Food Technology & Quality Manager - Klapmuts at Status Staffing

DUTIES:

• Maintain brand integrity and product safety whilst performing risk mitigation.
• Contribute towards the category strategy, ensuring innovative and safe products of consistent quality.
• Develop high-quality products using cutting-edge technical innovation that adheres to company brand.
• Manage and monitor the technical team.
• Technical communication and liaison with the buying team, suppliers, quality team and production teams.
• Positively influence all contributing aspects of the supply chain to optimize quality and food safety.
• Lead factory and product process audits within the production facility and supply base.
• Formulate and / or managing product specifications, ensuring accuracy.
• Ensure effective product accept / reject criteria.
• Identify and manage critical control points (CCPs) within production facilities and ensure suppliers identify and manage their CCPs correctly.
• Oversee end-to-end quality management systems within farm production facilities and among external suppliers.
• Provide technical input into category, quality management and supplier strategies and ensure effective implementation
• Oversee packaging development, ensure conformance to legislation.
• Ensure accurate nutritional information and date marking / coding.
• Oversee effective allergen management within all production facilities and among suppliers.
• Supplier approval / sourcing based on basic hygiene compliance and risk management.
• Shelf-life assessment and implementation.
• Manage microbiological testing, specifying type of tests, frequency, and accept / reject criteria for both product and environment.
• Improve and ensure production efficiencies within production facilities and the supply base.
• Raw material sourcing and approval: ensure production and suppliers’ source from approved raw material suppliers, and that specifications and allergen management practices are in place.
• Troubleshoot customer complaints and perform route cause analyses.
• Uphold international standards for food manufacturing and processing, using innovative equipment, processing technology knowledge, and experience.

REQUIREMENTS:

• BSC Food Science or BTech Food Technology degree
• 10 – 15 years’ industry experience
• Relevant retail experience is required
• Understand high- and low-risk food processing and the correct management of cross flow
• Understand cold chain management and critical control factors for maintain food products in their optimum state
• Practical experience in and understanding of different food preparation stages and processes
• Knowledge of technical processes and principles, i.e. HACCP, GMP, root cause analysis, supply chain, raw materials, allergen management, and micro and listeria management
• Proven, relevant industry experience and knowledge across a wide range of food products
• Technical product knowledge, i.e. product characteristics, raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes, and quality and safety parameters
• Knowledge of packaging functionality and application
• Understanding of environmental management and sustainability