Company Overview
Stiebrs Farms is a family-owned and operated farm located in Yelm, WA, renowned as Washington’s leading cage-free and organic egg producer. Established in 1953, we are committed to humane farm animal care and believe that happy hens produce healthy eggs.
Job Overview
Stiebrs Farms is seeking an experienced, organized and hands-on Food Safety, Safety & Compliance Manager to help manage the day-to-day food safety, regulatory, animal welfare and workplace safety compliance programs across our egg farming and egg processing operations.
This is a hands-on position that combines office-based compliance management with regular presence throughout our farms and processing facility. The successful candidate must be comfortable reviewing documentation, working directly with employees and managers, walking agricultural and processing facilities, preparing for audits and interacting professionally with auditors and regulatory agencies.
This position reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and will work closely with department managers, farm management and our existing SQF practitioners.
The COO will retain executive oversight of the company's compliance programs, while this position will be responsible for the day-to-day management, monitoring, verification, documentation and audit readiness of those programs.
Key Responsibilities
Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Assist in managing and maintaining the company's SQF Food Safety Program.
- Work closely with SQF practitioners and department managers to ensure required monitoring, records and documentation are completed accurately and on time.
- Maintain ongoing audit readiness and verify that food safety programs and procedures are being followed in practice.
- Monitor compliance with applicable FDA requirements, including the Egg Safety Rule.
- Coordinate and maintain readiness for USDA surveillance and regulatory visits.
- Assist with Organic certification requirements and other applicable regulatory, customer and third-party certification programs.
- Maintain current policies, SOPs, records, certifications and supporting documentation.
- Monitor regulatory and certification requirements and communicate necessary changes to management.
- Coordinate corrective actions resulting from audits, inspections or internal findings and verify completion.
- Assist with internal audits, inspections and compliance reviews throughout farm and processing operations.
Animal Welfare Compliance
- Assist in managing and maintaining the company's animal welfare compliance programs across applicable farm operations.
- Monitor compliance with United Egg Producers (UEP) requirements, Proposition 12 requirements and other applicable animal welfare standards and certifications.
- Conduct routine internal animal welfare inspections and verify that required practices are consistently followed throughout farm operations.
- Maintain required animal welfare policies, procedures, records and supporting documentation.
- Work closely with farm managers and employees to ensure animal welfare procedures are understood and properly implemented.
- Coordinate preparation and readiness for third-party animal welfare audits and inspections.
- Participate in animal welfare audits and facility walkthroughs and work directly with auditors as needed.
- Track audit findings, corrective actions and required follow-up through completion.
- Assist with employee animal welfare training and maintain required training documentation.
- Monitor changes to applicable animal welfare standards and communicate necessary program or operational changes to management.
- Promptly escalate significant animal welfare concerns or potential compliance violations to the COO.
Organic Certification Compliance
- Help manage and maintain the company’s Organic certification program.
- Maintain required Organic records, documentation and certifications.
- Monitor farm and processing operations for compliance with Organic requirements.
- Coordinate preparation and readiness for Organic certification audits and inspections.
- Work with farm managers and employees to ensure Organic requirements are understood and followed.
- Track any findings and corrective actions through completion.
Workplace Safety & Washington L&I Compliance
- Help administer, monitor and maintain the company's workplace safety programs.
- Ensure departments are conducting and documenting required monthly safety meetings.
- Work with department managers to identify and correct employee, equipment and facility safety concerns.
- Conduct routine safety inspections throughout farm and processing operations.
- Verify that required safety procedures, personal protective equipment and equipment safeguards are being followed and maintained.
- Maintain required safety documentation, policies and employee training records.
- Help ensure compliance with applicable Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I/DOSH) workplace safety requirements.
- Serve as an on-site company representative during L&I/DOSH safety inspections and accompany inspectors throughout the operation as appropriate.
- Assist with workplace incident investigations from a safety and prevention standpoint to identify potential hazards, root causes and preventative measures.
- Coordinate responses to identified safety deficiencies and track corrective actions through completion.
- Assist management with employee safety training and implementation of new or revised safety procedures.
- Monitor workplace safety trends and recommend improvements to reduce the risk of employee injuries.
This position does not administer or manage employee L&I workers' compensation claims.
Audits, Inspections & Corrective Actions
- Coordinate preparation for regulatory, certification and third-party audits and inspections.
- Maintain organized records so requested documentation can be produced promptly.
- Participate in facility, processing and farm walkthroughs during audits and inspections.
- Work professionally with auditors, inspectors, department managers and employees during site visits.
- Coordinate responses to audit and inspection findings.
- Track corrective actions to ensure deadlines are met and issues are properly closed.
- Conduct follow-up verification to ensure corrective actions remain effective.
- Help maintain a state of continuous audit readiness throughout the operation.
What We're Looking For
The ideal candidate is someone who is equally comfortable reviewing compliance documentation in an office and putting on boots to walk a farm, poultry barn or egg processing facility.
We are looking for someone who is organized, observant and proactive and who understands that successful compliance programs require more than paperwork. This individual should be comfortable verifying that policies and procedures are actually being followed throughout the operation and addressing issues when they are identified.
The successful candidate should be able to build productive relationships with employees and managers while also having the confidence to address situations where safety, food safety, animal welfare or regulatory requirements are not being followed.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in food safety, regulatory compliance, animal welfare, workplace safety, quality assurance or a related field.
- Experience in food manufacturing, food processing, agriculture, poultry, livestock production or another highly regulated production environment strongly preferred.
- Experience with SQF or another GFSI-recognized food safety certification program strongly preferred.
- Knowledge of FDA and/or USDA food safety requirements.
- Familiarity with agricultural or food-production regulatory requirements.
- Experience with animal welfare certification or auditing programs preferred.
- Familiarity with UEP, Proposition 12 or similar animal welfare standards is highly desirable.
- Familiarity with OSHA or Washington State L&I/DOSH workplace safety requirements.
- Experience participating in regulatory inspections, certification audits or third-party audits.
- Strong documentation, organization and recordkeeping skills.
- Ability to interpret regulations, policies, certification standards and audit requirements.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work effectively with production employees, supervisors, managers, auditors and regulatory officials.
- Strong follow-through and ability to manage multiple compliance programs and deadlines simultaneously.
- Comfortable working independently while knowing when an issue should be elevated to senior management.
- Proficient with Microsoft Office and electronic recordkeeping systems.
SQF Practitioner, HACCP, PCQI, OSHA/safety, animal welfare auditor or related certifications are highly desirable but may not be required for the right candidate with relevant experience.
Pay: $80,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
