Quality Assurance Manager

Divine Fresh is an Australian-owned horticulture and fresh produce business supplying customers across South Australia and interstate. Divine Fresh is seeking an experienced Quality Assurance Manager to oversee quality management systems, fresh produce quality standards and food safety compliance across its produce handling, grading, packing, storage and distribution operations.

The successful candidate will manage quality assurance procedures, oversee compliance activities, lead audits and drive continuous improvement to ensure fresh produce meets customer specifications, applicable regulatory requirements and the company's quality standards.

Key Responsibilities

1. Manage and continuously improve Divine Fresh’s quality assurance systems, food safety arrangements and quality procedures, with authority over quality standards and procedures across the operation.
2. Lead the business through external customer (supermarket) and regulatory audits, and guide it through certification and accreditation requirements.
3. Identify the formal standards, customer requirements and regulatory codes that apply to the business, and keep systems aligned with them.
4. Plan and conduct weekly GMP checks and internal quality audits, and ensure findings are acted on and closed out.
5. Oversee fresh produce quality, grading, packing, labelling and storage to meet customer specifications and applicable standards.
6. Maintain and oversee traceability, batch, packed-product, waste, temperature and stock quality records, manually and electronically.
7. Oversee hygiene, sanitation and food safety across handling, packing, storage and distribution, including compliance with legal retail weight requirements.
8. Monitor and control product quality using inspections, retention and shelf-life checks, and quality tools and trend analysis.
9. Manage non-conforming produce, customer complaints and quality incidents, including root-cause investigation, corrective and preventive actions, and recall support.
10. . Assist in identifying quality and food safety risks and opportunities, and in establishing and managing contractual and regulatory compliance systems.
11. . Develop and maintain documented processes and operating procedures.
12. Plan and deliver training for staff on QA specifications, food safety, GMP and HACCP.
13. Report to senior management on quality performance, audit outcomes and the effectiveness and suitability of the management system, and lead or contribute to weekly operations meetings.
14. Work with production, packing, procurement, warehouse and distribution teams, and liaise with growers, suppliers and customers on specifications, quality concerns and corrective actions.

Selection Criteria

• Relevant Bachelor qualifications in quality management, horticulture, agriculture, botany, plant science, food science, food technology or a related discipline.
• Minimum three years’ experience in quality assurance or quality management, preferably within fresh produce, food processing, packing or distribution.
• Experience managing quality systems, audits, traceability, food safety compliance and corrective actions.
• Strong leadership, analytical, communication and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to coordinate quality requirements across operational teams and maintain accurate compliance documentation.