Job Description
Job Overview:
Quality and Materials Coordinator
(Non-union / Hourly)
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports to: Quality Assurance Manager
Location: Somerset, KY
FLSA Status: Non-Exempt
Pay Range: $20-$25 per hour
Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, STD, Thrift, Life Insurance
Shift (if applicable): Monday – Friday ; 8:00AM – 5:00PM
Position Overview
The Quality & Materials Coordinator provides administrative, purchasing, inventory-control, traceability, and quality-assurance support within Prairie Farms Dairy - Somerset production facility.
This position is responsible for processing and maintaining purchase orders for ingredients, packaging materials, caps, and other materials necessary for dairy production; maintaining accurate lot and material traceability records; monitoring material inventories; and assisting the Quality Assurance Manager with quality-related activities, documentation, and compliance requirements.
The position works closely with Quality Assurance, Production, Warehouse, Purchasing, Maintenance, Sanitation, suppliers, and other facility personnel to help ensure that materials used in dairy production are properly purchased, received, identified, tracked, documented, and available for production.
This is an hourly, non-supervisory position. The position has no direct reports and does not have authority to hire, terminate, discipline, or formally supervise employees.
Key Responsibilities
- Participate in inventory counts, audits, inspections, traceability exercises, mock recalls, and other activities as assigned.
- Assist with maintaining supplier, ingredient, packaging, and material documentation.
- Assist with maintaining organized records and standardized documentation within the Quality Assurance function.
- Perform other duties of a similar nature and level as assigned by the Quality Assurance Manager.
- Maintain accurate records and documentation in accordance with company policies and applicable requirements.
- All other duties as assigned.
Required Qualifications
- High school diploma or equivalent preferred.
- Prior experience in quality assurance, food manufacturing, dairy processing, purchasing, inventory control, warehouse administration, production administration, or a related field preferred.
- Basic computer proficiency, including email, spreadsheets, and database or inventory-management systems.
- Ability to accurately enter, maintain, and retrieve information.
- Strong organizational and recordkeeping skills.
- Ability to follow written procedures and established food-safety, quality, and safety requirements.
- Ability to communicate effectively with employees, suppliers, and management.
- Ability to maintain accurate records involving lot numbers, quantities, dates, materials, and other traceability information.
- Ability to work effectively in a manufacturing and dairy-processing environment while following applicable safety and sanitation requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in a dairy, food-processing, beverage, or other regulated food-manufacturing environment.
- Experience with ingredients, packaging materials, or other food-production materials.
- Experience with lot tracking or product/material traceability.
- Experience with ERP, inventory-management, purchasing, quality-management, or similar software.
- Familiarity with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), food-safety programs, HACCP principles, allergen control, sanitation practices, or related food-manufacturing requirements.
- Experience assisting with audits, mock recalls, traceability exercises, or quality documentation.
- Familiarity with food-safety and sanitation requirements applicable to dairy or food-processing facilities.
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong organizational and follow-through skills.
- Ability to manage multiple purchase orders, materials, lots, and records simultaneously.
- Ability to recognize discrepancies in quantities, lot information, inventory records, and purchasing documentation.
- Ability to maintain accurate records under time-sensitive production conditions.
- Ability to work cooperatively with Quality Assurance, Production, Warehouse, Purchasing, and other departments.
- Ability to recognize conditions requiring escalation to the Quality Assurance Manager.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of Company, supplier, customer, and quality-related information.
Required Soft Skills:
- Ability to work without direct supervision.
- Excellent leadership, interpersonal, and conflict resolution skills.
- Coachable and willing to learn.
- Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.
Work Schedule
This is an hourly, non-exempt position. The employee is expected to work the schedule established by the Company and may occasionally be required to work outside the normal schedule based on production requirements, inventory activities, quality activities, audits, material needs, or other facility needs.
All hours worked must be accurately recorded in accordance with Company timekeeping procedures. Overtime must be worked only in accordance with Company policy and applicable law.
Working Conditions
The employee may be required to:
- Work in a dairy manufacturing and food-processing environment.
- Frequently move throughout production, warehouse, quality, storage, and other facility areas.
- Work around operating machinery, production equipment, refrigeration systems, cleaning and sanitation operations, noise, temperature variations, wet areas, and industrial materials.
- Enter production and food-processing areas while following applicable GMP, hygiene, sanitation, and PPE requirements.
- Stand, walk, bend, stoop, reach, and climb stairs as necessary to perform assigned duties.
- Occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull materials, samples, boxes, or supplies within the limits established by Company policy and applicable safety requirements.
- Work around milk, dairy products, ingredients, packaging materials, cleaning chemicals, and other materials commonly present in a dairy-processing facility.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
Disclaimer
This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this position. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, qualifications, or working conditions associated with the position. Duties and responsibilities may be modified, added, or removed as business needs change, consistent with applicable law.
The Company reserves the right to assign additional duties and responsibilities that are reasonably related to the position.
This job description does not create a contract of employment or alter the at-will employment relationship, where applicable.
Authority and Accountability
This position has no direct supervisory responsibility.
The employee may coordinate information and activities with Production, Warehouse, Purchasing, Quality Assurance, suppliers, and other personnel. Such coordination does not constitute authority to hire, fire, discipline, evaluate, or independently direct employees.
The employee is accountable for maintaining accurate purchase-order, material inventory, lot-tracking, and quality-assurance records and for timely communication of issues requiring attention.
The employee is expected to promptly escalate matters involving food safety, product quality, traceability, material integrity, significant inventory discrepancies, supplier concerns, or other matters outside the employee's established authority.
This position does not independently release or reject ingredients or materials, override quality holds, approve quality deviations, establish product specifications, or make regulatory determinations unless specifically authorized by the Quality Assurance Manager or other designated authority.
About Prairie Farms – “Farmer Owned. Locally Produced. Since 1938.”
We are a farmer-owned cooperative. This means we are owned and operated by over 800+ farm families who are critical members of society. They have selflessly taken on the tremendous task of producing nutritious, high-quality milk for a growing population, which requires being on the job 24/7, 365 days a year.
We have represented American agriculture since our founding in 1938. Many of our dairy farms are operated by several generations of family members with roots dating back to the 1800s. On average, each farm milks around 120 cows and everyone pitches in to keep them happy and healthy - which means around-the-clock care!
Our Mission:
- To produce dairy products of the highest quality
- To conduct our business with professional integrity
- To exceed expectations of our customers and consumers
- To support our communities in a positive, sustainable manner
- To deliver exceptional patronage to our network of farm families
- To simply “do right” for our farm families, employees, and communities
EEO Statement
Prairie Farms Dairy, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, age, national origin, disability status, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Monday - Friday: 8:00AM - 5:00PM (hours may vary)
