Role Overview
The Quality Assurance Manager will play a pivotal role in maintaining and enhancing our food safety and quality systems. This role is responsible for leading the QA team, managing regulatory and retailer compliance, overseeing food safety systems, and driving a culture of continuous improvement. The successful candidate will be an expert in quality systems, risk mitigation, and stakeholder collaboration, with a hands-on approach and strategic mindset.
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Key Responsibilities
Food Safety & Quality Assurance
• Lead and develop the QA team, ensuring robust systems are maintained to meet internal standards and external regulatory and customer requirements.
• Act as Deputy to the Food Safety Manager, exercising leadership and decision-making when required.
• Maintain up-to-date QA records and reports in partnership with QA Officer.
• Oversee and coordinate shelf-life testing, defect analysis, and R&D support.
• Develop, implement, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), QA documentation, and training programs.
• Ensure product quality meets or exceeds customer expectations (Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Costco) and complies with SQF, Freshcare, HACCP, and FSANZ standards.
• Promptly identify, investigate, and communicate food safety and quality hazards, incidents, and near misses to relevant stakeholders.
• Lead root cause investigations into non-conformances and national-level food safety breaches, implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Monitor and manage quality scores, customer complaints, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Provide technical support to production and packhouse operations, ensuring alignment with product specifications and quality KPIs.
• Liaise with the Technical Manager and cross-functional teams to address quality issues and drive compliance.
Food Safety Leadership
• Design, implement, and monitor hygiene plans ensuring alignment with HACCP and food safety compliance.
• Validate cleaning, sanitation, and hygiene procedures, with strict zoning of packing, storage, and dispatch areas to prevent cross-contamination.
• Govern microbiological verification, allergen management, environmental controls, and foreign object prevention programs.
• Lead the site’s HACCP, SQF, and internal audit programs, including verification of cleaning effectiveness and product recall readiness.
• Oversee site GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices), escalate and report any deviations, and drive accountability at all levels.
• Train site personnel on food safety, sanitation, allergen control, and quality management practices.
• Coordinate packaging compliance including label approvals, artwork reviews, and regulatory standards across all product lines.
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Key Skills and Qualifications
• Tertiary qualifications in Food Science, Microbiology, Quality Assurance, or a related field.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in a quality assurance/food safety role within fresh produce, FMCG, or food manufacturing.
• Certified in HACCP and internal auditing; SQF Practitioner certification highly regarded.
• In-depth understanding of Australian food safety legislation (FSANZ), retailer requirements (Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Costco), and export compliance.
• Proven leadership skills with experience in managing teams and mentoring staff.
• Strong analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Proficient in QA systems, document control platforms, and traceability systems.
