Quality Assurance Manager

Key Responsibilities 1. Quality Management System (QMS) Lead, implement, maintain, and continuously improve the Integrated Management System (IMS). Ensure compliance with applicable international standards including ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, HACCP, GMP, ISO 14001, ISO45001, customer-specific requirements, and relevant food contact regulations. Develop, review and maintain quality policies, procedures, work instructions, specifications and standards. Lead Management Review meetings and monitor Quality Objectives and KPIs. Coordinate internal, customer, certification, and regulatory audits. 2. Manufacturing Quality Assurance & Process Control Lead all Quality Assurance and Quality Control activities across incoming, in-process and outgoing inspections. Establish inspection plans, control plans, quality standards and acceptance criteria. Monitor manufacturing quality performance and drive continual improvement initiatives. Work closely with Production and Engineering to improve process capability, reduce variation and enhance product consistency. Drive Statistical Process Control (SPC), Process Capability Analysis, First Pass Yield improvement and defect reduction. Review and approve First Article Inspection (FAI), product qualification and process validation activities. 3. Customer Quality Management Lead customer complaint investigations and ensure timely resolution. Drive Root Cause Analysis using structured methodologies such as 8D, Fishbone, 5 Why, Fault Tree Analysis and Pareto Analysis. Ensure effective implementation and verification of Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). Act as the primary quality representative during customer visits, audits and technical discussions. Monitor customer satisfaction, complaint trends and improvement initiatives. 4. Supplier Quality Management Develop supplier qualification, approval and performance monitoring programmes. Lead supplier audits and supplier quality improvement initiatives. Define incoming inspection standards and supplier acceptance criteria. Collaborate with Procurement and suppliers to resolve material quality issues. Monitor supplier quality KPIs including defects, complaints and on-time corrective actions. 5. Regulatory Affairs & Product Compliance Ensure compliance with applicable food packaging regulations, customer specifications and international regulatory requirements. Manage product compliance documentation including Declaration of Compliance (DoC), migration studies, material certifications and technical documentation. Support regulatory submissions and customer compliance requirements. Monitor changes in regulatory requirements and ensure timely implementation. 6. New Product Introduction (NPI) Partner with Product Development, Engineering and Sales during new product development. Establish quality requirements during product design and process development. Lead qualification plans, validation activities and production readiness reviews. Ensure robust process control during new product commercialisation. 7. Risk Management Lead quality risk assessments using FMEA, HACCP and risk-based thinking. Review Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEA, Control Plans and Quality Risk Registers. Identify emerging quality risks and implement preventive measures. Support Business Continuity and Product Safety programmes. 8. Continuous Improvement Drive Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen and Operational Excellence initiatives. Lead quality improvement projects aimed at reducing waste, improving efficiency and enhancing customer satisfaction. Promote digitalisation and automation of quality processes. Utilize quality data analytics to identify improvement opportunities. 9. Quality Data & Performance Management Establish and monitor departmental Quality KPIs. Analyse trends relating to defects, scrap, customer complaints, supplier performance and process capability. Prepare monthly Quality Reports and Management Review presentations. Provide strategic recommendations based on quality performance data. 10. Team Leadership Lead, coach and develop Quality Engineers, Supervisors, Inspectors and Laboratory personnel. Establish succession planning and competency development programmes. Conduct performance evaluations and identify training needs. Foster a proactive quality culture across the organisation. 11. Cross Functional Collaboration Work closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Product Development, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales and Customer Service to achieve quality ob…