Sr QA Engineer

Description

Position Summary: A Senior QA Engineer to ensure product excellence, lead quality strategies, root cause analysis, and coordinate teams to maintain safety and food safety standards. Key Highlights: 1. Lead the implementation of the Product Excellence Program. 2. Serve as the Quality representative on the CORE TEAM. 3. Coordinate, guide, and train personnel under supervision. Position Title: QA Sr. Engineer Reports To: QA Manager Department: Quality Assurance Ensure implementation of the Product Excellence Program within the assigned Business Unit. Serve as the Quality representative on the Business Unit’s CORE TEAM, guiding the team in risk-based decision-making related to Quality and Food Safety for assigned production lines; utilize statistical tools for data analysis and trend identification to enable proactive response and incident prevention; lead quality strategies and, in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams, determine methodologies for root cause analysis of consumer complaints, manufacturing errors, and quality defects causing inefficiency, rework, and reprocessing. Coordinate, guide, and train personnel under supervision—including QA Engineers, Jr. QA Engineers, and QMS—ensuring their competence to perform assigned tasks and define priorities while complying with safety, food safety, quality, and production standards. Lead and execute traceability exercises to stress-test the system and maintain corporate standards. Know, comply with, and uphold applicable Quality, Manufacturing, and Safety, Health & Environment requirements for this position. **RELEVANT PROCESSES** Verify that complaints assigned to the plant are correct; report deviations to Corporate for resolution. Generate and analyze trend charts to jointly develop action plans with other operational departments. Ensure, via an improvement methodology, that executed actions are appropriate to prevent process deviations. Lead investigation and resolution of ME complaints escalated to Corporate. Identify, investigate, and document Quality or Food Safety deviations. Develop preventive plans to eliminate deviations at their root cause. Ensure timely disposition of involved product. Participate in feasibility analyses of projects or process changes through QDR (Quality Design Review). Coordinate the Quality portion of testing execution for improvement projects involving packaging material changes, ingredient substitution or replacement, and process modifications—as well as new product or new line launches. Lead updates to the HACCP Food Safety and Quality Plans for assigned lines. Administer the WinSPC and Bloodstone weight control systems for the Business Unit, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Lead traceability exercises for assigned lines. Actively participate in internal and external Quality Management System audits. Keep the organization informed of Quality and Food Safety events within the respective Business Unit. Guide and provide one-on-one feedback to QA Engineers, Jr. QA Engineers, and QMS within the Business Unit. SPECIFIC KNOWLEDGE * PCQI Certification * English proficiency: 90% * Internal Auditor certification: GFSI, SQF, HACCP * Allergen Management * Chemical Management * Cleaning and Sanitization * Food Defense * Food Fraud * Microbiology * Sanitary Design * Rework * Traceability * Non-Conforming Product Handling * Quality tracking, QS&T and product evaluation * Weight Control: WinSPC, Bloodstone, Autobuild * Integrated Pest Management * Consumer and Customer Complaint Tracking * Color Coding * Be Food Safety Certification * Security (CTPAT) * Good Maintenance Practices * Engineering (PLM usage) § Good Storage Practices * Problem Analysis and Resolution Methodologies * Microsoft Office, Minitab, WinSPC, Quality Companion, Visio. SKILLS / COMPETENCIES * Leadership * Negotiation * Autonomy * Conflict Management * Analytical Thinking * Teamwork * Complex Problem Solving * Service Orientation * Integrity, Ethics, and Values Education: Food Engineering, Chemistry, or Industrial Engineering degree; Black Belt or Master’s degree in Quality preferred Experience: Minimum 3 years in a similar role within a food company; experience managing work teams; experience in 24/7 production facilities; experience across at least 3 medium-to-high complexity production lines and 2 BU-level equivalent experience (e.g., laboratory, sanitation, quality systems); experience managing incidents, HOLDS, and dispositions The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer. The policy of The Hershey Company is to extend opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual's race, color, gender, age, national origin, religion, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other categories protected by applicable federal, state or local laws. The Hershey Company is an Equal Opportunity Employer \- Minority/Female/Disabled/Protected Veterans. You may request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our online application process as a result of a disability. You can request an accommodation via phone or email. To request an accommodation via phone, please call \+1 877\-804\-1794 and leave a voicemail with your contact information. You may also email a request for accommodation to ApplicationHelp@hersheys.com. Please be sure to include “Accommodation Needed” in the subject line. This will ensure that your email is routed to the appropriate contact who will handle your request.