Highlands Drinks Limited, a leading Kenyan beverage manufacturer, is seeking a Quality Assurance Manager to provide leadership and oversight on quality assurance, food safety, regulatory compliance, quality performance, and continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations. The ideal candidate will develop, implement, and continuously improve the Company's Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring high standards of safety and compliance to protect the company's brands and sustain consumer confidence.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
A. Quality Management Systems
- Develop, implement, and continuously improve the Company's Quality Management System (QMS), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and quality standards across manufacturing and supply chain operations.
- Ensure effective implementation and maintenance of HACCP, GMP, ISO, and other applicable food safety and quality frameworks.
- Drive standardization, process discipline, and quality governance across all manufacturing activities.
- Monitor compliance with internal quality systems and recommend improvements to strengthen operational effectiveness.
- Lead periodic reviews of quality systems to ensure they remain relevant, effective, and aligned to business requirements.
- Promote a culture of quality ownership and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
- Expected Output: A robust, sustainable, and auditable quality management framework that supports operational excellence and protects the Company's brands.
B. Product Quality and Food Safety
- Lead quality assurance activities across the manufacturing process to ensure products consistently meet defined quality and food safety standards.
- Establish and monitor critical quality control points throughout production and packaging operations.
- Drive implementation and continuous improvement of HACCP, GMP, sanitation, hygiene, and food safety programmes.
- Investigate quality deviations, non-conformances, and food safety incidents, ensuring effective root cause analysis and corrective actions.
- Support product release processes by ensuring compliance with approved specifications and quality standards.
- Promote proactive risk management to prevent product quality failures and protect consumer safety.
- Expected Output: Consistent production of safe, compliant, and high-quality products with zero critical food safety incidents.
C. Regulatory Compliance and Audits
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulatory, statutory, customer, and Company quality requirements.
- Coordinate and lead internal, external, customer, and regulatory quality audits.
- Maintain readiness for certification and surveillance audits relating to food safety and quality management systems.
- Drive timely closure of audit findings and corrective action plans.
- Monitor changes in legislation and industry standards and ensure appropriate implementation across the business.
- Expected Output: Full compliance with regulatory and certification requirements and successful audit outcomes.
D. Supplier Quality and Material
- Establish and maintain supplier quality standards and approval processes.
- Monitor the quality performance of raw materials, packaging materials, and critical suppliers.
- Coordinate supplier audits and quality improvement programmes where necessary.
- Investigate supplier-related quality issues and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
- Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain teams to ensure reliable and consistent input quality.
- Support new supplier and material qualification activities.
- Expected Output: Reliable supplier performance and consistent availability of quality raw and packaging materials.
E. Continuous Improvement & Cost of Quality
- Monitor and analyse quality performance indicators, defects, waste, product losses, and customer complaints.
- Lead root cause analysis and continuous improvement initiatives aimed at reducing quality-related losses.
- Partner with Manufacturing to improve process capability, operational efficiency, and product consistency.
- Drive initiatives to reduce the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) and improve overall manufacturing performance.
- Support innovation and process optimization projects through quality and food safety expertise.
- Promote a culture of learning and continuous improvement across the Quality function.
- Expected Output: Reduced quality defects, lower operational losses, and continuous improvement in manufacturing performance and product quality.
F. Quality Leadership and Performance Reporting
- Provide leadership and direction for the Quality function, ensuring effective implementation of quality standards, food safety requirements, and operational quality objectives across the manufacturing environment.
- Develop and maintain quality dashboards, scorecards, and management reports that provide visibility of quality performance, compliance, risks, and improvement opportunities.
- Analyse quality trends, product performance, customer complaints, audit findings, and emerging risks to provide proactive recommendations and drive continuous improvement.
- Work collaboratively with Supply Chain, Procurement, Commercial, Research & Development, and other business functions to ensure alignment on quality standards, supplier performance, and product integrity.
- Develop the capability of the Quality team through effective coaching, training, succession planning, and performance management.
- Expected Output: Strong quality leadership, effective quality governance, and data-driven insights that enhance operational performance, protect the Company's brands, and sustain consumer confidence.
Working Relationships
Internal Relationships:
- Head of Manufacturing: To provide leadership and oversight on quality assurance, food safety, regulatory compliance, quality performance, and continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations.
- Production & Plant Teams: To ensure consistent adherence to quality standards, manufacturing specifications, process controls, and food safety requirements throughout production.
- Supply Chain & Logistics: To support product integrity, storage and handling standards, inventory quality management, and effective management of quality risks across the supply chain.
- Procurement Team: To establish supplier quality standards, monitor supplier performance, support supplier audits, and ensure the consistent quality of raw materials and packaging materials.
- Commercial Team: To support management of customer complaints, market quality feedback, product performance monitoring, and protection of the Company's brands and consumer experience.
- Finance Team: To provide visibility on quality-related losses, cost of poor quality, waste reduction initiatives, and quality improvement projects that support business performance.
- Senior Leadership Team: To provide quality performance reporting, compliance updates, emerging risk visibility, and data-driven recommendations that support strategic decision-making and operational excellence.
External Relationships:
- Regulatory Authorities: To ensure compliance with applicable food safety, quality, environmental, and statutory requirements and to support regulatory inspections and reporting.
- Certification & Audit Bodies: To coordinate certification activities, surveillance audits, and maintenance of the Company's quality and food safety management systems.
- Suppliers of Raw Materials and Packaging: To establish quality expectations, monitor supplier performance, manage quality issues, and drive continuous supplier improvement.
- External Laboratories and Technical Service Providers: To support specialized testing, product verification, calibration services, and quality assurance initiatives where required.
Required Qualifications, Experience, and Skills
Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Food Science and Technology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Industrial Chemistry, or a related scientific discipline from a recognized institution.
Professional Qualifications
- Professional certification or formal training in HACCP, GMP, ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, Food Safety Management Systems, or related quality frameworks will be an added advantage.
- Lead Auditor certification in ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, or equivalent quality and food safety standards is desirable.
- Additional training in Root Cause Analysis, Continuous Improvement, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or Quality Management Systems will be an added advantage.
Experience
- Minimum of seven (7) to ten (10) years' relevant experience in Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Food Safety, or Technical Services within an FMCG, beverage, food processing, or manufacturing environment.
- Demonstrated experience in implementing and managing Quality Management Systems (QMS), HACCP, GMP, and other food safety and quality assurance programmes.
- Proven track record in managing regulatory compliance, certification audits, customer audits, and quality governance processes.
- Experience in supplier quality management, raw material and packaging quality assurance, and management of supplier quality improvement initiatives.
- Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, process controls, quality risk management, and continuous improvement methodologies.
- Demonstrated ability to investigate quality deviations, lead root cause analysis, and implement effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
- Experience working collaboratively with cross-functional teams (Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Procurement, Commercial, Technical).
- Proficiency in ERP systems, Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS), quality reporting platforms, and Microsoft Office applications is highly desirable.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should apply online by visiting the Highlands Drinks Limited recruitment portal via the following application link:
Apply Now on Highlands Drinks Portal
