Role Summary
We are looking for a senior quality leader who can build and run a world-class QA/QC and compliance ecosystem across our Staples Division (cold-pressed oils, wheat/atta, spices, pulses, etc.) and ideally extend the same rigor to our Dairy Division (milk, curd, ghee, paneer).
Quality is non-negotiable in our organisation. We operate on stringent quality benchmarks and expect the quality head to be deeply conversant with the critical testing parameters required to ensure food safety, including detection and control of harmful contaminants in raw materials and finished products. The role demands strong command over risk-based quality systems and the ability to ensure that no product is released unless it meets the highest standards of safety, compliance, and consumer trust.
This role requires a leader who is:
- Deeply strong in staples quality systems
- Hands-on with vendor quality and plant audits
- Comfortable in startup-style execution
- Yet trained through structured corporate QA frameworks
- Able to build quality as a consumer trust engine, not just a backend function
Key Responsibilities
1) Quality Strategy & Systems Ownership
- Own the end-to-end quality framework across staples and (optionally) dairy.
- Design and implement SOPs, QMS, QC checklists, CAPA, RCA, and batch release systems.
- Build a scalable quality model that supports growth across modern trade, e-commerce, exports, and institutional.
2) Vendor & Co-Packer Quality Management
- Lead vendor qualification, onboarding, audits, and scorecards for:
- Oil mills/cold-pressers
- Atta mills
- Spice processors
- Packaging vendors
- Dairy processors/dairies (if applicable)
- Drive vendor compliance, documentation discipline, and quality improvements.
- Ensure supplier systems meet FSSAI, export market, and premium retail standards.
3) QC, Testing & Release Governance
- Define testing protocols for each category, including:
- Incoming raw materials
- In-process QC
- Finished goods release
- Shelf-life and stability
- Set up and monitor testing with internal labs and external NABL labs.
- Own COAs, batch release approvals, and product hold/rejection workflows.
4) Food Safety & Critical Contaminant Control
- Ensure robust testing and control mechanisms to eliminate risks from harmful contaminants and unsafe parameters in raw materials and finished goods.
- Own and continuously upgrade the organization’s testing matrix covering high-risk food safety parameters across staples and dairy.
- Drive a zero-compromise approach to consumer safety by enforcing strict batch-release governance, product holds, and corrective actions whenever a safety risk is detected.
5) Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance
- Own compliance readiness for:
- FSSAI
- Legal Metrology
- Packaging compliance
- Export documentation and regulatory readiness (as required)
- Ensure plant-level systems align with HACCP/ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 standards.
6) Continuous Improvement & Quality Culture
- Build a proactive quality culture where quality is prevention-led, not complaint-led.
- Drive defect reduction, packaging quality improvements, and process discipline.
- Build training modules for:
- QA/QC teams
- Vendor QA teams
- Internal stakeholders (procurement, sales, ops)
7) Cross-Functional Leadership
- Work closely with:
- Procurement (vendor development, audits, approvals)
- Operations (process discipline, SOP adherence)
- NPD (new SKU trials, pilot runs, scale-up quality)
- Sales & Marketing (claims compliance, consumer trust)
- Support premium positioning through trust, transparency, and quality consistency.
Candidate Profile
Core Expertise (Mandatory)
- Strong experience in Staples quality systems is mandatory, including:
- Cold-pressed oils / edible oils
- Wheat/flour/grains
- Spices/pulses/staples processing
- Dairy exposure is a strong plus:
- Milk, curd, ghee, paneer, UHT, etc.
Food Safety Capability (Mandatory)
- Must have a strong working knowledge of food safety risk parameters and be capable of designing category-specific testing protocols to detect contaminants harmful for human consumption across staple and dairy supply chains.
Experience Shape (Ideal)
- ~15–20 years total experience
- Must have:
- At least 8–10 years of leading QA/QC teams independently
- At least 5+ years in a staples-heavy portfolio
- Strong preference for candidates who have worked across:
- Large FMCG/food corporations (structured systems)
- Food-tech / startup environments (speed + building from scratch)
Education
- B.Tech / M.Tech (Food Technology / Dairy Tech / Chemical / Biotechnology / related)
- From a reputed institute preferred.
Leadership & Working Style
- Strong vendor management personality—firm, structured, and collaborative.
- Comfortable being both:
- Strategic (building systems)
- Hands-on (solving quality issues on the ground)
- Quick learner with high ownership and ability to build and mentor teams.
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