Primary Job Function

Primarily responsible for leading best practice and Quality Assurance excellence at partner manufacturing sites based in India. This position is pivotal in managing the QA startup and BAU (Business as usual) activities and ensuring food safety standards as well as creating and maintaining relationships.

The Food Safety Engineer is responsible for assessing TPM food safety systems, reducing food safety risks by providing technical support to ensure TPM effectively produces safe, high-quality products for Abbott.

The successful incumbent will require the ability to appropriately identify, assess and minimize risks in the manufacturing of products to assure the safety, efficacy, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction while balancing the need to not impact manufacturing efficiency. The incumbent will need strong skills to lead cross-functional groups of SMEs and set expectations against key company and department goals while delivering results.

Core Job Responsibilities

• Closely monitors for and elevates food safety-related issues to TPM management and Abbott in a timely fashion according to global procedures.
• Builds culture of food safety and compliance in the TPM through imparting trainings.
• Responsible for ensuring environmental monitoring, preventive controls on the identified hazards are monitored and necessary actions are taken promptly to mitigate risk.
• Ensures all Quality and regulatory compliance with all local laws and regulations, as well as Abbott policies and procedures related to food safety activities; works with TPM staff to drive the development and implementation of new processes and procedures when deemed necessary.
• Ensure all microbiological results are reviewed and methods are scrutinized periodically.
• Routinely monitors pre-requisite programs of food safety like pestcontrol, preventative maintenance etc and report out to Division QA on periodic basis.
• Collaborates with other functions of Abbott on project or business usual activities.
• This position may include management of other Q.A related projects / activities as requested.
• Provides QA and technical support to Abbott Nutrition Third Party Manufacturers (TPM), TPM Operations, affiliates and other AN stakeholder.
• Identifies and resolves quality issues for AN TPM products related to design, manufacturing quality programs and product start-ups at TPM’s.
• Ensures compliance and continuous improvement of audit and metric performance.

Supervisory/Management Responsibilities

This role can have reportees.

Position Accountability / Scope

Liaise with TPM’s regarding goals and objectives in line with AN food safety and compliance requirement. There is an expectation of physical stay at site as deemed necessary to carry out the project or Business as usual activities.

Report to the Snr Quality Manager TPM

Minimum Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology or food science or dairy science.
• programs. Higher education may compensate for years of experience.

Minimum Experience and Skills

• A minimum of five years of hands-on experience in implementation and maintenance of Food safety programs.
• Experience in validation field is not mandatory but will be added advantage.
• A minimum of three years supervisory management background.
• A minimum of three years’ experience in application of GMP regulations.
• Demonstrated leadership skills/competencies with track record of success.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal skills, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Strong organizational skills with a proven ability to prioritize and work on multiple tasks and projects.
• Fluency in spoken/written English.
• Strong commitment to compliance with the relevant rules and procedures and to scientific quality and integrity.

Quality, Safety & Environmental Responsibilities

• Attend regular departmental meetings with manager/supervisor to build in continuous feedback mechanisms.
• Meet the requirements of Abbott Nutrition and other relevant standards by complying with all relevant Quality policies and procedures to ensure the Quality objectives of the business are met.
• Comply with all relevant company Occupational Health, Safety and Environmental policies, procedures and work practices with the intent of preventing or minimizing accidental exposures to self, colleagues and/or the environment.