Research & Developement cum QA Manager

R&D CUM QA MANAGER - JOB SCOPE Key Responsibilities 1. R&D & Product Development · Leads the formulation and development of new food products particularly in sauces and pastes. · Improve existing products in terms of quality, stability, cost and consumer acceptance. · Lead shelf-life studies, product validation and process validation. · Ensure successful scale-up of laboratory formulations to commercial production. 2. Process Development & Optimisation · Develop and optimise manufacturing processes and processing parameters. · Troubleshoot production and formulation problems. · Improve product consistency, production yield and manufacturing efficiency. · Establish robust and reproducible manufacturing parameters. · Work closely with Production during new product trials and commercial production. 3. Quality Assurance & Food Safety · Lead and maintain the Company's Quality and Food Safety Management Systems. · Ensure compliance with FSSC 22000 and customer requirements. · Lead HACCP activities, food safety risk assessments and verification programmes. · Establish and maintain raw material, packaging, in-process and finished product specifications. · Monitor product quality and food safety performance. · Drive preventive measures to minimise quality and food safety failures. 4. Regulatory & Certification Compliance · Ensure compliance with applicable food regulations and customer requirements. · Maintain product specifications and technical documentation. · Coordinate regulatory submissions and liaison with relevant authorities. · Monitor changes in legislation, standards and certification requirements. 5. Customer Complaints & Quality Issues · Lead investigations into customer complaints and product quality issues. · Conduct root cause analysis and establish effective corrective and preventive actions. · Coordinate investigations with Production, Purchasing, Warehouse and other departments. · Monitor recurring complaints and implement measures to prevent recurrence. · Prepare technical investigation reports and customer responses. 6. Supplier Quality Management · Establish and maintain raw material and packaging specifications. · Participate in supplier approval and evaluation. · Review supplier technical documents, COAs and food safety certifications. · Monitor supplier quality performance. · Lead investigation and resolution of supplier-related quality issues. · Evaluate and approve alternative ingredients and suppliers from a technical and food safety perspective. 7. Audit & Quality System Management · Lead preparation for FSSC 22000, Halal, customer audit and other regulatory audits. · Manage internal audits and follow-up actions. · Ensure timely and effective closure of audit non-conformities. · Maintain continuous audit readiness. · Review quality and food safety trends and drive system improvements. 8. Laboratory & Technical Management · Manage R&D and QA laboratory activities. · Ensure appropriate testing programmes and methods are established. · Manage calibration and verification of laboratory and measuring equipment. · Review laboratory and external test results. · Ensure proper control of laboratory chemicals and materials. · Recommend new equipment, testing capabilities and technical resources where required. 9. Team Leadership & People Development · Lead, supervise and develop the R&D and QA teams. · Allocate resources and prioritise R&D and QA activities. · Provide mentorship and capability development of staff. · Conduct performance evaluations of staffs. · Build a strong culture of quality, food safety, accountability and continuous improvement. 10. Cross-Functional & Management Support · Work closely with Production, Purchasing, Sales & Marketing, Warehouse and other departments. · Provide technical advice to Management for business and product decisions. · Assess technical feasibility of customer requirements. 11. Continuous Improvement · Lead initiatives to improve product quality and food safety · Reduce customer complaints and product non-conformities. · Improve process consistency and production yield. · Strengthen the Company's R&D, QA and food safety capabilities.