The Company

Highbridge Human Capital is delighted to be working with Optimi Health to lead their search for a dedicated Office Administrator/ Executive Assistant. Optimi Health believes that personal identity is a fluid and evolving aspect of all our lives. This includes physical, spiritual and mental well-being. Their goal is to bring-to-market an evolving product family of functional mushroom-based formulations to help transform and “optimize” human development.

From supplements and nutraceuticals to future pharmaceutical opportunities, Optimi is developing a vertically integrated industrial scale operation initially targeting the rapidly growing functional mushroom sector. As the Company launches commercial operations, in-house expert research and its world-class advisory team aims to nurture concepts into products, and a regional business into a global leader. To make this happen they need exceptionally talented, bright, and driven people who are excited to be part of this fast growing start-up.

Optimi is looking for a dynamic, organized self-starter to support the company’s CEO and to manage Optimi’s office in Yaletown, Vancouver. If you’d like to help build a start-up organization that is rapidly growing and assist in creating a remarkable employee experience and unique culture, we want to hear from you!

The Opportunity

Optimi Health is looking for a collaborative team player and leader to fill their role of Quality Assurance Manager. The Quality Assurance Manager is driven to design and implement processes that optimize product quality and process integrity resulting in end-product consistency and production efficiencies. The ideal candidate is a strong communicator and collaborator, capable of working cross-functionally with Cultivation and Operations leadership as well as the Finance team to align and execute on enterprise wide initiatives. The Quality Assurance Manager is adaptable as cultivating mushrooms is a new industry and technology and automation are playing a huge role as Optimi Health strives to improve workflow efficiencies and product quality. This paired with an evolving regulatory landscape as Health Canada continues to develop and refine Mushroom cultivation and manufacturing policy, means Quality Control leadership will need to be forward thinking and adaptable.

A Day in the Life of the Quality Assurance Manager:

Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Quality Assurance Manager will serve as an important cross-functional leader working closely with upper management and production staff to maintain Company wide quality and business objectives.

Role and Responsibilities

• Oversees both quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) and compliance with Health Canada’s QA guidelines pertaining to business, production, facility, security, storage, packaging, labeling and Good Production Practices for the Mushroom program.
• Establishing and enforcing GAP, GMP, HACCP, and Quality Assurance standards, providing technical and regulatory services in growing inputs, packaging and production of mushrooms
• Supports continuous quality improvement of mushrooms through reinforcement of product quality and food safety programs, sanitation program and oversight of security system
• Ability to review regulations, documents and reports pertaining to the Cannabis Act/Dealers License/Future Mushroom acts, Non-confirming Reports (NCR), Corrective Action Reports (CAR), Food and Drugs Act (FDA) and Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA)
• Ability to develop, update and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Quality Manuals
• Oversee critical/technical review of documents, test results, procedures, and production equipment, including equipment qualification and validation
• Review certificates of analysis and results of laboratory tests for compliance to specification
• Ensure compliance with regulations through auditing and quality systems
• Investigate product non-conformances; conduct material reviews for complaints, and document findings and responses. Manage product holds, reprocessing actions, and final disposition processes for non-compliant resources
• Manage procedures and processes pertaining to incidents, complaints, deviations, and recall
• Manage audit and information requests from Health Canada pertaining to Quality Assurance and Quality Control
• Other responsibilities as assigned

What you bring to the Organization/Requirements

The ideal candidate will have experience in leading quality teams, as well as managing internal audits, recall programs, product release, SOP authoring and approval, and other elements of a functioning quality management system in a regulated manufacturing environment. They will also need a strong working knowledge of highly regulated manufacturing environments for consumer goods, such as mushrooms, food & beverage, or pharmaceutical.

Key baseline qualifications include the following:

• BS in a technical discipline (Food, Chemical, Horticultural or Biological Sciences preferred)
• 4 to 5 years of experience as a Quality Assurance Manager in a GAP, GMP and HACCP regulated environment, with proficiency quality assurance systems, documentation, testing methods
• Proficient in English (proficient or functional in French is considered an asset)
• Proficient understanding of plant products and related test methodology
• Strong and current knowledge of Division 1, Subdivision 4 guidelines, Good Agricultural Practice, Good Manufacturing Practice, HACCP, Food Safety, regulatory and environmental guidelines
• General understanding of other Operational functional areas
• Experience establishing and maintaining version-controlled standards, policies, procedures, and workflows
• Chemistry and Plant Biology knowledge is an asset
• The Cannabis Act requires candidates to undergo security/background checks, and the individual must be approved by Health Canada as suitable for the QA Manager role (We assume Mushrooms will have similar Health Canada protocols in the near future)

Our “must haves” that make you great

• You live the brand and corporate values.
• You have a strong connection with People and are able to build strong relationships
• Must possess a high level of integrity and personal accountability.
• You are flexible and succeed in an ever-changing reality.
• Self-awareness, with a desire for constant self-development.
• Attention to detail and strong problem-solving skills.
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovates to achieve great results.
• Communicates with honesty and kindness and creates the space for others to do the same.
• Go getter with the drive and willingness to grow.

What we offer:

• You will help us build on our great company culture and work environment!
• Highly-skilled team and lots of opportunities for growth and development
• Paid Time Off: Everyone need a break once in a while!
• Office Space: We have an amazing office space in lovely Yaletown
• A passionate team

NOTE: Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted. Please accept our utmost appreciation for your interest. We are an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on merit and business needs, and not on race, color, creed, age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military service, pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions or any other classification protected by federal, provincial and local laws and ordinances. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request. This Equal Employment Opportunity policy applies to all practices relating to recruitment and hiring, compensation, benefits, discipline, transfer, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment. While management is primarily responsible for seeing that w equal employment opportunity policies are implemented, you share in the responsibility for assuring that, by your personal actions, the policies are effective.#HP