Quality Assurance / Technical Officer - Japanese & Organic Fine Foods

Quality Assurance / Technical Officer - Japanese & Organic Fine Foods | Japanese Speaker

West London, Acton
£28,000 - £30,000 + Company pension scheme + 50% of company products + Rising Holidays
Starting date: ASAP

A privately owned, independent UK company based in London. We are a brand holder and importer of a wide range of Japanese and European foods distributed to the health-food trade and major supermarkets in the UK as well as exported to over 50 countries. We work with specialist producers in Japan and Europe to develop authentic, vegan and free-from foods, certified organic whenever possible. The company’s operations including quality assurance are administered from the head office in Acton with the principal warehouse and distribution centre in Holland.

Reporting to Technical and Quality Assurance Manager you will be working within the QA/ Technical Team:

+ Ensuring safety, authenticity and quality of our branded products and their compliance with the applicable food regulations and organic standards
+ Maintaining our product database and ERP system ensuring that our product specifications and related QA documents are accurate and up to date
+ Assisting with the enquiries from the Sales Team and trade customers for technical information, customer questionnaires, new line forms, certificates of analysis etc.
+ Working closely with the Product Development team to ensure the compliance of the final product and the product label
+ Assisting with the customer queries and complaints and investigating them with the suppliers
+ Undertaking the necessary communication with our suppliers, reviewing and approving suppliers technical documentation (product specifications, HACCP plans, supplier questionnaires, certificates of analysis, suppliers’ third party certificates, etc.) to ensure compliance with the applicable regulations and agreed specifications
+ Undertaking necessary QC checks, monitoring, reporting, investigating and closing the non-conformities
+ Actively participating in maintaining QMS and HACCP plan and keeping up to date with the emerging trends in the fields of food safety and regulatory compliance
+ Maintaining the relevant third party certifications

Quality Assurance / Technical Officer Candidate Qualifications:

Essential requirements:

+ Fluent written & spoken English & Japanese
+ Experience in the food industry in the similar brand holder/ importer/ distributor environment dealing with a wide range of ambient product categories
+ Good scientific background/ understanding of food science
+ Working knowledge of EU / UK Food Regulations
+ Good understanding and training in HACCP principles
+ Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel, Word and Access and ERP systems
+ High level of accuracy and attention to detail and proactive approach to problem solving
+ Self-motivating team player, with good communication skills

Desirable requirements:

+ Working knowledge of the BRC certification requirements, particularly Agents & Brokers standard
+ Fluent written & spoken Japanese
+ Knowledge of organic certification standards
+ Working knowledge of organic food products

Benefits

+ £28,000 - £30,000 based on experience
+ Purchase of company products at 50% discount from retail price
+ We offer an Auto Enrolment Company Pension Plan.
+ A bonus may be paid to all team members annually, based on the profitability of the company.

Working Hours and Office Atmosphere

+ Working hours: 8.30-5.30pm Monday to Friday with one hour (unpaid) for lunch
+ We are an independent company and this role is based in an office with 26 people in total, with a wide range of ages and nationalities.
+ Facilities to prepare lunches in well-equipped staff kitchen

Interested? Apply here for a fast-track path to the Hiring Manager

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If you have any pre-application questions please contact us first quoting the job title & ref. Good luck, Team RR.