Food Safety Specialist

Role Responsibilities

Reporting to the Food Safety Manager, the Food Safety Specialist plays a critical role at the Food Processing Development Centre (FPDC) and Incubator.  

This position is primarily responsible for ensuring that all requirements set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR)—under which the FPDC and Incubator is licensed—are consistently met.

Key responsibilities include delivering training, technical guidance, and coaching to FPDC staff, clients, and Incubator tenants to maintain compliance with CFIA and SFCR standards. The role also involves keeping the facility’s written programs current, reviewing product labels for regulatory compliance to pertinent regulations, assisting with and developing preventive control plans, coaching to clients and tenants, development of programs to support export market requirements, and conducting on-site monitoring.

Non-compliance with CFIA requirements can lead to serious consequences, including restrictions on cross-border shipments and potential closure of the facility.

Please click on this link to view the job description for this position.

APS Competencies

Competencies are behaviors that are essential to reach our goals in serving Albertans. We encourage you to have an in depth understanding of the competencies that are required for this opportunity and to be prepared to demonstrate them during the recruitment process.

This link will assist you with understanding competencies:
https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/custom_downloaded_images/psc-alberta-public-service-competency-model.pdf.

• Agility: Ability to anticipate, assess, and readily adapt to changing priorities, manage resilience in times of uncertainty and effectively work in a changing environment.
• Drive for Results: Knowing what outcomes are important and maximizing resources to achieve results that are aligned with the goals of the organization, while maintaining accountability to each other and external stakeholders.
• Develop self and others: A commitment to lifelong learning and the desire to invest in the development of the long-term capability of yourself and others.
• Build Collaborative Environments: Leads and contributes to the conditions and environments that allow people to work collaboratively and productively to achieve outcomes.
• Develop Networks: Proactively building networks, connecting, and building trust in relationships with different stakeholders.
• Systems Thinking: The work done within the APS is part of a larger integrated and inter-related environment. It is important to know that work done in one part of the APS impacts a variety of other groups/projects inside and outside the APS. Systems thinking allows us to keep broader impacts and connections in mind.
• Creative Problem Solving: Ability to assess options and implications in new ways to achieve outcomes and solutions.

Qualifications

Two-year technical diploma in a related field such as Food Science, Science, Microbiology or Food Microbiology plus 7 years of related industrial food processing experience preferably in a Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) licensed facility.  

Equivalencies:  Directly related education or experience considered on the basis of: 

• 1 year of education for 1 year of experience; or 
• 1 year of experience for 1 year of education.

Assets: 

• In-depth understanding of government acts and regulations related to commercial food processing.
• Practical experience in product labeling compliance.
• Strong knowledge of CFIA’s Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR) and preventive control plans.
• Proficient in HACCP principles and development of HACCP plans.
• Comprehensive knowledge of food processing operations and familiarity with food processing equipment.
• Familiarity with U.S. FDA food regulatory requirements.
• Understanding of USDA regulations for food products.
• Experience with export requirements to the United States.
• Sound knowledge of laboratory sampling requirements when collecting, preparing and submitting samples for laboratory analysis.
• Skilled in navigating online regulatory resources (e.g., SFCR, CFIA guidance, international regulations).
• Experience in implementing food defense programs.
• Knowledge of export requirements for countries beyond the U.S.

Minimum recruitment standards outline the minimum education and experience required for appointment to a job classification. Refer to https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-minimum-recruitment-standards.

Notes

This Permanent full-time position works Monday to Friday 36.25 hours per week.

A written assessment may be required as part of the interview process. 

Final candidates will be required to undergo a security screening.

Cover Letter: Applicants are advised to provide a cover letter summarizing information that clearly and concisely demonstrates how their qualifications meet the advertised requirements, including education, experience, and relevant examples of required competencies. 

Resume: For Employment Experience, please indicate duration of employment (month, year). Please specify employment status (i.e., Casual, part-time, or full-time)
Ex: Youth Worker, Jan 2006 - June 2009, Part-time (three 8 hr. shifts/week)
For any Post-Secondary Education: Please specify your major and length of program and the year you graduated. Ex: Bachelor of Social Work, 4-year Degree (Graduated 2017)

Any costs associated with obtaining the required documents/checks as noted or interview travel expenses, will be the responsibility of the candidate. Out-of-province applicants can obtain the required documents/checks from the province they currently reside in. 

Links and information on what the GoA have to offer to prospective employees.

• Working for the Alberta Public Service - https://www.alberta.ca/advantages-working-for-alberta-public-service.aspx.
• Public Service Pension Plan (PSPP) - https://www.pspp.ca.
• Alberta Public Service Benefit Information - https://www.alberta.ca/alberta-public-service-benefits.
• Professional learning and development - https://www.alberta.ca/professional-development-support-directive.
• Research Alberta Public Service Careers tool – https://researchapscareers.alberta.ca.
• Positive workplace culture and work-life balance.
• Leadership and mentorship programs.