QC Manager For a Beverage company

Role & responsibilities

1. Quality Control & Assurance

• Establish and maintain quality standards for all beverage products, raw materials, packaging materials, and finished products.
• Ensure products comply with FSSAI, BIS, legal, customer, and company quality requirements.
• Monitor quality at every stage of production, from raw material receipt to finished product dispatch.
• Develop and implement QC procedures, specifications, inspection plans, and testing protocols.

2. Raw Material & Packaging Material Inspection

• Inspect and approve incoming raw materials such as water, sugar, flavours, concentrates, preservatives, additives, etc.
• Check packaging materials including bottles, caps, labels, cartons, pouches, and other packing components.
• Maintain records of incoming material inspection and ensure proper sampling and testing.

3. In-Process Quality Control

• Monitor critical quality parameters during production, including:
• pH
• Brix
• Acidity
• CO level/carbonation
• Temperature
• Fill volume
• Product appearance, colour, taste and odour
• Bottle/cap integrity
• Ensure corrective action is taken whenever deviations are identified.

4. Finished Product Testing

• Ensure proper testing of finished beverages before release.
• Review laboratory test results and approve/reject batches based on defined specifications.
• Maintain batch-wise quality records and retain samples.

5. Microbiological & Hygiene Control

• Supervise microbiological testing of water, raw materials, products, equipment, and production environment.
• Monitor plant hygiene, personnel hygiene, sanitation, CIP, and cleaning practices.
• Coordinate with the production team to prevent contamination and microbiological risks.

6. Laboratory Management

• Manage the QC laboratory, testing equipment, chemicals, glassware, and consumables.
• Ensure calibration and maintenance of laboratory instruments.
• Establish proper laboratory practices and ensure test methods are followed accurately.
• Train QC chemists, technicians, and laboratory staff.

7. Documentation & Compliance

• Maintain QC records, batch reports, test reports, calibration records, COAs, specifications, and inspection reports.
• Prepare documentation required for internal and external audits.
• Ensure implementation of GMP, GHP, HACCP, ISO/FSSC 22000 and other applicable food-safety systems.

8. Non-Conformance & Corrective Action

• Identify quality deviations and investigate the root cause.
• Implement CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Action).
• Monitor recurring quality issues and take preventive measures.
• Coordinate with Production, Maintenance, Purchase, and Stores for resolution of quality problems.

9. Supplier & Customer Quality

• Evaluate the quality performance of raw-material and packaging suppliers.
• Support supplier audits and quality improvement activities.
• Investigate customer complaints and prepare root-cause analysis and corrective actions.

10. Team Management

• Lead and supervise the QC team across shifts.
• Prepare work allocation and testing schedules.
• Conduct training on quality standards, laboratory procedures, hygiene, food safety, and safety practices.
• Ensure proper manpower deployment and discipline within the QC department.

11. Audit & Regulatory Responsibilities

• Coordinate FSSAI, customer, third-party, internal, and certification audits.
• Ensure timely closure of audit observations.
• Keep all licenses, test reports, specifications, and compliance documents updated.

12. Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to reduce product rejection, wastage, rework, and quality-related losses.
• Analyze quality trends and prepare periodic quality reports.
• Work closely with Production and R&D to improve product consistency and process efficiency.

Preferred candidate profile

• Education: B.Sc./M.Sc. in Chemistry, Microbiology, Food Technology, Dairy Technology, or a related field.
• Experience: Minimum 6 years of experience in Quality Control/Quality Assurance, preferably in the beverage, FMCG, food, dairy, or bottling industry.
• Strong knowledge of beverage manufacturing processes, quality parameters, and laboratory testing.
• Hands-on experience in testing pH, Brix, acidity, carbonation, TSS, microbiological parameters, and other beverage quality parameters.
• Good knowledge of FSSAI, GMP, GHP, HACCP, ISO 22000/FSSC 22000 and applicable food safety requirements.
• Experience in raw material, packaging material, in-process, and finished product inspection.
• Should have experience in QC laboratory management, calibration, validation, sampling, and documentation.
• Strong understanding of CAPA, root-cause analysis, deviation management, and customer complaint handling.
• Experience in handling internal, customer, FSSAI, and third-party audits.
• Should be capable of leading and managing a QC team, including shift-wise manpower and laboratory activities.