Packhouse QA Manager

Role Overview

This position places you at the center of export quality assurance at a busy packhouse in Solai, Nakuru County. On a typical day, you will move between the grading lines, cold rooms, and audit files, checking that every step of the operation meets the strict requirements of international buyers and certification bodies. Your judgements directly determine whether produce leaves the facility with confidence or is stopped before it becomes a customer complaint, making your role critical to both market access and the company's reputation.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct daily QA activities across all packhouse stages, including raw material receiving, grading, packing, and storage, to ensure product conformity with order specifications.
• Enforce hygiene and process controls tied to GlobalG.A.P., HACCP, and specific export market protocols, correcting deviations before they become systemic.
• Develop and execute a rolling internal audit schedule that covers food safety, worker practices, facility maintenance, and traceability systems.
• Prepare the site for external certification inspections by reviewing documentation, remedying gaps, and briefing relevant staff before auditors arrive.
• Investigate all quality failures, whether identified internally or reported by customers, and lead structured root-cause analysis to implement lasting corrective actions.
• Supervise, train, and motivate QA/QC assistants and inspectors, ensuring they understand both inspection techniques and the reasons behind the standards.
• Maintain accurate and current quality records for every batch, from pesticide residue data and calibration logs to daily inspection sheets and compliance reports.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A degree or diploma in food science, agriculture, horticulture, or a related field is essential for understanding the scientific principles behind quality and safety.
• At least three years of hands-on quality assurance experience within a packhouse or export-focused horticulture environment, with direct involvement in inspections and grading.
• Demonstrable working knowledge of GlobalG.A.P. and HACCP, with familiarity in BRC or similar food safety certification schemes being an advantage.
• Proven ability to manage audit preparation single-handedly, from updating records and standard operating procedures to organizing corrective action logs well ahead of a visit.
• Strong attention to detail and a meticulous approach to documentation, since traceability gaps can cost more than the time needed to prevent them.
• Good communication and supervisory skills, enabling you to enforce standards firmly without damaging teamwork, and to report confidently to senior management.
• Availability for full-time, on-site work in Solai, Nakuru County, with flexibility to travel to external audits or source locations when required.