Position Summary: Responsible for supervising fruit quality activities, ensuring training and compliance in berry grading. Key Highlights: 1. Supervises and trains fruit quality personnel. 2. Ensures compliance with quality standards for berries. 3. Collaborates with growers to maintain product quality. **About the Opportunity** ========================= Responsible for supervising the activities of quality auditors and samplers, including daily fruit quality evaluation and reporting activities, ensuring appropriate training of quality auditors and samplers, and providing consistency and compliance across overall berry grading activities. The Quality Leader ensures that quality inspection activities are staffed appropriately, executed effectively, and meet supply chain efficiency expectations through coordination of quality inspector and sampler activities. The Quality Leader also supports the Quality Supervisor/Manager.**Responsibilities** ==================== * Trains and supports quality auditors and samplers on all Driscoll’s products (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries). * Ensures quality auditors follow company procedures and policies. * Assists the Quality Supervisor/Manager with scheduling work and safety training for quality auditors and samplers. * Area operations * Supervises fruit quality inspection to ensure compliance with Driscoll’s standards. Ensures consistent results through weekly calibrations and benchmark analysis. * Grades fruit as needed to support quality auditors. * Understands product sampling, inspection, and quality reporting concepts. * Schedules and organizes additional activities for quality auditors required for operations (holding tests, calibrations, Brix and acidity testing, weekly photos, 5S). * Conducts periodic meetings with quality personnel for alignment and feedback. * Communicates effectively with coworkers from receiving, cooler, sales, grower, and administrative departments. * Maintains effective communication with growers regarding quality and packaging issues to engage and align them with company standards. * Works with harvest planning and distribution teams to organize and select fruits for special orders, coordinated with Field Leader and Supervisor. * Reports and updates the Supervisor and/or Quality Manager on any situation requiring their attention or involvement related to quality. * Prepares daily quality summary reports and reviews them to identify opportunities for improvement at ranches. * Monitors shelf-life tests and reports (holding test). * Field-related responsibilities: a) Trains field personnel to raise awareness of quality standards (as needed, coordinated with Field Leader); b) Provides field support to identify irregularities or opportunities and offers corrective suggestions, coordinated with the Field Quality Team; c) Supports field tours for Driscoll’s personnel; d) Reviews field inspectors’ reports and follows up on incidents; e) Assists growers in clarifying fruit rejections and supports the process to ensure fruit meets quality standards; f) Participates in action plan management with ranches based on quality issues. * Participates in periodic internal audits of the Quality Department. * Must be available to travel to other regions. * Participation in the 5S program. * Other competencies to consider: * Aligned with company values and philosophy. * Basic knowledge of audit processes and 5S methodology (Intermediate). * Ability to collect and record data (Intermediate). * Ability to contribute to brainstorming activities for problem-solving and process improvement (Intermediate). * Familiarity with potential fresh product defects that may result in quality issues (Advanced). * Communication skills, both verbal and written (Advanced). * Team player with adaptability and flexibility in a continuously fast-changing environment (Advanced). * Must be reliable and possess interpersonal relationship skills. **Candidate Profile** ===================== * Bachelor’s degree and/or Engineering degree in Agriculture, Food Science, Industrial Processes, or related fields. * Professional experience in this position: 1–3 years * Professional experience in this functional area: 1–3 years * Areas of experience: Quality (preferably within a fresh produce or food company). * Understanding of quality systems and definitions, and principles of quality assurance and quality control (Expert). * Understanding of product quality specifications and standards (Expert). * Calibration knowledge (Intermediate). * Understanding of testing area and design, equipment setup and operation, as well as analytical testing requirements (Intermediate). * Understands data presented in tables and charts; capable of constructing control charts (Intermediate). * Understanding of cold chain and effects of temperature, modified atmosphere, packaging, and product storage (Intermediate). * Utility vehicle operation (Advanced). * Lean Six Sigma (Intermediate)