Food Safety Associate at Food For Education

About Role

• The Food Safety Associate provides technical oversight and leadership for food safety across assigned operational clusters, ensuring effective implementation and continual improvement of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS), regulatory compliance, food safety verification, incident management and continuous improvement initiatives while promoting a strong food safety culture.

Responsibilities
Food Safety Management System Oversight

• Provide technical oversight of food safety programmes across assigned cluster(s).
• Support implementation and continual improvement of the Food Safety Management System.
• Verify compliance with prerequisite programmes (PRPs), regulatory requirements and internal food safety standards.
• Conduct scheduled and risk-based food safety inspections to assess compliance with the FSMS and regulatory requirements

Operational Food Safety Assurance

• Provide oversight of receiving, storage, production, dispatch and food service operations to identify and manage food safety risks.
• Verify the effectiveness of critical food safety controls, including temperature control, allergen management and traceability.

Verification and Validation Activities

• Coordinate food, water and environmental sampling programmes and other food safety verification activities including traceability exercises, mock recalls and withdrawal activities.
• Review laboratory reports and communicate findings to relevant stakeholders.
• Verify implementation and effectiveness of corrective actions.
• Support internal audits, external audits and regulatory inspections.

Non-conformance and Incident Management

• Lead investigations into food safety incidents and non-conformities.
• Conduct root cause analysis and determine appropriate corrective and preventive actions.
• Monitor corrective action implementation, effectiveness and closure timelines.
• Escalate unresolved or high-risk food safety issues.

Training and Technical Leadership

• Support the development and delivery of food safety training programmes.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to Food Safety Trainees.
• Foster a culture of accountability and responsibility for food safety among kitchen and school staff.
• Promote a strong food safety culture through continuous cross functional engagement.

Performance Monitoring, Reporting and Continuous Improvement

• Analyse food safety performance trends, verification data and inspection findings.
• Prepare and communicate food safety performance reports to the Senior Food Safety Associate and other relevant stakeholders.
• Recommend and drive continuous improvement initiatives based on performance data and identified risks.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of inspections, verification activities, corrective actions and food safety performance metrics.

QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND COMPETENCIES

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science and Technology or a related scientific discipline.
• Minimum of three (3) years' relevant experience in food safety, quality assurance or quality control within the FMCG industry.
• Demonstrated knowledge and practical experience in implementing and maintaining ISO 22000:2018 Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) and HACCP principles.
• Professional certification or formal training in ISO 22000:2018, HACCP or Internal Auditing is an added advantage.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications for data analysis, reporting and performance monitoring.
• Demonstrated experience conducting food safety inspections, audits, verification activities and incident investigations, including the management of Corrective and Preventive Actions
• Strong leadership, analytical, critical thinking, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Coaching, mentoring and people development skills.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and technical report writing skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic operational environment.