Meat Quality Specialist

Key Accountabilities · Maintain quality standards, specifications, and inspection criteria for fresh, chilled, frozen, and vacuum-packed meat products.· Follow receiving acceptance criteria and product disposition guidelines.· Standardize inspection procedures across Distribution Centers and retail operations.· Monitor compliance with Panda meat quality standards and regulatory requirements. Inspect inbound, outbound, and in-process products against approved quality standards to ensure compliance with regulatory and company requirements.· Conduct technical evaluations and assessments of slaughterhouses, meat processors, and suppliers.· Review supplier quality performance and develop improvement plans.· Lead supplier investigations related to quality incidents and recurring non-conformities.· Review and approve meat product specifications, packaging specifications, and quality attributes.· Evaluate primal cuts, portioned meat, and vacuum-packed products against approved standards.· Inspect acceptable limits for defects, purge, discoloration, packaging integrity, shelf life, and temperature requirements.· Provide technical support to Distribution Center Meat Inspectors during product evaluations and disposition decisions.· Verify receiving, storage, handling, and dispatch practices maintain product quality and cold chain integrity.· Investigate product rejections, temperature deviations, and quality complaints arising from DC Qualifications (Include any specialized education and qualifications needed to be able to perform the job) · Bachelor’s degree or in Veterinary Medicine, Agriculture, Food Science, Food Technology, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or related discipline. Professional Certifications (Include any specific Certifications needed to do the job) · HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points)· Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) / Good Hygiene Practices (GHP)· Food Safety Level 4 or equivalent Experience (Clarify the minimum years of total work experience and other relevant work experience required to be able to perform the job) Maximum 5 years of progressive experience in meat quality, food safety, and quality assurance within the meat industry.· Proven experience in one or more of the following:o Slaughterhouses “required”o Vacuum-packed meat production “required”o Meat cutting and deboning facilitieso Retail or Distribution Center quality operations· Demonstrated experience in:o Receiving inspection programs for fresh, chilled, frozen, and vacuum-packed meat products.o Product specification assessment and quality standards.o Investigation of meat quality complaints and non-conformities.