Senior Foods QA Manager

**Purpose of the Job**:
The overarching purpose of the Senior Group Foods QA Manager role is to provide oversight of all Foods QA related strategies, frameworks, policies, practices, standards, and guidelines. The role aligns all Foods QA practices across divisions at a store level nationally, and in non-RSA, when applicable. The Senior Group Foods QA Manager manages a group of QA food technologists and drives the overarching Foods QA system across categories within the group as well as advising, monitoring, and providing technical food science, food safety, and food technology guidance when needed. The focus is to provide oversight of food safety, legal and quality compliance and engage with all hygiene and safety bodies and committees within various local, provisional, and national governmental bodies. There will also be a strong need to understand the concepts of food technology/science and microbiology risks in food, as well as the auditing of suppliers and food legislation. Further to this, the role will participate in various projects, align, and consolidate all projects and act as a central point for all related matters across individual projects and/or categories.

**Job Objectives**:
**The purpose of the role** is to facilitate and support the Quality Assurance and Control capabilities by building and providing oversight of end-to-end QA methodologies and systems to optimise the process and ensure compliance throughout the Shoprite Group of companies and its suppliers, partners, and other stakeholders throughout the value chain. **Representing **the Shoprite Group as a key interface with hygiene and safety bodies and committees at local, provisional, and national government levels. **Accountable **for providing QA related information to enable effective decision-making and prioritisation of activities within the Private Label team. **Identifying**, together with multiple stakeholders, QA risks and opportunities to ensure the right choices are made in line with Shoprite Group standards whilst removing QA barriers and risks to fast-paced delivery of cutting-edge innovation that supports profitable sales growth. **Driving **the Foods QA team to write, implement and manage the QA system within the group and empowering others to comply and act as quality stewards throughout the value-chain and respective production processes. **Providing **the overarching framework to enable the team to monitor compliance and ensure that stringent hygiene food safety standards are met and ensure that all developed recipes are compliant with the applicable legislation. **Empower **the team to assist with sourced raw material testing: Monitoring the use of additives, Test alternative raw material against control sample, Test alternative additives in existing formulations, Adjust formulations according to raw material changes, Record results on relevant documentation. **Own **and co-create and coordinate the recall procedure to maximise learnings through quality failure assessments and thorough trend analysis. **Responsible **for projects and ensuring procedure, protocol, implementation strategy, regulatory issues, reports, etc. are documented and considered Private label product specifications and advising on technical issues. **Monitor **delivery and support the overall project networks as required to ensure “on time in full” delivery with regard to launching competitive, consumer led profitable products by working closely with Development, Production, Buying, Marketing, Technology, R&D, Regulatory & Compliance and Marketing Departments.

**Qualifications**:

- Degree in Food Technology / Science or Microbiology or equivalent degree (essential)
- Additional educational exposure through a diploma, degree or alternate courses in Project Management and Project oversight and consolidation (highly beneficial)
- ISO, HACCP, GMP and hygiene certificates or as relevant (highly beneficial)

**Experience**:

- **+6 years’ experience** in a similar Food technologist / Quality Assurance / Food safety role in a Foods FMCG environment, in an oversight capacity (essential)
- Additional experience in project management and project oversight in a complex and fast paced environment with multiple activities running simultaneously (essential)
- Exposure to engagement with relevant hygiene and safety bodies at a local, provincial and national level (essential)

**Knowledge and Skills**:
**Applicant Feedback Policy**: