QA Manager - 6 months contract at BIC

Job Description

MAIN PURPOSE:

To ensure that the production facility, systems, processes and products meet all required quality standards and customer expectations and to keep informed of any developments in your related field, so as to ensure that the company provides proper value to its end user market.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES / TASKS

Act as technical expert in establishing the quality of all products manufactured within the company’s plant

• Monitor and measure all products produced by the BIC plant as well as all products outsourced to packaging and manufacturing contractors.

• Ensure that lab EHS safety standards and high levels of housekeeping are maintained.

• Assess Quick Response Quality Control which is a combination of the Kaizen and 8D Quality Principals on a daily basis to improve the quality of the products, work place and manufacturing equipment.

• Investigate customer complaints, counterfeits, product legal conformity and supplier/ outsource failures.

• Leverage Leading indicators to predict and prevent futures quality non conformances

• Monitor testing procedures to ensure that all tests are performed according to established item specifications, standard test methods, or protocols.

• Conduct routine and non-routine analyses of in-process materials, raw materials, environmental samples, finished goods, or stability samples.

• Calibrate, validate, or maintain laboratory equipment and correct Identified equipment non conformances.

• Compile and act on laboratory test data and performed analyses.

• Coordinate testing with contract laboratories and vendors.

• Develop and qualify new testing methods.

• Participate in internal EHS or applicable assessments and audits as required.

• Train and develop lab and quality personnel appropriately.

• Evaluate new technologies and methodologies to make recommendations regarding their use.

• Serve as a technical liaison between quality control and other departments, vendors, or contractors.

Ensure that all quality standards are met and adhered to

• Act as management representative for the ISO 9001:2018 quality standard.

• Maintain ISO9001:2018 certification and support the maintenance of ISO 14001 certification and other certification and accreditations as applicable.

• Act as authority for the SABS 785 ballpoint pen product mark and SABS/ISO 9994 lighter product mark and carry all due responsibility for ensuring that the said quality standards are adhered to, including continuously updating current information and techniques as and when required.

• Liaise with the relevant authorities with regard to all matters concerning these quality standards and the constant updating of relevant information.

• Originate work instructions, procedures and quality plans for every existing product manufactured and new products to be launched.

• Liaise with suppliers, distributors, and customers (both internally and externally) on any quality and performance issue.

• Perform all tasks related to quality control and assurance as required by the various applicable standards, such as internal auditing, monitoring, and measuring, control of non-conforming products, corrective and preventative action, etc. 

• Perform validations or transfers of analytical methods in accordance with applicable policies or guidelines.

• Review data from contract laboratories to ensure accuracy and regulatory compliance.

Represent the company at quality meetings

• Form part of the BIC project management team for new and existing products.

• Act as member of the BIC Global Quality Team

• Share best practices and information from other BIC plants globally as to improve and/or enhance the South African plant.

• Act as chairman of the technical committee for stationary for the South African Bureau of Standards.

• Provide services such as program management, committee management, general support, attending and/or facilitating meetings and project management to the South African Bureau of Standards.

Compile strategies to improve quality as and when required

• Use the Plan Do Check Act, 5 Y, 5W2H methodologies for problem solving.

• Create Lesson Learnt Cards as a means of communication to all on what was learnt from a problem.

• Identify continuous improvement opportunities for production efficiency and reducing scrap levels.

• Evaluate analytical methods and procedures to determine how they might be improved.

• Identify quality problems and recommend solutions.

• Interpret test results, compare them to established specifications and control limits, and make recommendations on appropriateness of data for release.

• Participate in out-of-specification and failure investigations and recommend corrective actions.

• Manage and coordinate any product change management of SAF products in coordination with various groups and collaborative platforms.

Report on quality issues on a continuing basis

• Submit a Weekly Management Report to France/Clichy (Head Office) on forthcoming quality plans of the Quality and Plant Director.

• Enter customer complaints on the Voice of Customer database and also using the very same database for technical analysis of complaints concerning products made in South Africa.

• Utilize the global database, Teams collaboration, for the logging of technical reports and send all products not manufactured by the South African plant to the relevant BIC product expert.

• Manage and solve BIC internal complaint through our Stationery collaborative platforms

• Prepare or review required method transfer documentation including technical transfer protocols or reports.

• Supply quality control data necessary for regulatory submissions.

• Write technical reports or documentation such as deviation reports, testing protocols, and trend analyses.

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Qualifications

• B Tech Quality, City & Guilds Quality Assurance Management or higher.

• A minimum of 3 years related experience. 

• MS Word, Excel Accpac, PowerPoint, Outlook, JDE

• Understanding of Quality concepts and relevant computer software will be an advantage.

• Background in Injection moulding and FMCG industry an advantage.

Additional Information

BIC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strongly commit to hiring people with different backgrounds and experiences to help us build better products, make better decisions, and better serve our customers.  We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability status, or similar characteristics. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. 

BIC is not seeking assistance or accepting unsolicited resumes from search firms for this employment opportunity. Regardless of past practice, all resumes submitted by search firms to any team member at BIC via email, or directly to a BIC team member in any form without a valid written search agreement in place for that position will be deemed the sole property of BIC, and no fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by BIC as a result of the referral or through other means.