Quality Specialist at TechnoServe

Requisition Number: QUALI01920
Job Category: Operations

About the Project

• Prosper Cashew is a five-year, $26 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Food for Progress Program that aims to catalyze investment for the West African cashew processing sector.
• Over the next five years, the project will strengthen and revive existing cashew processing facilities across Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria and support the development of new processing facilities and other value chain enterprises as part of the project’s overall goal to increase the share of raw cashew nut that is processed in the region from about 8% to 50%.
• Over five years, Prosper Cashew will improve the capacity of 60 processing units who source cashews from approximately 34,000 farmers, facilitate $497 million of investment in the cashew sector, and generate $1.5 billion in cashew kernel sales.
• The project expects to create more than 26,000 new jobs (at least 50% for women) and indirectly benefit more than 133,000 women, men, and children in West Africa.
• A key component of the project will be to strengthen and increase commercially viable cashew enterprises through technical support.
• The project will build processor capacity in business management, financial management, investment facilitation, HR and workforce management, marketing, and supply chain development.
• It will also identify and address specific constraints related to particular sections of cashew processing (raw cashew nut drying, warehousing, calibration, steam cooking, shelling, oven drying, peeling, grading, fumigation, packing, and storage) and provide support to processors to install food safety management systems, support the introduction of traceability, and support the introduction of environmental practices and effective waste management.

Primary Purpose and Function

• Reporting to Technical Support Lead, the Quality Specialist will provide quality management system support to a portfolio of approximately five medium to large-size processors (with a minimum annual installed capacity of 5,000 MT) with an objective to assist them to achieve improved quality of finished products through proper designing and implementation of various quality management system (QMS) tools & good manufacturing practices (GMP) systems.
• S/he will identify the gaps in existing systems and suggest a plan to improve it which will ultimately lead to better quality products. S/he will support implementation of a tailored action plan with each processing unit to address those gaps as per agreed goals and milestones.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provide support to a portfolio of up to five processors to build robust QMS to address specific constraints related to quality system & practices in particular sections of cashew processing (warehousing, calibration, steam cooking, shelling, oven drying, peeling, grading, fumigation, packing, and storage)
• Assist processors to optimize the grade parity of cashew kernels and minimize the losses
• Compile, analyze, and report data on progress of processing units with key internal and external stakeholders
• Lead the training and development programs of processors staff as well as key participants of the broader cashew processing ecosystem
• Ensure that women and other disadvantaged groups are sustainably integrated into quality activities
• Support processing units to attain their traceability and various certification objectives
• Support processors to implement improved environmental practices, including effective waste management
• Support the establishment of processing units for cashew byproducts
• Supervision of quality control on shop-floor
• Implementation of Food Safety Management System (FSMS) & QMS
• Audit of the process controls points and GAP analysis to prepare improvement plans
• Improvement in grade parity of cashew kernels

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Science / Chemistry /  Microbiology / Bio-Chemistry
• A minimum of 5-7 years’ experience in food processing
• Experience in cashew processing in Nigeria
• A minimum of 3 years’ quality manager experience including training individuals and teams with diverse backgrounds for FSMS & QMS and for performance improvement
• Thorough Knowledge of planning & execution of various aspects of FSMS
• Preferred Qualifications
• Experience in large cashew processing unit (10,000-15,000 MT capacity)
• HACCP/ PCQI/BRC auditor certification  

Languages:

• Proficiency in spoken and written English is required
• Knowledge of local languages is a plus

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
• Excellent time management and organizational skills
• Excellent oral/written communication and presentation skills
• Ability to balance multiple priorities and meet demanding deadlines
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Strong interpersonal and team-building skills
• Thorough knowledge of cashew kernel grades and its various optimization
• Proficiency in MS Office & presentation skills are required
• Willingness to spend up to 40% of time travelling domestically &/or relocate in Nigeria.