Thabile Sikhosana
Quality Assurance Manager
Johannesburg,GP
Summary
I am a fully equipped, highly skilled Food technologist who is dedicated and results-driven with over 10 years of experience in the development and implementation of a comprehensive quality assurance program. I have experience in Food Quality and Safety and Product development departments. I have worked with a variety of products in both low risk and high-risk facilities, from meat to confectionery and bakery. I am seeking an opportunity to apply my expertise and drive excellence in quality management for a forward-thinking organization with a vision of customer satisfaction.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
2022
2022
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Quality Assurance Manager
Kees Beyers Chocolates
05.2022 - Current
- Quality Control: Overseeing the quality control processes in food production, including inspecting raw materials, monitoring production processes, and conducting final product inspections.
- Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring that the company complies with all food safety and quality regulations, including BRC global standard, Woolworths, Pick n Pay and Mondelez requirements.
- HACCP: Developing and implementing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) plans to identify and mitigate potential food safety risks. Lead the Food Safety and HACCP team.
- Audits: Conducting internal and external audits to assess compliance and quality standards.
- Supplier Relations: Managing relationships with suppliers to ensure the quality of raw materials and ingredients.
- Research: Staying updated on industry trends, emerging risks, and new technologies related to food safety and quality.
- New Product Development: Checking and approving all new packaging artwork.
- Led a team of 5 QC + 3 QA Officers.
Quality Assurance Technologist
RCL Foods
03.2020 - 04.2022
- Conducting internal audits and auditing suppliers.
- Managing customer complaints investigation, conducting root cause analysis and providing feedback.
- SAP System: Releasing, blocking and scraping stock.
- Monitoring the GMP and Hygiene practices at sites.
- Trained and mentored employees to maximize team performance.
- Involved in implementation of FSSC 22000, ISO 14001 and ISO 18001.
- Perform microbiological swabbing and interpret the results.
- Ensure Allergen Management is adhered to.
- Take product from NPD to Factory and execute factory trials.
- Revised and updated standard quality control operating procedures.
- Overseeing day to day operations in the quality department.
- Conducting investigations of customer complaints and providing feedback so that the same complaint does not occur.
Quality Assurance Technologist
Barbeque Rib Manufacturers
01.2019 - 02.2020
- Acting as team leader.
- Oversee day to day quality activities that encompass the quality and food safety system to achieve objectives.
- Monitor quality of incoming material, work in process and final products as per specification.
- Manage the Food Safety System.
- Supervise the implementation of the Pre requisite Programs.
- Form part of the team that conducts investigations for the identified non conformances.
- Periodically conduct traceability exercises to verify the systems.
- Complete and verify records required.
- Conduct monthly audits.
- Ensure product specification are documented and approved.
- Managing customer complaints systems.
- Ensure customer requirements are met.
- Ensure all quality records related to production are correctly completed.
- Actively take lead in all investigations relating to non conformances through Corrective action system.
- Manage the implemented quality control procedures for processes of raw material, work in process products and final products.
- Participate in the audit program (Internal, external and supplier audits).
- Manage the implementation of the verification program.
- Establish and maintain all required documents for quality and food safety systems.
- Conduct training of staff for food safety and quality systems.
- Do adhoc activities.
- Support the NPD department during production trials when required.
Quality Assurance Technician
RCL Consumer Pies
03.2015 - 12.2018
- Senior supervision onsite during Graveyard Emergency co-ordinator and IOD investigator.
- Safety procedures are executed during operation of equipment.
- Deep cleaning and sanitation verification using ATP and/or Swabs and visual inspections.
- Stripping of equipment verification in accordance to stripping schedule.
- Deep cleaning and sanitizing chemical concentrations verification using test kits.
- Process aids cleaning and sanitation verification.
- Waste removal using correct procedure to waste holding area.
- Cooking operation – Filling analysis to be conducted.
- Meat prep tumbling and butchery – Process control to be conducted.
- Quality System management: Ensures adherence to contractual customer specific, regulatory and internal requirements as per specifications.
- Ensuring compliance with all specification – raw materials, packaging (including labelling, intermediate and final product).
- Active enforcement and implementation of FSSC system.
- To provide support to production, maintenance, supply chain and quality teams through training and effecting continuous improvement.
- Ensure ongoing implementation (and where possible improvement) of the Quality and Food Safety system through the systematic implementation of the relevant food safety requirements as defined in the Food Safety RACI Matrix and relevant policies and procedures (SOP’ s).
- Quality Assurance and Support: Responsible for all quality control functions and supervision of Process Controllers.
- Management of quality through Team Leaders, Departmental Supervisors, Process Controllers, Weight checkers and R& D Technologists.
- Manage Raw material, Finish products and intermediate product quality checks (filling and pastry checks).
- Ensure that all GMP’ s/PRP’ s are managed on site.
- Conduct internal and Service Provider audits.
- Address daily trouble shooting in the production environment.
- Ensure appropriate remedial actions and corrective actions are taken timeously.
- Timeously investigate and complete Customer complaints.
- Ensure correct on hold / rejection procedure is followed.
- Ensure that FIFO method is followed.
- Conduct verification on all CCP’ s and Ops PRPs (e.g. X-Rays and metal detectors).
- Verification of cleaning and sanitation effectiveness particularly on night shift and weekends.
- Ensure that all equipment is maintained, calibrated and serviced according to the calibration and service schedule and by certified/accredited suppliers.
- Maintain export standards and supporting documents.
- Quality Management Administrative Duties: Support on-site Audits by external providers.
- Provide close-outs of audits findings, review and amend SOPs and procedures.
- Trend analysis for Food safety meetings and management review presentations.
- Attend to customer queries and complaints and resolve them according to Company Policy.
- Provide on-the job-training/ coaching and mentoring.
- SAP Functions and Purchasing: Purchase consumables and department stationery.
- Create Workflows for Purchase Order to be generated.
- Utilizes SAP tools to receive, release, block and scrap non-conforming materials.
- Do follow up and update SAP transitions by pulling out QA Health Checks reports e.g: Shelf life reports, stock overview reports and material document list reports.
Process Controller
Foodcorp
10.2012 - 03.2015
- Supplier audits, followed by audit reports and recommendations.
- Internal monthly audits: Glass log, foreign object, GMP and GHP.
- Internal trending of all audits.
- NCR logging ranging the log book then trending monthly.
- Training of floor staff: Hygiene awareness, foreign objects awareness, HACCP alert and importance.
- Developing the reject and accept criteria, training of the receiving team on that criteria.
- Ensuring all machinery, utensils and equipment are calibrated as per schedule.
- Process monitoring and verification: OPRP’ s and CCP's.
- Validation of metal detectors and X Ray units.
- Environmental monitoring: Surface and machine swabbing.
- Pre-inspection checks prior to production runs.
- Microbiologist: Factory and Laboratory duties (Process Management).
- Sampling of incoming raw materials, intermediates and finished products.
- Media preparation and conduct microbiological testing.
- Plate counting and conduct microbiological testing.
- Trend analysis, reporting of Non-conformances and conduct Root cause analysis.
- Initiate Corrective actions, Continual and Continuous improvements and Change management.
- Conduct process risk analysis and identification of hotspots for chemical, physical and microbiological contamination.
- Allergen management and control.
- Validation of the HACCP processes ( CCPs and OPRPs) for food safety and monitoring of shelf life of the products.
- Develop a verification of microbiological.
Process Controller
QK Meats
01.2010 - 01.2011
- Process monitoring and verification: OPRP’ s and CCP's.
- QA visual inspections.
- Raw material fat content sampling checks.
- Reporting of non-conformances.
- Foreign body checks and hunts.
- Hourly sterilizer checks.
- Hourly metal detection checks.
- Daily glass audits.
- Scale calibration.
- Oil checks.
- Glass and hard plastic audit.
- Pre-production (pre-inspection) checks.
- Factory environmental swabbing (food contact surfaces).
- Hand swabs.
- Water sampling checks.
- Foreign body collection audit.
- Collection of start of life and end of life samples.
- Collection of Cape Town samples.
- Conducting of taste panels.
- Good Manufacturing Practices Audit.
- Allergen Audits.
- Aseptically sampling of raw material in the laboratory.
- Recording of raw material received.
- Calibration of all equipment in the laboratory.
- Weighing out of ingredients to prepare media.
Education
BRC Standards - BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9
Progress Excellence
Johannesburg, GPIn House TACCP - Threat Assessment Critical Control Points
Merieux NutriSciences
Johannesburg, GPInhouse FSSC 22000 Version 4 - TACCP and VACCP
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaIn House FSSC 22000 for Supervisors - undefined
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaIn House Management and Mandatories - undefined
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaIn house FSSC 22000- Food Safety Auditing - undefined
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaIn House Root Cause Analysis - undefined
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaIn House SAP in-house training - undefined
RCL Foods
Krugersdorp, South AfricaIn House FSSC/ISO 22000 Activity Audit - undefined
Wareham and Associates
In House Introduction to Environmental Management Systems - undefined
Wareham & Associates
Johannesburg, South AfricaSkills
Problem Solving skills
Timeline
Quality Assurance Manager
Kees Beyers Chocolates
05.2022 - Current
Quality Assurance Technologist
RCL Foods
03.2020 - 04.2022
Quality Assurance Technologist
Barbeque Rib Manufacturers
01.2019 - 02.2020
Quality Assurance Technician
RCL Consumer Pies
03.2015 - 12.2018
Process Controller
Foodcorp
10.2012 - 03.2015
Process Controller
QK Meats
01.2010 - 01.2011
In House TACCP - Threat Assessment Critical Control Points
Merieux NutriSciences
Inhouse FSSC 22000 Version 4 - TACCP and VACCP
Wareham & Associates
In House FSSC 22000 for Supervisors - undefined
Wareham & Associates
In House Management and Mandatories - undefined
Wareham & Associates
In house FSSC 22000- Food Safety Auditing - undefined
Wareham & Associates
In House Root Cause Analysis - undefined
Wareham & Associates
In House SAP in-house training - undefined
RCL Foods
In House FSSC/ISO 22000 Activity Audit - undefined
Wareham and Associates
In House Introduction to Environmental Management Systems - undefined
Wareham & Associates
BRC Standards - BRC Global Standard for Food Safety Issue 9
Progress Excellence
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