Innovation & Quality Manager

Reporting to the General Manager, the Innovation & Quality Manager is responsible for leading the organization's quality assurance and product innovation initiatives. This role plays a critical part in ensuring the consistent quality of the organization's products, driving continuous improvement, and developing new and innovative solutions to meet customer needs.

Support Lesaffre South Africa to achieve our growth objectives, by:

• Developing and implementing comprehensive quality management systems to ensure the consistent production of high-quality products across both manufacturing entities.
• Ensuring our QHS standards and certifications.
• Driving innovation and continuous improvement to enhance the organization's product offerings and manufacturing capabilities.
• Ensuring the efficiency and the cost-competitiveness of our products range.
• Formulation support for Baking Center technicians by guiding them towards the products best suited to their requests.

• Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive quality management systems, such as FSSC 22000 or ISO 9001, to ensure the consistent production of high-quality products.
• Establish and monitor quality control procedures, including inspections, testing, and process control measures, to identify and address any quality issues.
• Analyse quality data and implement corrective and preventive actions to continuously improve the organization's manufacturing processes.
• Ensure the organization's compliance with relevant industry regulations, food safety standards, and customer requirements.
• Manage the customer's complaint for manufactured goods and traded ones.

• Lead formulation projects to develop new solutions meeting customer and market needs whilst coordinating with MEA team.
• Provide formulation support for Baking Center technicians and Sales department.
• Develop new innovative and profitable product formulas meeting customer preferences while maintaining quality.
• Update and optimise existing products through benchmarking and integrating new high-performance materials.
• Conduct experiments, such as tests in the Baking Center or at customer facilities.
• Maintain accurate records of all product development and formulation information in the company's IT tools.
• Collaborate with Production Manager to ensure effective and efficient production.

• Comprehensive understanding and close monitoring of the raw materials to assess their possible benefits.
• Provide training and development opportunities to the Quality and Production teams to enhance their skills and capabilities.
• Analyse performance data and customer feedback to identify areas for improvement and drive the implementation of innovative solutions.

• Ensure the organization's compliance with all relevant food safety regulations, industry standards, and customer requirements.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive food safety management systems, such as HACCP, to identify and mitigate potential food safety risks.
• Coordinate with regulatory authorities, certification bodies, and industry associations to stay informed of the latest developments and best practices.
• Oversee the implementation of traceability systems and the management of product recalls or withdrawals, if necessary.

• Collaborate with the Production, Supply Chain, and Sales teams to align quality and innovation initiatives with the organization's overall business objectives.
• Communicate effectively with the General Manager and other senior leaders to provide updates, share insights, and address any quality-related concerns.
• Represent the organization's quality and innovation functions and serve as a subject matter expert in cross functional initiatives.