Quality Manager Japan

About the role

• This role leads the BC Quality team in Japan based at the Takasaki factory and partners with Country MD for commercial support. The person is responsible for ensuring the design and implementation of quality and food safety management systems, maintenance of operational quality, hygiene & sanitation practices, ensuring the release of the approved finished products to customers, addressing all internal/external quality audits, consumer feedback and complaints address. The role also supports BC commercial business on the quality of imported products, distribution & supply chain quality, supplier review and new product introductions. Person is also a key liaison for local incident and crisis management and partners with commercials on engagement with national and key customers.
• Travel requirements: 20%

Key responsibilities include

• Safety / Security / Hygiene
  • Work with relevant departments to supervise implementing and maintaining all safety, health and environmental procedures following company policies and standards.
  • Lead managing factory GMP, hygiene & sanitation procedures and ensure that standards are consistently improved and corrective actions are timely and effectively taken.
• Food Safety and Quality System Management – System Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with all ISO, HACCP, BRC and HALAL standards and customer/external audit requirements;
  • Prepare and complete internal, customer and third-party audits;
  • Build up good relationships with local authorities and assure full compliance with national and international quality/food safety-related legislation;
  • Work closely with Regional and Global QA to implement BC global quality standards;
• Food Safety and Quality System Management – Lab Operations, Measurements and Testing
  • Oversees lab operations to ensure that analytical procedures, records and reports are released on time for specified requirements;
  • Ensures that BC-specified analytical procedures are implemented in the labs;
  • Internal calibration checks on Lab related equipment and schedules calibration of equipment requiring outside calibration;
  • Maintain measurement system data recording and integrity;
  • Food Safety and Quality System Management – ensure that documentation practices at the site are as per BC global standards
  • Controls and reports all non-conformance products as per documented procedures
  • Ensures completion of all customer-required testing at internal or external labs
  • Reports production quality through Certificate of Compliance or Analysis as specified by the customer
• Food Safety and Quality System Management – Customer Relationship
  • Works closely with Sales, Customer Service and OSCO for management of product quality and compliance
  • Works with production and customer to determine optimized process settings to assure specified requirements are met (specifically during sampling and product qualification process)
  • Input on periodic customer visits where needed;
  • Leads the customer complaint process, investigation and CAPA process;
  • Complete survey and questionnaire and answer technical questions from customers;
• Food Safety and Quality System Management – Supplier Management
  • Maintains a list of approved and audited suppliers and sub-contractors as per requirement;
  • Closely work with Purchasing/Sourcing on new suppliers' development;
  • Conducts for cause and periodic audit of suppliers in partnership with Global Supplier Quality organization
  • Maintains trends of supplier quality performance and takes proactive/reactive steps for improvements
• Productivity Improvement
  • Prepare, monitor and control departmental expense budget;
  • Efficiently support production and other departments on quality-related affairs to enhance timely supply or problem-solving.
  • Ensures the QA team is sufficiently resourced and trained to manage plant operational needs.
• People Management
  • Ensure all team members understand and follow company policies and procedures.
  • Provide training and supervision to all personnel performing quality testing within the quality lab and on the production floor
  • Manage the team ensuring staff are motivated, trained and ready to achieve objectives, in a positive and collaborative environment.
  • Develop management talents necessary to achieve short and long-range objectives by effective direction, coaching and training according to overall manpower planning;
• Quality by design
  • Ensure that the new production facility, warehouse, labs, etc. are designed to ensure man and material movement that prevents defects & errors
  • Provide inputs into hygiene and sanitary standards for equipment, facilities, labs and external areas
  • Ensure the facilities and equipment are qualified/validated to meet the design quality specifications
  • Work with the PD team to ensure that quality specifications and assurance are built in from the design stage of NPIs.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Work with the CI team to continuously develop best practices in the lab, operational quality and QA systems
  • Continuously look at avenues to reduce waste and variation in manufacturing, packaging and lab operations
  • Optimize quality system /WI in line with customer requirements and benchmarking.

About you

• Bachelor's Degree or above in Biology/Chemistry/Food Technology/Biochemistry/Chemical Engineering
• 10 – 15 years of working experience in QC / QA in the food industry
• Experience as Site QA Manager
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• Deep understanding of quality systems based on ISO9001, HACCP, BRC and Halal certifications
• Preferable experience in manufacturing, production operations or projects
• Technical knowledge in fields of cocoa/chocolate/staples/fats & oils/coffee
• Experience with MNCs with a track record of quality and compliance
• Some experience & understanding of Lean & Six Sigma, certification would be a bonus
• Exposure to laboratory operations especially microbiological procedures
• Provide leadership and guidance to factory operations on hygiene, sanitation, compliance and laboratory matters
• To be able to proactively participate in investigations and RCA across topics
• To work very closely with factory managers to define MTP plans for the site
• To work very closely with Country MD to input into business plans, risk management and mitigation actions