Beverage Production Manager

• Maintaining brand integrity and product safety whilst performing risk mitigation.
• Contributing towards the category strategy, ensuring innovative and safe products of consistent quality.
• Developing high-quality products using cutting-edge technical innovation that adheres to the company's brand values of quality, freshness, innovation, inspiration, food safety, and value.
• Managing and monitoring the technical team in order to meet the company's technical strategy, product plan, and ultimately the category strategy.
• Technical communication and liaison with the buying team, suppliers, quality team, and production teams.
• Positively influencing all contributing aspects of the supply chain to optimize quality and food safety.
• Leading factory and product process audits within the production facility and supply base.
• Formulating and/or managing product specifications, ensuring accuracy.
• Identifying and managing critical control points (CCPs) within production facilities and ensuring that suppliers identify and manage their CCPs correctly.
• Overseeing end-to-end quality management systems within farm production facilities and among external suppliers.
• Providing technical input into a category, quality management, and supplier strategies and ensuring effective implementation.
• Overseeing packaging development, ensuring conformance to legislation.
• Ensuring accurate nutritional information and date marking/coding.
• Overseeing effective allergen management within all production facilities and among suppliers.
• Supplier approval/sourcing, based on basic hygiene compliance and risk management.
• Shelf-life assessment and implementation.
• Managing microbiological testing, specifying the type of tests, frequency, and accept/reject criteria for both product and environment.
• Improving and ensuring production efficiencies within production facilities and the supply base.
• Raw material sourcing and approval: ensuring that production and suppliers source from approved raw material suppliers, and that specifications and allergen management practices are in place.
• Troubleshoot customer complaints and perform root cause analyses.
• Uphold international standards for food manufacturing and processing, using cutting-edge equipment, processing technology knowledge, and experience.

Key Skills:

• A project management approach to the delivery of key projects.
• Ability to identify problems and implement effective solutions in collaboration with your supplier base.
• Well-versed in relevant legislation and the ability to play an influencing role.
• Team-player attitude with the ability to work effectively within a diverse team.
• Confident and able to steer decisions and principles to protect brand values.
• A mindset that promotes excellence; high standards; and continuous improvement.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and stressful environment.
• Well-developed sensory skills; with diverse food experience and exposure.
• Sound business acumen and judgment; with a problem-solving approach.
• Exceptional project management; strategic development; and planning skills.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills; including networking; influencing; communication; and conflict resolution.
• Pro-active; innovative; and entrepreneurial approach.
• Flexible; with the ability and willingness to travel.
• Fluent in Afrikaans or English, with excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent computer skills in all facets of use as a technical tool.

Qualifications:

• BSc Food Science or BTech Food Technology degree with 10–15 years of industry experience. Relevant retail experience is required.
• Understanding of high- and low-risk food processing and the correct management of cross flow.
• Understanding of cold chain management and critical control factors for maintaining food products in their optimum state.
• Practical experience in and understanding of different food preparation stages and processes.
• Knowledge of technical processes and principles, i.e. HACCP, GMP, root cause analysis, supply chain, raw materials, allergen management, and micro and listeria management.
• Proven, relevant industry experience and knowledge across a wide range of food products.
• Technical product knowledge, i.e. product characteristics, raw material sourcing, manufacturing processes, and quality and safety parameters.
• Knowledge of packaging functionality and application.
• Understanding of environmental management and sustainability.