Quality Technician

Job description

A mutually rewarding experience.

Work. Realize your ambitions. And realize there's more to being in business than just making a profit. That's the Mars philosophy. And the opportunity we offer every one of our Associates. An opportunity to take what you do and make it mean more for you, for those around you and for the planet. What you get here is challenging, interesting work. You get the tools you need to do a great job and you get to have the best possible people on your side to help you do it. And at the same time as getting to find ways to do business better today than we did it yesterday and driving a great career, you also get to build a more enlightened business and drive sustainability.

Because it's never just about a single person, a single project or a single brand. It's about how you can grab everything that's within your reach here and use it to pursue mutual, long-term gain. It's about having ideas. And ideals. Being prepared to risk failure because the promise of success means we'll all be a little better off. It's that mix of integrity and ambition that makes Mars such a special place to work. And why working here is always about more than just a job.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With almost $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, MILKY WAY®, DOVE®, PEDIGREE®, ROYAL CANIN®, WHISKAS®, EXTRA®, ORBIT®, 5™, SKITTLES®, UNCLE BEN'S®, MARS DRINKS and COCOAVIA®. Mars also provides veterinary health services that include BANFIELD® Pet Hospitals, Blue Pearl®, VCA® and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire its more than 100,000 Associates to create value for all its partners and deliver growth they are proud of every day.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This role is responsible to conduct quality verification protocols to ensure that all finished products meet with Mars Quality and Food Safety Specifications. Quality Technician associates enable conformance to specification through the verification of execution in quality control protocols and/or monitoring of sampling and testing plans applied to packaging and product.

This resource also enables the reduction of food safety incidents and non-quality costs by the immediate escalation of any out of conformance condition detected during verification activities. Also, this role supports the maintenance of quality knowledge and skills required in operation associates for proper execution of quality control protocols and proper data documentation and records keeping. Operational non-quality related activities are out of the scope of this role such machine operator’s reliefs.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

·  Responsible for shift-based quality verification or monitoring activities for packaging and finished product (based on the site size this might be extended to raw materials)
·  Verify conformance of finished product and/or in-process for sensory attributes and participate in site sensory panels.
·  Verify conformance of finished product attributes and product defects following quality approved standards and procedures.
·  Verify proper execution of packaging GRD and Code dates monitoring protocols to ensure correct packaging is used and product traceability is not compromised.
·  Verify scale calibration accuracy.
·  Initiate PRIMPS and Nonconformance’s in Nexus.
·  Ensures that only nexus approved documents are used in the packaging line for quality related activities and archives quality related records for further analysis or auditing purposes.
·  Provides quality related information to operators to enable quality control activities.
·  Escalate to process areas any out of conformance incidents and collaborate in trouble shooting providing all information needed on product quality attributes until process and product are back in control and this will include sending out daily report on quality verification checks and primp entered to Leads and Quality managers.
·  Identify and isolate out-of-specification materials, including placing product on hold, initiating non-conformances and escalating to the correct associates. They are expected to collaborate closely with Material Handling area to ensure all non-conforming products are captured in house.
·  Support/lead calibration program activities to ensure overall QMP compliance.
·  Perform off-line metal detector screening for suspected product from metal detector rejections.
·  Verifies that procedures to complete quality related documentation are properly executed and information in the records is complete.
·  Sign off all quality check paperwork if Lead is not present for all packaging lines, Industrial Product (IP) and Chocolate Plant within 48hours of the production shift and shift release.
·  Provides coaching and training to associates to ensure proper QMP understanding, execution of quality control protocols, data accuracy and proper record management control.
·  Quality conformance associates may be required to be part of the HACCP team and Internal Auditors group to support quality and food safety continuous improvement program and CAPA’s execution.
·  QCC to assist on quality investigate on hold product and expire raw material, and document information in Nexus with concessions. Conduct validate metal detectors on each bar line. SWAB testing after equipment has been cleaned and sanitize

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:

·  High school diploma, or equivalent
·  Experience within a manufacturing environment and/or previous quality control experience in a food-related industry.
·  Excellent written and oral communications skills are essential as these associates often serve as coordinators of information between functions and across levels of the business
·  Ability to lift up to 50 pounds repetitively
·  Must be able to work at elevated heights
·  Must be able to adapt to temperature and environmental extremes from hot to cold, dust, dirt and chemicals
·  Computer/Technical savvy
·  Works proficiently in: Excel, Nexus, Win SPC, Microsoft Office, Outlook, etc.
·  Ability to establish good peer relationships

Mars is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. If you need assistance or an accommodation during the application process because of a disability, it is available upon request. The company is pleased to provide such assistance, and no applicant will be penalized as a result of such a request.

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