Quality Manager at SGS

Job Description

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Implementation and maintenance of all facets of the quality management system according to established standards, policies, and procedures.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES

Personnel Management

• Personnel development in own section:
• In-service training to develop and optimize skills.
• Continuous measurement of skills and identification of shortcomings
• Develop and implement training plans based on shortcomings.
• Motivation
• Identify and coordinate attendance of training courses.
• Writing of job descriptions
• Supervise staff according to company policies and procedures.

Quality system

• Responsible and accountable for the implementation and management of a quality system (ISO 17025)
• Responsible and accountable for maintaining quality outputs produced by the laboratory.
• Responsible for the development, control and maintenance of system documents
• Responsible for the performing process audits according to the documented system
• Responsible for control and maintenance of all section records
• Responsible for personnel technical competence through induction training of new employees and training programs for permanent and temporary staff
• Responsible and authorized to investigate and process nonconforming issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Responsible and authorized to investigate and process improvement request issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Responsible for physical resources:
• Control instrument inventory
• Equipment commissioning
• Control of calibration and maintenance program
• Control equipment register and instrument logs.
• Review of data from defective equipment
• In-house repairs
• Responsible for control over monitoring, maintaining, and housekeeping of accommodation and environment.
• Must be willing to work overtime when necessary.
• Perform any other reasonable tasks as assigned by Business Line Manager / Laboratory Manager – duties with regards to accredited analysis must receive priority over non-accredited work

Managerial duties

• Maintain relevant documentation for accreditation and keep it current.
• Adhere to all quality and safety requirements of the SGS management system.
• Perform any other reasonable tasks as assigned by Business Line Manager / Laboratory Manager.

Specific Authorities

• Cease the use of any equipment that may be deemed to constitute a safety hazard or entry to hazardous environments without the necessary knowledge and protection, and take action to address the hazard.
• Cease to carry on with work that may affect the quality (integrity) of services and take action to address the issue.
• Initiate a formal improvement request when a deviation of the system occurs, possible improvements are identified or when nonconformity is identified.

Performing tests

• Authorized to ensure all testing within the laboratory complies with the quality management system (SGS documents, ISO17025 and SANAS).
• Authorized to identify, set and maintain service standards with regard to performing tests.

Planning of tests and evaluation of results

• Authority to liaise with customers regarding queries.

Quality system

• Authorized technical signatory on reports.
• Authority to develop, control and maintain system documents.
• Authorized to investigate and process nonconforming issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Authorized to investigate and process improvement request issues and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Authorized to perform process audits according to the documented system.
• Authorized customer communication on
• Clarification of customer requests
• Turnaround time
• Advise on sampling procedures, sample size, transport and disposal
• Advice and guidance on technical matters, opinions and interpretations on results
• Customer visits
• Feedback on customer surveys
• Reporting of results
• Issuing quotation
• Authorized to select, implement and validate methods.
• Authorized and responsible for all reference materials and standards required for measurement traceability.
• Authorized and responsible for purchasing, verification and control of approved suppliers list for purchasing of critical supplies and services
• Authorized to implement and maintain relevant documentation required for accreditation and keep it current
• Authorized and responsible for accepting work and dispatching samples to an approved subcontractor.
• Authorized and responsible for control and interpretation of control charts.
• Authorized and responsible for arrangement of inter-lab tests and investigation of out of spec results.
• Authorized and responsible for control over subcontractor services
• Quality assurance of analytical results
• Authorized to ensure control charts are kept up to date by responsible analyst.
• Authorized to arrange inter-lab tests and the investigation of out of spec results.

Health & Safety System

• Adhere to all safety requirements of the SGS management system.
• Actively participate in safety related activities.
• Always wear appropriate protective clothing.
• Adhere to all relevant HSE procedures and protocols.
• Awareness of the dangers of chemicals used through the study of MSDS.
• Keep workplace and equipment neat and tidy.
• Perform Health and Safety inspections in designated areas
• Report deviations and communicate instructions to improve and maintain the safety system

Specific authority

• Cease the use of any equipment that may be deemed to constitute a safety hazard or entry to hazardous environments without the necessary knowledge and protection and take action to address the hazard.
• Cease to carry on with work that may affect the quality (integrity) of services and take action to address the issue.
• Initiate a formal improvement request when a deviation of the system occurs, possible improvements are identified or when nonconformity is identified.
• Other specific authorities as indicated on the Agri Food Laboratory Designated Staff List

Qualifications

Education

• Tertiary qualification in quality management/natural science.
• Code 8 driver’s license.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years practical quality management experience in a testing laboratory.
• Personnel management
• Customer liaison

REQUIRED SKILLS

• ISO 17025:2017
• Quality auditing
• Report writing
• Attention to detail
• Data evaluation and interpretation
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving
• Effective time management
• Be organized and work systematically
• Ability to prioritize work
• Good communication skills