Supplier Quality Assurance Officer is required for a FMCG Industry based in Johannesburg North.
PURPOSE:
• Ensure the Packaging materials sourced are compliant with Mars standards, RC specifications and regulation requirements as per Quality and Food Safety program.
• The SQA has the responsibility of several suppliers in different regions in the world.
• The SQA is the key contact to support RSA Factory and RJH local purchasers in the RSA region.
• The SQA has a transversal job interacting with multiple RC departments:
• Supply (including Factories and Engineering), Marketing, QFS, and R&D
DIMENSION:
Continuously improve the packaging solutions to guarantee the best protection of products where ever the sourcing location.
Standardize and follow the good quality practices and ways of working for all our packaging suppliers in accordance with packaging specifications.
Guarantee the international deployment of packaging solutions in order to achieve the objectives of growth, profitability, and sustainability.

NATURE AND SCOPE
- The SQA Officer:
- Creates the material specifications, and ensures they are reviewed, understood and agreed to by the supplier;
- Assesses and confirms the supplier’s capability to meet our quality standards, through:
- Undertake the SQA audit process with suppliers to identify strengths and gaps required to be addressed
- Review of analytical data compliance
- Annual Supplier Performance Review
- Works with the supplier to investigate & resolve material non-conformances to prevent reoccurrence;
- Develops and utilizes Key Performance Indicators (Internal and Customer Satisfaction) to understand and continuously improve the quality of the packaging.
- Partners with the Packaging Purchaser to contribute quality insights to the purchasing strategy
- The SQA Officer coordinates and deploys packaging solutions in collaboration with packaging suppliers, Packaging Prospection Engineer, Engineering, Marketing, QFS and Royal Canin factories to:
- -achieve the development plan
- -Improve operational efficiency/performance of RC Factories.
- -validate supplier’s development capabilities (new equipment…).
- For each project under this responsibility, the SQA OFFICER
- Leads Risk Analysis
- Defines the timing and Qualification plan
- Conducts line trials
- Tracks the project launch quality

OTHER TASKS:
• Fully adhere and cooperate to GMP / GHP procedures (i.e.: 5’S program).
• Fully adhere and cooperate to SHE requirements.
• Fully adhere and cooperate to Q&FS requirements.
• Training: attend any training program as scheduled by company management and train any designed person in the position.
• Adhere to multi-skills policy and acquire at least one additional competence as established with and by Management.

AUTHORITIES:
• Packaging materials contracts signatures.
• Reference / dismissal of suppliers according to Quality / Financial / logistic RC rules
• To action and initiate any activities to achieve and /or improve departmental organization / performances and objectives.
• To reject/discard any NC Pack materials.
• To stop any equipment, machinery, process and people activities for Q&FS and/or SHE risks.
Compliances:
• All Policies and Procedures in place in RSA Company.
• All Standards / SOP / Rules in place and enforced in or by RJH operation, global RC and/or Mars group.
• All standards enforced in RJO operation due to systems compliance for HACCP, ISO9001, ISO 22001, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001 standards.
• All local regulations relevant to RJH operation, such as: OHS Act, NEMA Act, Labour Act, Agriculture Act 36, etc…

MAJOR CHALLENGES AND PROBLEM SOLVING
• Development of local suppliers.
• Current stage of development of local supplier in regards of Food Safety and Quality international standards and regulations.
• Mars and RC high Food Safety and Quality standards and procedures before supplier validation.
• Competition of Feed industry with higher volumes and limited requirements.
• Mars and RC aim not competing against human needs and sourcing.
• Sustainability requirements of Mars and RC companies.
• Long terms vision/partnership with suppliers vs. Short terms benefit.
• RC product portfolio constant evolution, requiring constantly new and more specific raw materials.
• Quality/SHE – non-conformance issues.
• Process equipment’s limitation and/or constraints on products type and specifications.
• Reception and warehouse constraints on products delivery type.
• Facilitate the process of hazard analysis and identify the monitoring requirements
• Experts in their area, support implementation of HACCP and help in communication
• Part of HACCP team in HACCP review during investments and change in process

CONSEQUENCES OF ERROR

• Impacts upon customer service.
• Poor performance related to KPI’s.
• Team Dysfunctional.
• Quality: Non- conforming products ending up in trade/consumer.
• Health and Safety issues.
• Failure on audits compliance - LRQA.
• Stop of production due to PM ruptures, Non Conformances.
• Prime cost other budget: company MAC impact.

Background Experience, Qualifications & Functional Competence Required

• University degree or equivalent in Packaging Technologist / Engineer or related qualifications
• 3 years minimum experiences as a Packaging Technologist Manager in FMCG Food Industries
• Would be an advantage to have knowledge a HACCP/ ISO 22000 lead auditor training
• Have a clear vision of main industrial packaging materials process..
• English: read, written, spoken.
• Fully functional Microsoft Office.
• Project management
• Free to travel in and outside of South Africa.