Supplier Quality Assurance Officer - Your next role at Mars?

Reporting to our SQA Head, the Supplier Quality Assurance Officer will undertake the SQA process with suppliers to proactively ensure that their Quality Systems are in place to meet Mars Quality standards and enable the delivery of all materials to Mars manufacturing facilities to specification. This role will assess and improve a supplier’s capability to meet specifications, ensuring the resolution of non-conforming material issues and the technical development of the supply base to meet future requirements.

This is a hybrid position based out of Don Torcuato, Buenos Aires.

In this role, you'll work on...

Decision Making Authority and Impact

• Proper supplier risk assessment and food safety controls under the Supplier Quality Assurance function directly.

• prevents manufacture of adulterated product.

• Product conformance to specifications and requirements

• Notification of raw material quality and safety issues. Identifying risks and expedient communication of issues

• Risk categorization of suppliers.

Recommendations

• Supplier-based quality system improvements.

• Prioritization of continuous improvement activity and resource allocation to achieve improvements.

• Inputs into global and regional Supplier Quality Assurance Strategy.

• Disposition of non-conforming product and fitness for use of materials not meeting specification.

• Modifications to raw material, packaging, or premia risk assessments and specifications .

Participate to the selection of raw material suppliers

• Drive supplier continuous improvement and innovation within the Portfolio

• Evaluate the supplier raw material policy, tool capability and management ability to deliver a consistent material

• Evaluation of critical step management

• Manage sample analysis with the buyers and Regional/Factory lab feed-back

• Manage the audits (plant, organization, tools, traceability…) of each supplier included in the Officer’s portfolio following the Mars standards

• Write audit reports, propose corrective action plan and follow-up accordingly

• Communication of our Quality, Food safety and Sustainability policies to suppliers

• Lead continuous improvement within supplier organization

Monitor the quality of raw materials delivered to Royal Canin Brazilian factory

• Monitor the nutritional and food safety results of deliveries

• Understand the methods and analytical tools used

• Contribute to Supplier Scorecard quality and performance review

• Implement relevant quality focus at reception and follow up

• Propose and agree with supplier relevant continuous improvement plan and follow the effectiveness of the corrective and preventive actions.

• Periodic communication in place with key suppliers

• Update the quarterly synthesis and the annual evaluation file and share it with the buyers

Guarantee the compliance with RC purchasing roles

• Pilot the raw Material Risk Assessment of raw material in relation with the R&D, Central

• Manage the creation and update of raw material specifications as required

• Assist in all LRQA and internal audits, respecting the MQM and RC Commercial 10 rules

• Guarantee the knowledge management of the raw material quality and share this knowledge with the team

You?

• Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Chemistry, Food Science, Engineering or similar technical field

• 5+ years of experience working with a Supplier Quality Assurance program, Quality & Food Safety, Laboratory, Project leader or Continuous Improvement role.

• Advanced English is required.

• IRCA/RABQSA/or equivalent certification

• Free to travel up to 50% of their time.

• Will need to satisfactorily complete during the first year an accredited Lead Auditor training course.