation and oversight of Beverage Sanitation processes
  • Experience with GFSI certification standards

*Experience may include a combination of work experience and education

• Preferred:
  • 10+ years  – Experience in Quality Assurance for a beverage (hot-fill, aseptic, or CSD) manufacturer
  • 10+ years – Experience with operation of water purification/treatment processes
  • Experience with ISBT, AIB, IBWA, SQF Food Safety and Quality Certification standards

*Experience may include a combination of work experience and education

Competencies

• Working technical knowledge of Beverage processes, products, and packages including but are not limited to hot fill, cold fill, HTST, CSD, high acid aseptic, and low acid aseptic. 
• Working knowledge and understanding of the CQV (Commissioning, Qualification, Verification) process
• Excellent technical communication skills at all levels. Ability to positively influence, support and lead corporate as well as plant QA Departments and quality teams.
• Implementation and monitoring of all quality standards, procedures and policies such as HACCP, GMPs, SOPs, SPC and Food Safety.
• Ability to present information and respond to questions from groups of VPs, PDs, directors, managers, employees, or customers.
• Participate in proactive team efforts to achieve departmental and company goals.
• Provide leadership and training to others through example and sharing of knowledge.
• Must be able to make independent judgments on issues affecting food safety and quality assurance procedures, forms, policies, and standards.
• Strong organization and planning skills with ability to multi task.
• Must work well under pressure in a very fast paced environment.
• Understand and support the customer’s business: new product and packaging trends, ingredient contributions and packaging trends.
• Microsoft Office, Word, Excel and Outlook

This position embodies the values of Niagara’s LIFE competency model, focusing on the following key drivers of success:

• Lead Like an Owner
  • Manages a safe working environment, accurately documents safety related training, and effectively communicates safety incidents
  • Provides strategic input and oversight to departmental projects
  • Makes data driven decisions and develops sustainable solutions
  • Skilled in reducing costs and managing timelines while prioritizing long run impact over short term wins
  • Makes decisions by putting overall company success first before department/individual success
  • Leads/facilitates discussions to get positive outcomes for the customer
  • Makes strategic decisions which prioritize the needs of the customer over departmental/individual goals
• InnovACT
  • Continuously evaluates existing programs and processes, and develops new initiatives to increase efficiency and reduce waste
  • Creates, monitors, and responds to departmental performance metrics to drive continuous improvement
  • Communicates a clear vision, organizes resources effectively, and adjusts the strategy as needed when managing change
• Find a Way
  • Demonstrates ability to think analytically and synthesize complex information
  • Effectively delegates technical tasks to subordinates
  • Works effectively with departments, vendors, and customers to achieve organizational success
  • Identifies opportunities for collaboration in strategic ways
• Empowered to be Great
  • Makes hiring decisions primarily based on culture fit and attitude, and secondarily based on technical expertise
  • Engages in long term talent planning
  • Provides opportunities for the development of all direct reports
  • Understands, identifies, and addresses conflict within own team and between teams

Education

• Minimum Required: 
  • Bachelor’s Degree in related field or equivalent work experience
• Preferred:
  • Master’ Degree in related field or equivalent work experience

Certification/License:

• Required:    NA
• Preferred:   CPO IBWA, HACCP, PCQI, SQF practitioner

Typical Compensation Range

$187,016.00 - $261,823.00 / Yearly

Bonus Target: 30% Annual

Benefits

https://careers.niagarawater.com/us/en/benefits

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