QA Technologist - Fresh Foods at Shoprite Group of Companies

About the role    

• The Fresh Foods QA Technologist is responsible for ensuring that fresh food products meet defined quality, food safety and specification standards across suppliers, factories and stores.
• The role focuses on hands-on quality control, factory validation and in-market verification, ensuring that products are produced consistently, meet required standards and align with approved specifications.

What you'll do    

Quality Control and Product Assessment

• Conduct ongoing taste tests and quality assessments to ensure consistency and adherence to standards.
• Evaluate product quality, freshness, flavour and presentation across suppliers and stores.
• Monitor alignment to approved recipes, specifications and quality expectations.

Supplier and Factory Quality Oversight

• Conduct supplier visits to assess production processes and quality control practices.
• Perform recipe audits to verify compliance with specifications and standards.
• Participate in factory trials to evaluate product consistency and production feasibility.

In-Store Quality Verification

• Conduct store visits to assess the quality and presentation of fresh food products.
• Identify and address any quality deviations or inconsistencies in-store.
• Issue Resolution and Continuous Improvement
• Support the investigation and resolution of product quality or production issues.
• Work with suppliers and internal stakeholders to implement corrective actions.
• Provide practical feedback to improve product consistency and production outcomes.

Documentation and Compliance

• Maintain accurate records of quality assessments, audits and corrective actions.
• Ensure traceability and alignment with food safety and quality standards.
• Support compliance with GMP, HACCP, ISO and internal QA requirements.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Work closely with Product Development, QA, Procurement and Operations teams.
• Build and maintain effective relationships with suppliers and production teams.
• Act as a key quality control link between suppliers, production and stores.

What you bring    

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Food Science, Food Technology, Consumer Science or a related field
• Strong understanding of food safety standards, quality control practices and regulatory requirements.
• 3–4 years’ experience in food quality control or quality assurance, preferably within FMCG, fresh foods or food manufacturing environments.
• Proven exposure to factory environments and supplier operations. 
• Experience conducting audits, quality assessments or factory trials. (advantageous)

Closing Date    

• 2026/08/28