Quality Assurance Manager

About Yes Chef Meals

Yes Chef Meals is a fast growing, innovative producer of high quality, health focused ready meals, distributed nationally through major retailers and direct channels. Operating from a High-Risk processing facility in compliance to GFSI and Australian retailer standards, we are passionate about quality, safety, and staying ahead of the game in this fast-moving innovative food industry.

About The Role + Key Responsibilities

We are seeking a dedicated, experienced and proactive Quality Assurance Manager to lead our QA team and oversee all aspects of food safety, quality, regulatory compliance, and our GFSI program. This is a hands-on leadership role that requires someone who is able to work in a food production environment while liaising closely with the operations and production team. You will need to have a great attention to detail and be able to drive a strong food safety and quality culture across the business.

You will be responsible for ensuring quality is not simply a QA function, but a shared commitment across the whole operation. We take quality extremely seriously and are looking for someone who will have the confidence and leadership to hold teams accountable, drive operational standards and ensure agreed KPIs and performance expectations are consistently achieved.

You will:

·       Oversee the implementation and maintenance of the GFSI Food Safety and Quality system and manage compliance to such as well as FSANZ, retailer standards, and other regulatory and customer requirements.

·       Lead all QA activities across the facility, including internal audits, inspections, verification and the development and maintenance of documentation.

·       Work closely with Operations and Production to identify quality risks, address issues and drive immediate corrective action. While ensuring that quality requirements are incorporated into daily production and not treated as a separate function

·       Drive a strong quality first culture across production, ensuring quality standards are understood, followed and consistently maintained.

·       Investigate non-conformances, identify root causes and implement effective corrective and preventative actions

·       Train and support production staff in food safety, GMP and quality procedures

·       Liaise with external auditors, certification bodies and customer QA teams

·       Identify opportunities for continuous improvement across QA, production and operational processes

·       Maintain a high level of audit readiness and ensure all QA systems, records and documentation remain current and accurate

You will have

A degree in Food Science, or related discipline or the equivalent industry experience.

A genuine passion for food quality and food safety with a minimum 3+ years' experience in QA leadership role in food manufacturing, with excellent communication, leadership and problem-solving skills.

A strong knowledge and experience in safety and quality systems such as SQF, WSEP (Woolworths), HACCP, FSANZ and food safety legislation combined with the ability to be hands on and make things happen.

A proven ability to lead and influence teams in a high-volume food manufacturing environment and be confident in challenging poor practices and holding teams accountable when quality standards are not being met

A strong focus on meeting KPIs with a demonstrated ability to drive measurable improvements with great organisational skills and be proactive and detail oriented.

This role is critical to the success of Fast Fuel Meals and are looking for a Quality Assurance Manager who will lead from the front, work alongside Operations and Production, and drive a genuine quality first culture throughout the facility.

You will have clear KPIs and expectations, supported by our external consultants, and will be accountable for driving these standards through the business. This is an opportunity for someone who wants to make a real operational impact, not simply manage a QA system from an office.