Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager

We are hiring - Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager Purpose of the position To manage and ensure the effective implementation of quality and food safety systems at factory level, ensuring that all products meet internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory compliance. The role focuses on system execution, process control, and continuous improvement within production and QA operations. The Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager is responsibilities for: 1. Deploy factory-level quality objectives and plans aligned with the company’s quality strategies. • Strategic Translation: Convert overarching corporate quality strategies into actionable, factory-level annual and medium-term action plans. • Resource & Budget Allocation: Calculate, secure, and allocate the necessary financial budgets and headcount resources required for testing equipment, lab reagents, third-party testing, and plant-wide quality activities. • Departmental Master Plan: Define, schedule, and communicate the master calendar for the QA/QC team, specifically detailing employee training modules, internal audit timelines, and daily/weekly product inspection schedules. • Performance Monitoring: Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor progress and regularly report factory quality performance against both internal factory goals and corporate quality targets. 2. Ensure document control, regulatory alignment, and consistency across factory operations. • Document Control System: Build and enforce a rigorous master document control protocol ensuring all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), formulations, and logs are accurate, updated, and tamper-proof. • Operational Consistency: Standardize quality testing methods across all shifts and production lines to guarantee product uniformity and eliminate operational variance. • Regulatory Alignment: Continuously review, update, and align factory operations with regional and international food safety regulations (e.g., FSMA, FDA, EU, USDA, or local equivalents). 3. Manage product quality and assurance systems covering quality, safety, and regulatory compliance requirements. • Day-to-Day QC Operations: Direct the daily tasks of the QC team, including raw material sampling protocols, in-process line inspections, finished product verification testing, and immediate issue resolution on the production floor. • Compliance & Specifications: Manage regulatory and customer compliance by overseeing strict verification testing, maintaining master specification controls, and conducting thorough documentation reviews prior to product release. • Process Controls & Checkpoints: Maintain and optimize QA process controls, critical control points (CCPs), and routine internal audits to actively support product consistency and overall operational efficiency. • Conformance & Deviation Management: Continuously monitor specification conformance data and personally lead root-cause investigations and corrective actions for any recurring or systemic quality issues. 4. Manage the factory quality management system (QMS) and food safety programs. • Program Implementation: Implement, maintain, and audit foundational food safety systems, including the QMS, HACCP, Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), sanitation standard operating procedures (SSOPs), and integrated pest-control programs. • Hygiene & Performance Reviews: Lead routine hygiene and food safety performance walk-throughs and dynamically coordinate system upgrades based on changing risk profiles and internal/external audit findings. • Continuous Improvement: Conduct periodic formal management reviews with plant leadership and aggressively drive continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Kaizen, 5S, and Lean manufacturing methodologies. 5. Manage risk assessment processes and compliance activities related to quality procedures, company standards, and legal regulations. • Risk Mitigation: Design and execute formal risk assessment processes (such as FMEA or food safety hazard analyses) for existing lines, new product introductions (NPI), and process changes. • Compliance Audits: Oversee comprehensive compliance activities to ensure every department rigorously adheres to established quality procedures, internal company standards, and external legal regulations. 6. Perform other duties and projects as assigned to support overall business objectives. Business Support: Execute flexible assignments, technical trials, or cross-functional projects as directed by executive leadership to support overall factory output and business growth. Education: Bachelor's or Master Degree in Food Processing, Chemical Engg, Food Technology, or a related field. Experience: •At least 7-10 years’ experience in Quality / Technical / Food Safety management roles within the food manufacturing industry. •Strong knowledge and experience in food safety systems (recognized by GFSI such as AIB, HACCP, FSSC 22000, BRC, or IFS, SQF) •Demonstrated success in managing audits, regulatory inspections, and customer quality programs Qualifications (certificates): •Certification in Food Safety or Quality Management Systems (e.g., HACCP, ISO, or equivalent). •Certification or formal training in Internal or Lead Auditor for food safety / quality standards. Other skills required for the job: •Fluency in English and Tamil is required. •Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook) for data analysis, reporting, and presentation.