Quality Improvement Lead

Join Riverside Natural Foods Ltd., a Canadian-based, family-owned, and globally operating business, committed to leaving the world better than we found it. As a B-Corp certified, Triple-Bottom Line company, we proudly manufacture nutritious, 'better-for-you' snacks such as MadeGood and GOOD TO GO. We value teamwork, humility, respect, ownership, adaptability, grit, and fun.
We’re on an ambitious mission to double our business by 2030, and we need talented individuals like you to help us reach new heights. At Riverside, you’ll have the opportunity to chart your own path to success while contributing to ours. We believe anything worth doing is worth doing right, and our values will guide us through the rugged terrain – and yes, it will get rough. But that’s what makes the journey worthwhile.
So, lace up your boots and let’s tackle the climb together.
You can learn more about us at www.riversidenaturalfoods.com.
Position Summary/Objective:
The position ensures successful continues improvement of Riverside’s Food Safety and Quality Assurance System by providing leadership through strong knowledge and experience of managing food safety and quality incidents, conducting root cause analysis, risk assessment, CAPA program and meeting the food safety and quality targets. You will be responsible for initiatives to enhance the food safety and quality performance of products and processes within Riverside Natural Food Ltd. They are passionate about Riverside’s values and purpose, solving problems, food safety, quality (delighting our consumers) and always lead with a continuous improvement mindset.
Primary Responsibilities:
Demonstrate and uphold Riverside Natural Food’s core values
Manage (lead investigations, root cause analysis -RCA, collect or identify data that needs to be collected, etc.) food safety and Quality Incidents including consumer and customer complaints, product holds, internal non-conformances to ensure product safety and quality
Take the OWNERSHIP on leading investigation and root cause analysis to identify possible issues affecting food safety and quality of the products and processes, place necessary products on hold in SAP systems
Review and analyze data from food safety records and quality verification checks to identify trends and areas for improvement and implement corrective action
Lead cross-functional teams in identifying opportunities for food safety and quality improvement by addressing root cause of issues, writing incident reports, and ensuring comprehensive action plans are implemented and completed to prevent future issues
TEAMWORK and work closely with Production, Sanitation, Maintenance, Engineering, Facility, R&D and other relevant departments to implement and sustain food safety and quality improvement initiatives
Ensure consistent execution of current Food Safety and Quality Management Programs, internal procedures and compliance with BRC requirements
Establish, develop, implement and monitor food safety and quality improvement strategies, plans and KPIs aligned with organizational goals. Communicate and report improvement, progress and results to stakeholders to measure success
Use statistical methods, data analysis and sampling plans to track and monitor product and process performances and capabilities affecting safety and quality and reduce defects and minimize inconsistencies. Identify upper and lower specifications limits to build run charts to monitor CTQs and CTPs. Understand the process to create and implement control charts for existing and new products working with R&D and production team.
Develop, update, and implement improvement policies and procedures and Food safety and quality plan
Identify training opportunities, train the trainer and ensure employees are trained in food safety and quality improvement methodologies and tools such as root cause and hazard analysis, risk assessment, corrective and preventive action development.
Promote a culture of excellence and improvement awareness across the organization
Develop innovative solutions to food safety and quality related issues and provide improvement reports on the status improvement projects to senior leadership.
Keeps the work atmosphere FUN by keeping it light and welcoming
Other duties, as assigned to support the execution of FSQA programs.
Reporting Relationship:
Reports directly to the plant FSQA Leader. Plant FSQA leaders report to corporate. There are no direct reports.
Education & Qualifications:
or Diploma in Engineering, Food Science and technology, Chemistry, Microbiology, pharmaceutical and other related disciplines
A minimum of 3 years of FSQA experience in food manufacturing and relevant food safety and quality programs in similar roles (Quality improvement, continues improvement, process improvement).
Experience with highly automated food manufacturing lines for continues and batch processes.
Strong understanding of hazards analysis, HACCP, GMPs, FM prevention, microbiology, pest control and other food safety related programs
A minimum Lean Six Sigma- Green belt certification and experience in QI (quality improvement) focused environment. Demonstrated application on actual projects on production sites.
Strong understanding of statistics, product sampling standards/programs and SPC and experience in SPC technologies such as Minitab
Understanding and knowledge of commercialization processes, food safety and quality attributes and its impact
Experience in investigation process, root cause analysis methodologies and corrective action plans (CAPA)
Skills & Abilities:
Ability to be persuasive, assertive while also being collaborative with diverse TEAMS.
Exceptional time management, organizational and implementation skills.
Self-starter with a high level of initiative and ADAPTABILITY
Strong interpersonal and communication skills with follow-through
Analytical, with problem-identification and problem-solving capabilities, detail oriented.
PASSIONATE and curious individuals with a positive attitude and desire to learn and
Aptitude to exhibit, RESPECT and protect Riverside’s Core Values in a rapidly changing
Job Scorecard FSQA Improvement Leader
Purpose of the role:
The position ensures successful continues improvement of Riverside’s Food Safety and Quality Assurance System by providing leadership through strong knowledge and experience of managing food safety and quality incidents, investigation, conducting root cause analysis, risk assessment, CAPA program and meeting the food safety and quality targets. Lead initiatives to enhance the food safety and quality performance of products and processes and solve problems always with a continuous improvement mindset to meet and exceed consumer expectations and food safety requirements.
Key Accountabilities
Responsibility
KPI/ Metric to Measure Success
Current Year Target
Drive Continuous Improvement
· % reduction in customer complaints.
· CAPA effectiveness rate: by measuring CAPA closure and recurrence rate
· % Reduction in NCRs (Cases or Kg on hold)
· Develop process mapping for one line per year and map out CTP- centerlines and CTQs
· 20% annual reduction in recurring customer complaint issues.
· ≥90% CAPA closure rate based on agreed completion date. <5% recurrence rate (of issues that reoccurred after CAPA/ Total CAPA implemented)
· 15% reduction vs YE2025 held cases
· Process Map developed for one line.
BRC audit compliance
No BRC audit nonconformances in the areas of Non-conformances and CAPA programs
Meet BRC AA unannounced requirements
Training and best practice sharing
Design and deliver annual RCA training
Share min 6 learning/best practices from problem solving and RCA.
· 100% training completion to target audience.
Competencies for Success in the Role:
Key Riverside Leadership Competencies needed to be successful in this role:
1. Collaborates
Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.