Job Purpose:

• To lead and manage the strategic and operational performance of the Quality department, ensuring the successful delivery of business strategy, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and objectives, whilst adhering to regulatory compliance and company policies and regulations.
• To ensure the efficient and effective day to day running of the departmental activities.
• To Lead and manage Asku plc Quality management systems (Quality Management system, Food Saftey Management system etc ) and processes.
• Lead and manage the process improvement activities together with other department.

Key Responsibilities

• Developing and implementing the Quality department’s strategy, to ensure it meets the business requirements and customer deliverables, as well as ensuring the departmental performance against goals.
• Implementing and monitoring all Quality Assurance systems to ensure compliance with regulatory body requirement.
• Implementing and maintaining a Quality Risk Management system to ensure that risks are adequately controlled.
• Acting as the main point of contact on all Quality matters, internally and externally. Act as Management representative for ISO systems implementations (ISO 9000, ISO 22000 etc)
• Maintaining and improving departmental operational performance, to meet the requirements of regulatory authorities, company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and external and internal customers, with respect to quality.
• Ensuring the development of departmental SOPs (writing, revising and approving), ensuring regulatory compliance in conjunction with being ‘fit for purpose’ operationally and commercially.
• Ensuring that all activities are performed in accordance with GMP, company SOPs and Health and Safety policies.
• Ensuring that there is an audit programme in place which is communicated to Operations and implemented as per the schedule.
• Ensuring that the supplier and subcontractor audits are performed and reported as scheduled.
• Ensuring that there is a self-inspection programme in place which is communicated to Operations to meet the requirements of GMP.
• Managing all validation activities, including validation strategy and approval of protocols and reports.
• Maintaining an awareness of new and proposed legislation that impacts the business and communicating any changes to the Senior Management Team
• Ensuring appropriate investigation of discrepancies, errors, complaints, failures or adverse events requiring documented review and action (if necessary, interrupting processes causing material to be quarantined or placed on hold until matters are resolved).
• Leading customer and regulatory audits/inspections, as required.
• Ensuring that the Quality department meets or improves on targets (KPIs) in line with business objectives.
• Providing direction and guidance to the Quality team.
• Managing, motivating, coaching and mentoring direct reports, to higher levels of management capability.
• Identifying and developing the Quality team structure.
•  Preparing and justifying the Quality department’s budget.
•  Ensuring good relations and communications with all members of the team and responding politely and in a timely fashion to internal and external customers.
• Working with all members of staff to maintain and develop the positive progressive culture
• Responsibility for the management and implementation of Lab system to ensure reliable result is achieved. This includes all requirements around analytical, microbiological and sensory analysis to all raw materials, intermediate products and finished products.
• Support Production in process and product troubleshooting and improvement, by presenting information on quality (including trends and noncompliance to standards) to operational departments; and support in implementation of the required improvement actions
• Champion and lead adherence and compliance to Company and regulatory body rules, standards, and procedures.
• Ensure that analyses on products and materials are performed in time and correct (i.e., ac Responsibility for the management and implementation of Lab system to ensure reliable result is achieved. This includes all requirements around analytical, microbiological and sensory analysis to all raw materials, intermediate products and finished products.
• Support Production in process and product troubleshooting and improvement, by presenting information on quality (including trends and noncompliance to standards) to operational departments; and support in implementation of the required improvement actions
•  Ensure staff are trained and coached to retrieve and interpret quality information
• Champion and lead adherence and compliance to Company and regulatory body rules, standards, and procedures.
• Ensure Food Safety and Quality systems are implemented, such as HACCP, ISO 22000 and ISO 9000.
• Coordinate revision and implementation of relevant quality standards, in case of new product and process introductions.
• Closely work with raw materials suppliers to control and improve the quality of incoming materials.
• Responsible for Customer/ consumer complaint handling
• Establish system to enhance the performance of staff and improve learning
• Undertaking any other duties, either for this department or any other department within the business, which may be requested by the immediate Manager, for which training and/or an explanation has been provided and understood.

Educational requirement

• BSC in Food Science and Post-harvest, Food Process Engineering, Food science and technology, Food Science and Nutrition, Applied Chemistry
• Experience:  Minimum 5 Years’ experience in food processing company preferably in Beverage industries, out of this Minimum two years in Managerial position.

Functional and Behavioural requirement

• Strong leadership/team management skills and experience.
• Credible and confident communicator (written and verbal) at all levels.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to influence at a senior level.
• Highly customer focused.
• Strong analytical and problem solving ability.
• Excellent project management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem solving ability.
• Excellent project management skills.
• First class organizational skills.
• Ability to prioritize, demonstrating good time management skills.
• Excellent attention to detail, with the ability to work accurately in a busy and demanding environment.
• Self-motivated, with the ability to work proactively using own initiative.
• Committed to learning and development.