Job Description

Job Description

Job Description

About us:

Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods grows meat, poultry, and seafood directly from real animal cells. These products are not vegan or vegetarian—they are delicious meat, made without the need to raise and slaughter billions of animals. In doing so, the company aims to address some of the most pressing environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges, while still giving people the meat they love.

Founded as the world's first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats) has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken, and duck) and to sell a cultivated meat product in the United States. The company believes that people shouldn't have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system with access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat, poultry, and seafood.

UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times' Good Tech Awards, FastCo's Next Big Thing in Tech and World Changing Ideas Awards, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. UPSIDE Foods has raised a total of $608 million, including from the Abu Dhabi Growth Fund (ADG), Baillie Gifford, Bill Gates, Cargill, John Doerr, John Mackey, Kimbal and Christiana Musk, Norwest, Richard Branson, Softbank, Temasek, Threshold, Tyson Foods, and others.

About this job:

The Food Safety & Quality Specialist will play a key supporting role in executing and enforcing the food safety and quality systems that will come to define cultivated meat food production, processing, and packaging processes required to ensure safe and delicious meat food products for consumers at pilot and commercial scale.

The Food Safety & Quality Specialist will be responsible for assisting with the implementation, execution, and enforcement of food safety and quality systems as products, processes, and company priorities are developed. This role supports the Food Safety Manager and the Food Safety and Quality Assurance Team, aiding in company precedent for scaled cultivated meat quality and food safety. The ideal candidate is eager to take on new challenges, is not afraid to fail and is willing to identify mistakes and learn from them.

Responsibilities include:

• Aid in the implementation, execution, and enforcement of food safety and quality systems that will be a critical pillar of manufacturing cell-cultured meat and an example for this new way of making food. Duties include but are not limited to:
• Performing supporting tasks for the overall execution of the plant food safety and quality systems, such as
• Document control and revisions
• Production record review
• Supplier documentation collection and review
• Facility inspections and internal audits to ensure compliance with company food safety policies
• Environmental monitoring and corrective action support, where applicable
• External audit support, including FDA, USDA, and local regulatory agencies
• Non-conformance and complaint investigation and CAPA
• Software implementation support as needed
• Supporting the Quality Assurance plant lab team as needed for sample collection and analysis, operational inspections, sanitation verifications, calibration, and other duties as needed.
• Acts as a point person on behalf of the department for quality and day-to-day food safety issues at the plant.
• Uphold, along with the Sr. Leadership, a strong culture and commitment to Quality and Food Safety throughout the UPSIDE Foods organization.
• Must be able to carry up to 45 pounds. Must be able to sit or stand up for long periods of time while monitoring operations and performing daily tasks. Must be able to don Personal Protective Equipment (safety glasses, gloves, footwear, lab coats or coveralls) on a daily basis, as well as hearing and dust protection as needed.

About you:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (food science, food manufacturing, biology, etc.) preferred, or equivalent experience
• 2+ years experience in food manufacturing within the food safety and quality department preferred
• Strong organizational skills, written and verbal communication skills, and a keen eye for detail
• Experience implementing GFSI programs preferred, including: Supplier Management, Sanitation/Pre-OP, Internal & External Auditing, CAPA/Root Cause Analysis, Document Control, Crisis Management, Customer Complaints, Environmental Monitoring, Food Defense, Food Fraud and Allergen Management
• PCQI and/or HACCP certification preferred, but willing to train after hire
• Experience with Google Suite (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive) preferred, ability to learn new software platforms quickly required
• A collaborative nature that works well independently and with others
• A willingness to work with teammates to build a healthy professional environment to produce delicious, safe meat products

Who you'll work with:

• This role will work with employees across the manufacturing organization to ensure that food safety standards are continuously met, including bioprocessing, food production, engineering, facilities, and office team members.

Key Contributions in First Year:

• Get familiarized with new methods for food production and how to incorporate food safety and quality in every process step.
• Aid in the development and implementation of new food safety programs at UPSIDE Foods' production facilities.

Compensation Range : $80,000 - $100,000*
*Pay may vary depending on factors including job-related knowledge and skills.

UPSIDE Benefits!

• Stock options for all full-time incoming team members!
• 90-100% employer-paid healthcare premiums for team members (medical [including HSA and FSA], dental, and vision)
• Pet insurance for your furry family members!
• Unlimited PTO
• Company-sponsored learning & development opportunities

UPSIDE Foods is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Our company-wide mission is to create a product for everyone, so we are deeply committed to having teams and leaders that reflect this mission.

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