Job Description
Posted Date: Jul 24, 2025
Requisition Number: 125689
Job Location: Plymouth, IN
Summary:
Responsible for the management of the Quality Assurance and Quality Control functions. Provides leadership and facilitates continuous improvement efforts plant wide. Assures excellence in food product quality and food safety throughout the manufacturing process and assures compliance to all regulatory and corporate guidelines.
Responsibilities: Leadership:
- Directs the activities of the Quality Supervisors.
- Provides Quality leadership to all shifts supporting 24/7 support to the manufacturing teams.
- Develops and executes training programs related to quality, sanitation, and regulatory issues.
- Leads preventative programs, process optimization efforts, problem solving and troubleshooting efforts for resolution of incidents.
- Conducts manufacturing facility audits as appropriate to ensure and verify regulatory, customer, and internal compliance.
- Develops and maintains Product Excellence Program (PEP) documentation (including programs, policies, specifications, PCQI/HACCP Plans, and work documents.
- Coordinates activities associated with new and changing items and processes.
Administration:
- Manages the support to the Plant regarding all aspects of the quality assurance programs to include such activities as staff development and performance management.
- Selects, develops, and maintains a competent work team.
- Utilizes formal education resources, technical skills training, on-the-job skill development, performance appraisal, staff planning, and development and other administrative activities as dictated by business needs.
Policy Compliance:
- Assures full compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
- Assures conformance to the policies and procedures of the corporation and the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI)/Safe Quality Food (SQF) standards.
- Acts as a liaison between plant and corporate management regarding quality issues during incidents or crises involving the integrity of our product and services.
- Recommends to management the action required to efficiently resolve product deviations and consequential adverse publicity related to incidents.
- Serves on multi-discipline corporate task teams as assigned by senior management.
- Participates and serves as primary liaison during inspections by governmental agencies.
Motivation and Teamwork:
- Resolves employee relation issues by maintaining positive employee communications and relationships in union climate.
- Leads and develops employee involvement activities utilizing teams to reduce issues and to improve plant key performance indicators and to achieve corporate goals.
Regulatory Compliance:
- Lead regulatory compliance efforts, delegating testing, tracking, and reporting, as necessary.
- Responsible for routine monitoring to ensure overall plant compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local regulations.
Scope of Position: - Scope of interaction: All plant departments / other plants / corporate teams / external contacts
- Coordination of activities: All plant departments / other plants / corporate teams / external contacts
- Scope of involvement: All production lines and plant processes / corporate / external contacts
Minimum knowledge, skills and abilities required to successfully perform major duties/responsibilities: - Strong leadership skills and ability to influence all management levels, enabling the direction of activities of teams of employees that do not have direct reporting in this role.
- Knowledge of federal and state food industry regulations.
- Knowledge of and commitment to assuring regulatory compliance.
- Understanding of sanitation and pest control practices.
- Working Knowledge of Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and Safe Quality Foods (SQF) standards and the certification process.
- Ability to utilize and develop tools to identify and react to trends, and to develop corrective actions for Quality or Food Safety programs.
- Strong computer, document management skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to effectively communicate in verbal and written form.
- Ability to train and develop self and others.
- Commitment to Hershey Behaviors and principles of QTE.
- Project leadership abilities.
- Strong problem solving/trouble shooting skills.
- Solid understanding of a production / manufacturing environment.
- Strong auditing / assessment skills.
- Working knowledge of regulatory and quality system requirements - Food Safety, Hershey's Product Excellence Program, HACCP, Good Manufacturing Process (GMP), etc..
Minimum Education and Experience Requirements: - B.S. degree required in Food Science, Microbiology, or related field.
- Minimum of 7 years of experience in Quality
Physical Demands and Work Environment The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The working conditions are normal for a manufacturing environment. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the team member must be in good physical condition to perform the tasks assigned. The team member must lift, carry or move up to 50 pounds. The team member is required to stand, walk, crouch, climb, bend, twist and reach with both hands and arms. The team member must be able to demonstrate agility of both hands and all fingers to push, pull, grasp, touch and feel. The team member must be able to lift with both hands and lift overhead with both hands. The team member must demonstrate good visual acuity and hand/eye coordination. Must be able to talk/communicate and hear.
Work environment conditions may require/recommended the use of safety equipment to include but not limited to; eye safety glasses, side shields, steel toe or composite toe shoes, hearing protection and hair/beard nets.
Job Tags
Local area, All shifts,