Quality Assurance Manager (Food Safety and Compliance)

Requirements

• Degree in Food Science and Technology, Fisheries, Microbiology or a related field
  

• HACCP certification required. Lead auditor training in BRCGS, FSSC 22000 or ISO 22000 is a strong advantage, and social compliance training such as SMETA or amfori BSCI is an advantage.
  

• [5+] years in quality assurance or quality control in a seafood processing plant exporting fresh and frozen products, including [2] years in a supervisory role
  

• Proven record of building HACCP plans and taking a facility through at least one GFSI-benchmarked certification audit or renewal
  

• Experience with public certification and licensing (KEBS, Kenya Fisheries Service, EU export approval) and private certification (GSA’s BAP or other GFSI-recognised schemes), including working with conformity assessment bodies (CABs)
  

• Ability to conduct internal food safety audits and social audits
  

• Hands-on competence in receiving, grading, cutting (loins, fillets and portions), packaging, storage and blast freezing of fish
  

• Working knowledge of export documentation for fresh air freight and frozen shipments, including catch certificates, health certificates and traceability records, as well as documentation for local distribution
  

• Strong command of Excel and document control
  

• Valid food handler’s medical certificate
  

• Fluent in English and Kiswahili
  

• 
  

  An entrepreneurial mindset: willing to start in a growing company, build systems from scratch and grow into the role of lead food safety specialist
  

  
  

Responsibilities

Food safety systems

• Build, validate and maintain HACCP plans for fresh and frozen lines, from receiving to dispatch
  

• Run prerequisite programmes: sanitation, pest control, water and ice quality, staff hygiene, and thermometer and data logger calibration
  

• Apply species-specific controls, including histamine for tuna, wahoo and mahi mahi
  

Certification, audits and licensing

• Lead applications, audits and renewals for public (KEBS, Kenya Fisheries Service, EU export approval) and private (GSA, GFSI) certifications and licences
  

• Run gap assessments, liaise with CABs, prepare for audits and close corrective actions on time
  

• Conduct internal food safety and social audits, maintaining GFSI compliance
  

Processing floor

• Inspect and grade incoming fish for temperature, freshness and species, accepting or rejecting against specification
  

• Supervise cutting, packaging, storage and blast freezing to export standard
  

• Check product, labelling and temperature before every air freight and frozen dispatch
  

Documentation and traceability

• Keep food safety, compliance and export records for fresh, frozen and local channels
  

• Maintain lot traceability from landing site and fisher to export carton, and run mock recalls
  

• Handle customer complaints and root-cause investigations
  

Supply base and people

• Verify handling at Lamu and Kwale landing sites, feeding grading results into fisher training
  

• Train and supervise processing staff on hygiene, handling and quality
  

• Report weekly on rejections, temperatures, audit status and complaints