Lab Operations Manager

DMart; Mumbai; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

DMart is seeking a Laboratory Manager to lead operations and ensure food quality and safety testing. Key responsibilities include developing testing protocols, managing vendor quality support, and maintaining compliance with NABL and ISO standards.

The ideal candidate will have experience in laboratory management and a strong background in food science. This role demands attention to detail and the ability to drive continuous improvement in quality practices.

Qualifications

• Experience in laboratory setup and management.
• Knowledge of NABL and ISO/IEC 17025 standards.
• Proficiency in analytical techniques and quality control.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end laboratory operations for quality testing.
• Develop and implement quality assurance protocols.
• Conduct panel training for sensory evaluation.

Skills

Laboratory operations management

Food quality and safety testing

Sensory evaluation systems

Data management

Quality assurance systems

Education

Degree in Food Science, Chemistry, or related field

Tools

Moisture analysers

Microbiology testing equipment

Rapid adulteration kits

Job description

Key Responsibilities

Laboratory Operations Management

• Ability to set up the new laboratories and lead them
• Manage end-to-end laboratory operations for food quality and food safety testing.
• Develop standardized testing protocols for:
• Incoming materials
• In-process materials
• Finished goods
• Packaging materials
• Ensure proper calibration, maintenance, and validation of laboratory equipment.
• Drive laboratory discipline, documentation, and GLP (Good Laboratory Practices).

Sensory Evaluation Systems

• Develop structured sensory evaluation programs for:
• Taste
• Aroma
• Texture
• Appearance
• Cooking performance
• Create sensory scorecards and benchmarking standards.
• Conduct panel training and calibration for sensory teams.
• Support product approval and vendor qualification through sensory analysis.

Vendor & Factory Quality Support

• Support procurement and operations teams through scientific quality validation.
• Define sampling protocols and inspection methodologies.
• Drive incoming material quality assurance systems.
• Support vendor audits and CAPA closures through laboratory data analysis.

Lab Infrastructure & Technology

• Identify and implement suitable laboratory technologies and instruments.
• Ensure effective utilization of:
• Moisture analysers
• Colour sort validation tools
• Weighing systems
• Microbiology testing equipment
• Sieve analysis systems
• Rapid adulteration kits
• Drive digitization of laboratory records and reporting systems.

Data Management & Reporting

• Publish laboratory MIS and trend analysis reports.
• Track:
• Product deviations
• Vendor quality trends
• Batch failures
• Complaint analysis
• Shelf-life observations

Support RCA (Root Cause Analysis) and CAPA implementation.

NABL & Compliance Systems

• Lead implementation and sustenance of systems aligned with:
• NABL accreditation requirements
• ISO/IEC 17025: 2017 standards
• FSSAI testing norms
• Internal QA standards
• Prepare laboratories for internal and external audits.
• Ensure method validation, traceability, documentation control, and record integrity.
• Coordinate proficiency testing and inter-lab comparison programs.

Quality Testing & Analytical Controls

• Establish testing standards for staples categories including:
  • Cereals, Breakfast cereals and Grains
  • Pulses and Dals
  • Sugar and Sweeteners
  • Floors and Milling Products
  • Dry fruits and Nuts
  • Spices and Masalas/Branded Masalas
  • Powder Spices
  • Salt and Seasonings
  • Regional Staple
  • Packaged grocery categories
• Monitor critical quality parameters such as:
  • Moisture
  • Foreign matter
  • Adulteration
  • Grain size
  • Broken percentage
  • Ash content
  • Gluten
  • Microbial parameters
  • Aflatoxins & contaminants
  • Pesticide residues (through external labs where applicable)