Manager - Quality Assurance - Food Services/Frozen Food

Roles and Responsibilities & Key Deliverables

- Analyzes Food Safety and Quality management systems across the India manufacturing location including 3P operations.

- Investigates internal/external customer/consumer complaints, praise, and inquiries, regulator and workgroup input. Provides recommendations for improvement and follows up on execution.

- Communicates effectively to provide internal customers with appropriate awareness and knowledge of plant quality assurance standards, requirement, program updates and process changes.

- Manages the interface with other functions to recommend and oversee updates of FS&Q Standard operating procedures, standards manuals and operational tools that are related to food safety, product quality and regulatory compliance.

- Validates Key Performance Indicators (KPI's), audit data and corrective actions resultant from verification activities.

- Interfaces and influences cross-functional teams as the product safety, quality management system expert in the development of new initiatives or operating practices. Ensures company business initiatives meet product safety, quality and regulatory standards at the plant & market place.

- Leads investigation, resolution and corrective action management activities for distribution related product safety and quality incidents and operating practices. Determines and recommends appropriate mitigation activities.

- Assesses distributor operations and execution consistency and reliability including cold chain data analysis. Food distribution supply chain auditing.

- Provides regulatory and technical inputs for handling of customer complaint arising in market place for issues related to distribution and supply chain.

- Acts as functional expert to ensure finished product is food safety and quality protected during storage and transportation activities.

- Ensures on-going regulatory compliance at plant, agronomy and 3P location, as determined by R&D Department affecting products and provides regulatory risk analysis for compliance issues in partnership with Innovation, Supply Chain, Quality, Legal and other related depts.

- For imported and exported product, when regulations differ from Country to Country, identifies foreign governmental requirements and attains alignment with the receiving country.

- Acts as a QA delegate for audit of third party transportation vendor. Responsible for implementing the Transportation requirements of the Food Safety and Quality Management System.

- Conducts evaluation of damaged cases, temperature records, food safety, complaints and other significant events that impact the quality or food safety of finished goods at the market place.

- Conducts periodic inspections of rented cold storages to ensure finished products are protected and fulfil the GMP requirements d

- Manages Market sample analysis of products at a periodic basis to understand the behavior of the product at retail outlets and shares the information and results with plant QA.

- Conducts regular inspections of 3P products including routine market sampling and sensory evaluations to ensure finished products are in compliance

- Overall responsible for Hold/Release of products produced at 3P manufacturing site.

- Responsible for conducting root cause analysis and corrective action for any adverse quality incident including internal near misses for 3P products.

- Works closely with R&D, Procurement and other relevant stakeholders for various product and packaging trials.

- Ensures compliance to FSSAI requirements for products at the 3 P site. Conducts routine internal audits and reports any issues on non-compliance.

- Works closely with Plant team and overall responsible for Packaging laboratory in the Mehsana Manufacturing location.

- Implements and maintains various packaging related protocols.

- Co-Ordinates with packaging suppliers for various issues of non-conformance related to received goods. Conducts root cause analysis and develops corrective action.

- Collaborates with major end users and QSRs for Sensory Management activities

- Responsible for internal and external FS&Q Audits such as KEFSQ, SQMS, Yum! and AIB inspection

Knowledge/Experience

Academic and other accreditations:

- Food Technologist/Master's Degree in Science.

- Knowledge of ISO 9001; ISO 22000. Knowledge of FSSC 22000 is desirable.

- Knowledge of regulatory requirements related to FSSAI.

- Minimum 7-10 years in Food Industry, preferably frozen foods or temperature sensitive foods.

- Experience of implementing GMP and food safety/quality management system in food manufacturing, and/or distribution supply chain.

- Progressive experience of managing the development and review of information required to comply with food safety, quality management system and regulatory compliance requirements to assess and validate product safety/quality.

- Progressive experience within a quality assurance department including quality management, manufacturing product QA and distribution QA.

Professional/ Technical Competencies

- Basic reading, writing, and arithmetic skills required

- Knowledge of food manufacturing operations and QA programs.

- Knowledge of food technology, food microbiology, safe food handling procedures and foodservice sanitation practices.

- Knowledge of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), HACCP Principles, ISO 9000, FSSC 22000, GFSI, regulations and applicable food codes for foodservice operations.

- Ability to design and conduct Quality and Food Safety Audits.

- Ability to apply sound technical principles to root cause analyses, problem solving and project management.

- Familiarity with product regulations, food safety, product labeling and nutrition science including FSSAI and Legal Metrology.

- Must possess the ability to coordinate and plan strategically.

- Success Framework Technical Competencies - Food Safety, Food Safety & Quality Management System, Business Knowledge, People Management & Development, Problem Solving, Quality Delivery