Sr. Specialist, Quality Assurance

Referred applicants should not apply directly to this role.

All referred applicants must first be submitted through Workday by a current Loblaw Colleague.

Come make your difference in communities across Canada, where authenticity, trust and making connections is valued - as we shape the future of Canadian retail, together. Our unique position as one of the country's largest employers, coupled with our commitment to positively impact the lives of all Canadians, provides our colleagues a range of opportunities and experiences to help Canadians Live Life Well®.

At Loblaw Companies Limited, we succeed through collaboration and commitment and set a high bar for ourselves and those around us. Whether you are just starting your career, re-entering the workforce, or looking for a new job, this is where you belong.

Please note that this role can be located in Toronto or Montreal.

Why is this role important :

This role is accountable for managing relationships with Control Brand vendors with respect to food safety and quality assurance and is responsible for ensuring all standards and regulations are met. The QA Specialist will work collaboratively with the broader QA team, business stakeholders and vendors to ensure brand protection and drive a consistent consumer experience. Training and guidance in Loblaw specific programs and standards will be provided to the successful candidate.

What you'll do:

• Responsible for performing vendor assessment and drive corrective action to ensure capability to uphold Loblaw Quality standards. Collaborate to drive system and process improvement

• Perform risk assessment evaluation for potential Control Brand vendors.

• Have knowledge of Loblaw Control Brand products, vendors and data systems

• Remain up-to-date on food safety and quality trends, issues and initiatives in the food industry

• Maintain brand integrity by upholding the safety and quality brand standards

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives with vendors focused on product quality

• Responsible to managing customer complaints including identifying trends and driving resolution and year over year sustainable improvement

• Provide QA leadership during investigations involving incident management

• Manage vendor scorecards including reporting to business and vendor community

• Proactively seek resolution to issues according to Management Information reports and resolve issues within appropriate timelines and ensure vendor accountability

• Provide input during product specification reviews and follow-up on action items as required

• Perform product evaluations to ensure compliance to specification parameters

• Liaise with internal business partners to ensure all aspects of the needs are addressed

• Leverage Quality SAP systems for all processes and documentation

What you bring:

• University education or equivalent in food science

• 4-7 years related work experience in food manufacturing environment

• Working knowledge of HACCP, GFSI and Quality Management Systems and their application in food industry

• Conduct audits, seeking conformity to food safety and quality standard.

• Effectively define and present findings to the customer. Assess corrections, corrective action/plans and corresponding evidence.

• Able to provide provides constructive evaluation of quality related system investigations including manufacturing sites.

• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team

• Knowledge of distribution and handling of products within Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Retail Environments

• Able to work effectively as an individual with minimal supervision and as a team member

• Able to influence and interact effectively with all levels at retail/distribution, vendor and office locations

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

• Ability to analyze data and manage risk based on data and statistics.

• Effective problem solving skills

• Straightforward practical way of thinking and problem solving,

• Results oriented

• Highly organized with a strong focus on detail and accuracy

• Experience with SAP QM, QIM and BI would be an asset

• Travel (may be required up to 2-3 days per week and could include local, national and international, requires use of personal vehicle)

Key Measures (Performance indicators):

• Process Performance Metrics

• Meeting QA Objectives

• Dashboard KPI’s

Our commitment to Sustainability and Social Impact is an essential part of the way we do business, and we focus our attention on areas where we can have the greatest impact. Our approach to sustainability and social impact is based on three pillars - Environment, Sourcing and Community - and we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate leadership in these important areas. Our CORE Values - Care, Ownership, Respect and Excellence - guide all our decision-making and come to life through our Blue Culture. We offer our colleagues progressive careers, comprehensive training, flexibility, and other competitive benefits - these are some of the many reasons why we are one of Canada’s Top Employers, Canada’s Best Diversity Employers, Canada’s Greenest Employers & Canada’s Top Employers for Young People.

If you are unsure whether your experience matches every requirement above, we encourage you to apply anyway. We are looking for varied perspectives which include diverse experiences that we can add to our team.

We have a long-standing focus on diversity, equity and inclusion because we know it will make our company a better place to work and shop. We are committed to creating accessible environments for our colleagues, candidates and customers. Requests for accommodation due to a disability (which may be visible or invisible, temporary or permanent) can be made at any stage of application and employment. We encourage candidates to make their accommodation needs known so that we can provide equitable opportunities.

Please Note:
Candidates who are 18 years or older are required to complete a criminal background check. Details will be provided through the application process.