Quality Assurance Technician

Position Summary: Ensures green bean coffee products meet or exceed the highest standards of quality set by Kauai Coffee Company LLC by inspecting or manually testing products before, during, or after the manufacturing process. Implements technical oversight programs that help maintain food safety and ensure compliance with regulatory standards for internal and public distribution centers.

Primary Functions:

• Set up cupping of green product coming off of the production line
• Roasts small batch samples for quality review and cupping
• Take record of internal audits and other quality assurance activities
• Investigate customer complaints and non-conformance issues
• Collect and compile statistical quality data including cherry counts
• Analyze data to identify areas for improvement in the quality system
• Develop, recommend, and monitor corrective and preventative actions
• Make operational suggestions based on drawn cherry, pulp waste and dryer sample analysis, logs and reported data to determine plant efficiency, losses, drying times
• Determine the overall quality of a product by conducting and evaluating various drawn samples and tests to ensure set specifications are met
• Following prescribed methods in conformance with State of Hawaii, Department of Agriculture, Standards
  for Coffee and standards set by the Company, performs quality checks and data gathering on Wet Plant processing and Dry Plant output.
• Draws samples during Dry Plant operations to ensure conformance green bean output with State of Hawaii,
  Department of Agriculture, Standards for Coffee
• Educate and instruct personnel on recommended quality assurance testing, methodologies, and resources required to achieve standards set for a product
• Discuss quality evaluation with Roast Plant Manager, making appropriate recommendations and designing schedules for improvement and corrections
• Assist in developing special departmental projects, and work in conjunction with the Roast Plant Manager and provide quality assurance services
• Provide training to personnel on compliance with regulations, policies, and standard operating procedures
• Plan, conduct and supervise test and inspection of materials and products to ensure quality is maintained
• Assure ongoing compliance with quality and industry regulatory requirements
• Contributes to and participates in post season analysis and preseason goal setting
• Maintains Factory lab including pars for all supplies and ongoing cleanliness
• Monitor risk management activities
• Ability to work on weekends and overtime
• Complies with all Federal, State, Local and Company safety, health and environmental regulations
• Complies with all Company Rules and Company Policies

Qualifications/Skills/Knowledge Requirements:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills that promote cooperation and collaboration
• Skills that exhibit integrity, ownership and “can-do” attitude
• Exceptional problem solving skills, attention to detail, ability to meet deadlines and meet priorities
• Self starter, works well and must be willing to work independently
• Quality inspection, auditing and testing experience
• PC skills required including but not limited to MS Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.
• Experience with implementation of corrective action programs
• Product specific experience
• Knowledge of tools, concepts and methodologies of QA
• Knowledge of relevant regulatory requirements
• Certification and/or licensing may be required (e.g.: driver's license, professional license, etc.)

Pay Range: $55,000 - $74,000 p/year DOE

NOTE: The above information on this job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee in this classification. It is not to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory, or all duties, responsibilities and qualifications of employees assigned to this job. Management has the right to add to, revise, or delete information in this description. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.