Job Description :

Role : Sr. Manager Quality (Bakery)

Location : Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh

Department : Quality Assurance & Food Safety

Reporting To : Plant Head / Director - Manufacturing

Position Summary :

The Head of Quality will lead the Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Food Safety, and Regulatory Compliance functions for the bakery manufacturing facility. The incumbent will be responsible for ensuring that all products consistently meet customer, regulatory, and company quality standards while driving a culture of continuous improvement across manufacturing operations.

Key Responsibilities :

Quality Management :

- Lead the Quality Assurance and Quality Control functions across raw materials, packaging materials, in-process products, and finished goods.

- Develop and implement quality strategies aligned with business objectives.

- Ensure compliance with FSSAI, customer, and international food safety requirements.

- Establish quality KPIs and monitor plant quality performance.

Food Safety & Compliance :

- Ensure effective implementation and maintenance of HACCP, GMP, GHP, SSOP, ISO 22000/FSSC 22000, and other applicable food safety systems.

- Lead internal, external, customer, and regulatory audits.

- Ensure full compliance with statutory and customer requirements.

Process Quality :

- Monitor critical process parameters to ensure consistent product quality.

- Lead investigations for customer complaints, non-conformities, and product failures using RCA, CAPA, and preventive actions.

- Drive process capability improvements and reduce quality losses.

Laboratory Management :

- Oversee microbiological, chemical, and physical testing of raw materials and finished products.

- Ensure calibration and maintenance of laboratory equipment.

- Validate test methods and maintain laboratory accuracy.

Supplier Quality :

- Approve and monitor supplier quality performance.

- Conduct supplier audits and support supplier development initiatives.

- Ensure incoming material quality through defined inspection protocols.

Customer Quality :

- Handle customer quality audits and ensure timely closure of observations.

- Interface with key institutional customers and retail business for quality-related matters.

- Drive complaint reduction initiatives through cross-functional collaboration.

Team Leadership :

- Lead, mentor, and develop the Quality team.

- Build capability through training on food safety, hygiene, and quality systems.

- Foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Continuous Improvement :

- Implement Lean, Six Sigma, SPC, and statistical quality tools.

- Reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ).

- Improve First Pass Yield, customer satisfaction, and process capability.

Desired Candidate Profile :

Education :

- B.Tech/M.Tech in Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Food Engineering, Microbiology, or related discipline.

Experience :

- 15 - 20 years of experience in Quality within the FMCG/Food Manufacturing industry.

- Minimum 5 years in a leadership role within bakery, bread, biscuits, frozen bakery, or QSR food manufacturing.

- Experience with large-scale automated bakery operations is preferred.

Technical Competencies :

- HACCP, ISO 22000/FSSC 22000

- GMP, GHP, Food Safety Management Systems

- Root Cause Analysis (RCA), CAPA

- Statistical Process Control (SPC)

- Internal and external audit management

- Regulatory compliance (FSSAI)

- Laboratory and microbiological quality systems

Leadership Competencies :

- Strategic thinking

- Team leadership and coaching

- Stakeholder management

- Decision-making under pressure

- Cross-functional collaboration

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) :

- Customer complaint reduction

- First Pass Quality (FPQ)

- Audit performance and compliance scores

- Supplier quality performance

- Food safety incident rate

- Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)

- Process capability improvements

- Team capability and engagement

Preferred Industry :

- Bakery

- Bread & Buns

- Biscuits & Cookies

- Frozen Bakery

- FMCG Food Manufacturing

- QSR Supply Chain

Compensation : Competitive compensation and performance-linked incentives, commensurate with experience and industry benchmarks.