Director - Quality Assurance

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is the largest chicken producer in the United States and Puerto Rico and the second-largest producer and seller of chicken in Mexico. Pilgrim's Pride employs approximately 56,500 people and operates 37 processing and 12 prepared-food facilities, with major operations in Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Mexico and Puerto Rico as well as other facilities in Arizona, Iowa, Mississippi, Ohio and Utah.

Pilgrim's Pride products are sold to foodservice, retail and frozen entree customers. The Company's primary distribution is through retailers, foodservice distributors and restaurants throughout the United States and Puerto Rico and in the Northern and Central regions of Mexico.

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is currently seeking a Director of Quality Assurance for our Atlanta, GA location.

This position develops, implements, and coordinates, through support staff and lower echelon managers, the product assurance program to prevent or eliminate defects in new or existing products. Duties include scheduling, supervision, and evaluation of work as a Director (or equivalent). Has approval authority of personnel actions such as hirings, terminations, and disciplinary actions over supervisors, managers, and other staff.


Responsibilities:
• Analyzes, evaluates, and presents information concerning factors such as business situations, production capabilities, manufacturing problems, economic trends, and design and development of new products for consideration by other members of management team.
• Suggests and debates alternative methods and procedures in solving problems and meeting changing market opportunities.
• Cooperates with other top management personnel in formulating and establishing company policies, operating procedures, and goals.
• Develops initial and subsequent modifications of product designs to delineate areas of responsibility, personnel requirements, and operational procedures within the program, according to and consistent with company goals and policies.
• Evaluates contents of reports from the product assurance program department heads and confers with top management personnel preparatory to formulating fiscal budget for the product assurance program.
• Conducts management meetings with product design department heads to establish, delineate, and review program organizational policies, to coordinate functions and operations between departments, and to establish responsibilities and procedures for attaining objectives.
• Reviews technical problems and procedures of departments and recommends solutions to problems or changes in procedures.
• Visits and confers with representatives of material and component vendors to obtain information related to supply quality, capacity of vendor to meet orders, and vendor quality standards.
• Confers with engineers about quality assurance of new products designed and manufactured products on market to rectify problems.
• Reviews technical publications, articles, and abstracts to stay abreast of technical developments in industry.
• Stays abreast of technical developments in the industry by attending various customer and technical meetings.

Basic Qualifications:
• 10 years of experience as Quality Assurance Manager.
• 8 to 10 years minimum experience in quality control.
• Extensive knowledge in the areas of HACCP plans, SSOP's, GMP's, FDA, OHSA and plant sanitation.
• Must have poultry experience.
• Food processing management background preferred.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc).
• SAP or other ERP system experience preferred.
• Ability to effectively communicate with internal and external partners.

Educational Requirements:
High School Diploma/GED; Typically requires a Bachelors degree in a related field; however, additional related work experience will be considered in lieu of the education requirement.
Certificates, Licenses, Registration:
HACCP Plan Development and Implementation and Advanced HACCP—Verification, Validation and Auditing a HACCP System required.

Pilgrim's Pride Corporation is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and Minorities are Encouraged to Apply.

If interested, please apply online at http://track.jobviper.com/ViewJob.asp?id=510268-3-163