Quality Controller (Wine Industry)

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START DATE : A.S.A.P / Immediate

REQUIREMENTS:

• Grade 12 (Matric)
• BSc/Diploma/Degree in Quality Management, Quality Assurance, Food Technology, Food Science, or Supply Chain Management
• 35 years experience in compliance-related roles such as Compliance Officer, Compliance Analyst, or similar
• Experience working with Microsoft Office Suite and Sage (ERP systems)
• Practical experience working with regulatory bodies and understanding the regulatory landscape
• Proven experience developing, implementing, and updating compliance policies and procedures to meet FMS and regulatory requirements
• Experience conducting risk assessments
• HACCP (Introductory & Practitioner level)
• BRCGS Issue 9 and IFS v8 Awareness (document control, traceability, audits)
• Internal Auditor certification (ISO 9001 or ISO 22000/FSSC 22000)
• Familiarity with Organic Schemes (EU/US/UK) and Control Union COI/COC
• Awareness of IPW and Fairtrade standards
• Experience with mock recalls and farm-to-bottle traceability execution
• Competency in document control and CAPA (QMS) processes
• ERP system experience (Sage or SAP) ensuring data integrity
• Lead Auditor certification (ISO 9001 or ISO 22000/FSSC 22000) advantage
• Regulatory Affairs short course (preferably in the wine or beverage sector) advantage
• Own reliable transport advantage
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Excellent record-keeping and documentation abilities
• Sound knowledge of Quality Management Systems
• Hands-on and proactive approach to compliance and auditing tasks

DUTIES:

Portal & Compliance Data Management:

• Administer client and certification portals (IPW, Fairtrade, Organic, and other retailer compliance portals), including submissions, renewals, attestations, and evidence uploads.
• Maintain a deadline and SLA calendar; issue reminders and escalate risks before due dates.
• Perform right-first time (RFT) pre-checks on all submissions (metadata, approvals, evidence) to achieve 98% RFT accuracy.
• Maintain a version-controlled evidence log for all portal actions and approvals.

Compliance Programmes (Including Organic):

• Facilitate QMS compliance activities, including reviews, internal checks, training and awareness sessions, and contributions to management reviews.
• Ensure adherence to policies and procedures, and drive controlled updates to policies, procedures, work instructions, and forms (with change control records).
• Validate QMS processes through risk-based checks and mini-audits, recording results and follow-up actions.
• Train and audit wine producers against Fairtrade, IPW, and Organic requirements; log findings and ensure non-conformances are closed out with supporting evidence.

Traceability & Document Control:

• Standardize documentation to certification standards (BRCGS, IFS, IPW, Fairtrade, Organic) ensuring consistency in content, format, approvals, and versioning.
• Administer, process, and control the distribution of QMS documents with strict revision control and access permissions.
• Compile comprehensive farm-to-bottle traceability packs (Organic, Fairtrade documentation, blend records, COAs, and release evidence) with complete indexing.
• Plan and execute mock recalls and traceability tests; report performance against SLAs and drive corrective actions.
• Assist the Quality Manager with the rollout of new or updated standards and standardization projects.

Auditing Systems Internal and External:

• Schedule, administer, and coordinate supplier, internal, and external audits according to the annual audit plan.
• Serve as Quality Systems Lead Auditor when assigned; issue audit reports and track actions through to close-out.
• Coordinate mock recall and traceability audits (scope, sampling, witnesses, and evidence packs).
• Upload finalized audit reports and follow up on the closure of external findings within required timeframes.

Cross-Functional Communication:

• Issue formal change notices for compliance and traceability updates to Quality, Production, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams.
• Provide weekly status updates (upcoming deadlines, risks, and actions) and escalate potential blockers promptly.
• Maintain communication logs (requests, clarifications, approvals) as audit evidence.

Health, Safety & Housekeeping:

• Comply with company Health & Safety policies and procedures; maintain an audit-ready workspace.
• Conduct scheduled fabrication audits and report findings with responsible owners and due dates.
• Complete all mandatory Health & Safety training and refresher courses; ensure records are up to date.

Continuous Improvement:

• Standardize SOPs, templates, and checklists for portals, Organic controls, document control, and traceability packs.
• Measure and reduce administrative cycle time (submission to approval) and resubmission rates, report on monthly performance.
• Support digitization initiatives (barcode/scanning, LIMS/ERP/QMS integrations, dashboards) to improve accuracy and retrieval speed.
• Capture lessons learned and update procedures and training materials accordingly.

HOURS:

• Monday to Friday: 08:00 17:00