Food Safety and Quality Assurance Specialist

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is a company devoted to making better ice creams and bringing people together. We are looking to welcome a new Food Safety and Quality Assurance Specialist - Suppliers and New Products to our Production, Quality Assurance and Food Safety team.

This position will report to the Director of Production, Quality Assurance and Food Safety and be based in our Columbus, Ohio, home office. This experienced professional will provide expertise, partnership and support primarily to our production and supply chain organization.

This person will exemplify the talent, hustle, guts, resilience and empathy for which we recruit, be capable of relating to individuals at all levels and across all functions, and be oriented around innovative food safety and quality assurance practices that serve our team just as we serve our customers.

Supports innovation team to ensure successful commercialization of new products. Onboards new suppliers and maintains documentation for existing suppliers per Jeni’s and FSMA requirements. Develops and maintains FS & QA portions of supplier scorecards through tracking FS & QA incidents and conducting audits. Ensures successful introduction of new products through managing the commercialization process, from onboarding new suppliers and approving new ingredients to attending production scale ups and evaluating the quality of finished products against the product concept.

The position is responsible for:

• Attending new product scale ups at production partners to ensure that new products meet FS & QA specifications in partnership with R&D Manager.

• Conducts shelf life testing on new products to ensure that they will meet specified shelf life requirements.

• Evaluates commercial formulas for potential food safety and quality issues ahead of approval.

• Maintains the supplier certification program - works with R&D Manager on developing buying specifications, and monitors supplier quality and food safety performance.

• In conjunction with the R&D Manager, trains in-house and co-manufacturing team members on product design and testing during the commercial development process.

• Responsible for documentation to support required certifications. May include certification for Kosher, Organic, Halal, GMO etc.

• Travel approximately once a month to suppliers or production partners.

• B.S. degree in Food Science, or a related discipline

• Minimum of 3 years of quality and commercial development experience in the food industry

• Experience in ice cream manufacturing would be a plus

• Experience working with co-packers and suppliers would be a plus

• Experience in scaling up R&D recipes to the commercial level would be a plus

• Preferred certifications: PCQI certification, HACCP Certification, SQF experience

• Skills: Specification and Work Instruction Development, Knowledge of Food Ingredient Functionality, Supplier Certification, Information Analysis, Cross Functional and Technical Reporting, Research Skills, Managing Processes, Manufacturing Methods and Procedures, Problem Solving, Decision Making, and Process Improvement

This position is eligible for the following benefits:

• Competitive salary and benefits package (including health, dental and vision)

• Paid time off, including sick, vacation, and holiday pay

• 401k participation with 4% contribution match after 3 months of employment

• A one-month paid sabbatical after 3 years of continuous service

• Annual paid day to volunteer for a non-profit organization that matters to you

• 50% discount at Jeni’s scoop shops and online