Quality Manager 

Your role: 

As Quality Manager, you will be responsible to ensure effective product safety and quality system controls are implemented. You will ensure all products placed in the market are fully compliant to customer, regulatory, industry, and Ardent Mills requirements. You will provide technical guidance to your team and provide technical solutions to a wide range of difficult problems.  

As a leader and people manager, the Ardent Mills Values of trust, serving, simplicity, and safety will guide your decisions. You will listen, learn, and serve your team members. You will enable your team to deliver superior business results by constantly learning, reinventing, and challenging yourself to do better. You will inspire people to achieve things they never thought possible. To succeed, you must be able to: 

• Deliver results in first-time situations by inspiring others and working to earn trust every day 

• Serve others with understanding, respect, and care 

• Operate with simplicity, clarity and transparency 

• Deal with and drive change 

• Organize, prioritize and own multiple tasks while meeting or exceeding deadlines 

• Learn and apply new technology, and share your knowledge with others 

Above all you will be expected to carry out all your activities with reliability, integrity, compliance and in a safe, environmentally responsible, and efficient manner. 

Your responsibilities: 

• Ensure Quality/Food Safety execution, including training, compliance, verification and auditing activities, upholding customer standards, and direct implementation of Q/FS policies 

• Assist in monitoring the wheat pipeline to ensure wheat shipped to the mill meets customer needs, optimizes mill performance, and is in alignment with regulatory standards 

• Manage customer audit programs, documentation, specifications, and ensure active customer support  

• Build relationships with local customers to uncover opportunities that lead to value creation and strengthen ties between our companies 

• Maintain customer audit certification and agreed 3rd party certification    

• Lead Integrated Pest Management with the Quality team

• Maintain compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, quality specifications, safety standards, and sanitation practices 

Essential skills and experience: 

• Bachelor’s degree with 2-5 years or High School diploma/GED with 6-9 years of Quality Systems and Food Safety experience in flour milling or related manufacturing industry 

• Demonstrated Knowledge and implementation of the following programs:           

• Food Safety Plan 

• Integrated Pest Management  

• Good Manufacturing Practices   

• Food Microbiology and Chemistry   

• FDA, CGC and FGIS Grain Standards  

• Knowledge of GFSI audit standards  

• Knowledge of Grain Market  

• Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge of quality standards and tools to enhance food safety and quality 

• Experience interacting effectively with customers, including ensuring products meet specifications, and solving customer problems 

• PCQI and HACCP certification 

Good to have: 

• Experience in project management, including applying structured approach to planning, administering and completing projects successfully 

• Demonstrated understanding of Statistical Process Control and ability to complete elementary statistical analysis 

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions (With or without reasonable accommodation): 

• Ability to wear personal protective equipment (PPE) as is required by the operating areas (i.e. safety glasses, protective footwear, hearing protection and, at times, a respirator) 

• Ability to work in a very fast paced, dynamic environment, supporting a machine paced continuous process that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with conditions which include: 

  • Heat/cold temperatures (inclement weather) 

  • Indoor/outdoor environment 

  • Dusty environment 

  • Noisy environment 

  • Frequent moving/vibration/ or other motion of equipment/processes 

  • Elevated places, to include stairs/ladders 

  • Ability to work in an environment with wheat dust, as well as allergens such as soy and dairy

• Ability to perform work at a computer and other administrative/managerial tasks 

Other Considerations: 

• Willing to work weekends, holidays and opposing shifts, when needed (Rare) 

• Willing to relocate as promotional opportunities exist throughout career 

• Ability to travel 10-15%  

• Except where prohibited by law, all offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a pre-employment background check and/or drug test 

• Must be authorized to work in the Unites states without sponsorship now and in the future  

Team members must be clean shaven in order to perform tasks where respiratory protection is required and the use of a respirator (including N-95 dust mask) requires a proper seal for adequate protection.

The preceding position description has been designed to indicate the general nature and essential duties and responsibilities of work performed by employees within this position.  It may not contain a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees in this position. The description, duties, functions, and responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of Ardent Mills.