Position Summary: 

The Food Safety Manager is responsible for Food Safety/Security and Sustainability programs ensuring that Vertical Harvest Maine is in compliance with all regulations. He or she is responsible for providing the technical expertise and management skills necessary to administer the corporate strategy for: Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), and other FDA/EPA regulations that pertain to the growing, harvesting, and packaging, and shipping at the Vertical Harvest Maine location.

Essential Responsibilities:

1. Implement and maintain all food safety related programs and standards for all operations.
2. Ensure that employees and managers have the required food safety training and are consistently working within food safety requirements.
3. Ensure that operations comply with federal, state, local, and specific customer and company food safety policies and regulations. Prepare and submit all required reports and correspondence.
4. Identify, document, and report suggested corrective action for continuous compliance and improvement.
5. Inspect products and equipment for conformity to applicable regulations and standards.
6. Work with vendors on ensuring that all federal, state and local food safety policies and regulations are in compliance.
7. Coordinate and lead all third-party food safety audits.
8. Report results of safety audits and submit recommendations for corrective action to management for approval, as appropriate.
9. Educate and advise management, and train employees on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and HACCP.
10. Ensure GAP’s and HACCP’s are always met.
11. Prepare and coordinate annual food safety training specific for supervisors and employees.
12. Audit and inspect all operations as required and whenever appropriate.
13. Full participation during food safety audits.
14. Performs all other duties and tasks, as assigned by management.
15. Ensure company compliance with formal product recovery and recall procedures.

Requirements:

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS: 

1. Bachelor degree preferred.
2. Minimum 2 years of experience in Food Safety inspection.
3. Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with employees, customers, vendors and management.
4. Effective problem solver with the ability to work independently.
5. Working knowledge of food safety, HACCP, GMP, USDA, FDA, and working with State and third-party inspections.
6. Possess strong leadership skills. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
7. Must have the ability to make sound decisions, capable of communicating and reporting functions both verbal and written.

PREFERRED EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS: 

1. Safety-Centered Mindset
2. Decisive and action-orientation
3. Strategic systems thinker
4. Results driven, energetic, confident personality
5. Excellent communication & collaboration  skills
6. Able to work independently and as part of a team
7. Excellent record keeping / documentation / organizational skills
8. Able to manage, prioritize, and complete multiple projects simultaneously
9. Extremely observant, detail-oriented, and data obsessed
10. Comfortable in fast paced environment, flexible when demands change
11. Aware and inclusive of others
12. Embodies Vertical Harvest values of dynamic growth, inclusivity, ingenuity, transparency, empowerment, compassion
13. Reasonable accommodations may be made to empower individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions