Quality Assurance Manager

Location: Corporate Office (Regular travel to kitchens, venues, LifeCo sites & events)

Department: Quality, Health, Safety & Environment

Reporting To: Business Head / Head – Culinary & Operations

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Head – Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) to lead food safety, quality, workplace safety and environmental compliance across Catering Collective's Banquets & Catering and LifeCo operations.

The role is responsible for setting clear standards, checking their implementation, closing gaps quickly and supporting operations to deliver safe, compliant and consistent food service.

Key Responsibilities:

QHSE Leadership:

• Own QHSE standards, SOPs, audit formats and compliance controls for venue kitchens, central kitchens, outdoor catering events, warehouses and LifeCo sites.
• Ensure compliance with FSSAI requirements, client standards and applicable health, fire, labour-safety and local authority requirements.
• Implement HACCP-based controls for receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling, reheating, holding, dispatch, transport and service.
• Monitor food temperatures, shelf life, labelling, traceability, FIFO/FEFO, allergen controls, vegetarian/non-vegetarian segregation, sanitation and personal hygiene.
• Conduct planned and surprise audits, classify findings by risk, issue corrective actions and verify closure.
• Investigate food complaints, suspected foodborne illness, accidents, near misses and serious deviations; complete root-cause analysis and preventive action.
• Coordinate food, water and surface testing; review reports and ensure timely action on adverse results.
• Maintain the compliance calendar, licences, certificates, food-handler medical fitness records, pest-control records and other statutory documentation.
• Train chefs, kitchen teams, service teams, stewarding, warehouse staff, drivers, supervisors and outsourced manpower on practical QHSE requirements.
• Prepare concise weekly and monthly reports covering critical risks, audit scores, incidents, complaints, overdue actions and support required from management.

Banquets & Outdoor Catering

• Complete pre-event risk checks for temporary kitchens, utilities, fire safety, food holding, hand-wash facilities, waste disposal and emergency readiness.
• Check dispatch hygiene, vehicle condition, cold-chain controls and food-receipt temperatures at the venue.
• Monitor live counters, buffets, back-of-house areas and safe use of LPG, electrical equipment, induction units, tandoors and chafing fuel.
• Ensure external food vendors and outsourced counters follow Catering Collective standards before and during service.
• Review event deviations and ensure corrective actions are closed before the next event.

LifeCo Operations

• Implement site-level QHSE controls for corporate cafeterias, food courts and institutional catering locations.
• Conduct routine inspections covering production, service, replenishment, pantry operations, equipment hygiene and peak meal-period controls.
• Coordinate with client administration, facilities and EHS teams; manage client audits and close observations with evidence.
• Review consumer complaints and recurring service issues and share a monthly site performance report.

Workplace Safety & Environment

• Identify and control risks related to burns, cuts, slips, falls, manual handling, chemicals, electrical systems, gas banks, heat exposure and temporary event setups.
• Ensure use of PPE, first-aid readiness, safe work practices, emergency response and incident reporting.
• Drive practical controls for food-waste reduction, waste segregation, used-oil disposal, water and energy conservation, chemical handling and reduced single-use plastic.

Vendor & Supply Quality

• Support vendor approval through risk assessment, site audits and review of licences, testing and hygiene controls.
• Set incoming material checks for quality, temperature, packaging, labelling, shelf life and cold-chain compliance.
• Raise supplier non-conformities and coordinate corrective action with SCM, Culinary and Operations.

Authority

• Stop production, dispatch or service where there is an immediate food-safety or safety risk.
• Reject unsafe or non-compliant material and recommend temporary closure of unsafe equipment or operating areas.
• Escalate critical or repeated violations directly to senior management and require documented corrective action.
• Permit restart only after the risk has been controlled and corrective action has been verified.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Food Technology, Food Science, Microbiology, Hotel Management, Environmental Health, Occupational Safety or a related field.
• HACCP certification is required. FSSAI Food Safety Supervisor and internal-auditor certification are preferred.
• Working knowledge of ISO 22000; exposure to ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 is desirable.
• 8–12 years of relevant experience, including at least 3–5 years in a managerial or multi-location role within hospitality, catering, institutional food service, central kitchens or large-scale food production.

Skills & Behaviour

• Strong practical knowledge of food safety, hygiene, audits, risk assessment and root-cause analysis.
• Firm, fair and collaborative approach with chefs, operations teams, clients and vendors.
• Clear reporting, training and communication skills with strong follow-through on corrective actions.
• Comfortable working at kitchens, warehouses, client sites and events, including weekends or irregular hours when required.

First 90 Days

• Complete a baseline review of all locations, licences and high-risk gaps.
• Standardise core audit checklists, incident reporting and CAPA tracking.
• Launch priority training and establish monthly location-wise QHSE scorecards.
• Present a practical 12-month improvement plan to management.

Role Success

Success in this role means that operations remain legally compliant, food-safety and workplace risks are controlled, critical issues are escalated early, corrective actions are closed on time and site teams take day-to-day ownership of QHSE standards.