QA Executive

PepsiCo; India; On-site; INR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

PepsiCo is seeking a Quality Assurance professional for its Channo plant to ensure online quality checks during production and packaging. You will monitor key QC parameters, conduct Cook tests, and coordinate with Agro and production teams to prevent defects and waste.

The role requires 3–5 years of experience in food manufacturing, familiarity with HACCP/ISO and TPM, and the ability to drive corrective actions and maintain plant quality standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in quality control within food manufacturing.
• Familiarity with food safety systems (HACCP, ISO, TPM).
• Ability to coordinate with multiple shifts and production teams.
• Strong analytical and problem solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Ensuring that the quality of potatoes issued for production is as per the standard specifications.
• Frying the sample and conducting Cook Test for color, internal defects and greening.
• Providing status reports to Agro Department and planning pickers for the lot.
• Deciding whether the lot should be accepted or rejected.
• Conducting Cook’s Test every 15 days for long-term storage potatoes.

Skills

Quality control

Food safety

TPM

Team coordination

Education

B.Tech (Food Tech)

Job description

Overview

• Vertical startup of PC 32 Y 21 lines at Channo plant with right quality product & building a quality culture in the plant.


• Stabilization of shift quality operations.


• Ensuring shifts KPIs such as WIP/ Leakages/ Zero red complain

• Ensuring best quality of product and minimum customer complaints through stringent on-line quality control checks and finished product inspection

• Implementing right quality control systems/standards for the processes, physical systems and environment.


• Trouble shooting during online production to minimize wastage and ensure quality.


• Responsible for maintaining GMP, GHK GLP and internal / external audits (HACCP, AIB, Personal Hygiene, Process audit).


• Train and development of quality checkers.


• Ensure quality of potato issued for production.

Scope– list in priority order the main accountabilities/deliverables of the role, including key measures. These should be clearly the responsibilities of the JOB HOLDER.

Responsibilities

Ensuring that the quality of potatoes issued for production is as per the standard specifications

• Frying the sample and conducting COOK Test for checking various factors like % of undesirable color, internal defects, greening percentage etc.


• Providing status report to the Agro Department and indicating the number of pickers that will be needed for the particular lot (whose responsibility)


• Deciding whether the lot should be accepted or rejected


• Conducting similar Cook’s Test after every 15 days and whenever required for the potatoes stored in the warehouses under long term storage

Conducting online quality checks in the process area to ensure that all Pepsico standards of quality are followed during the production process in shifts

• Conducting visual inspection for;

• Ensuring that all key operating parameters of machines are in the specified range


• (Peelers, Fryers, Slicer for thickness average and range, Chip Conveyors, Seasoning Tumbler)


• Ensuring after every hour that the potatoes in the trim and pare area are properly peeled


• Checking slice thickness and free surface moisture after every 4 hours


• Deciding whether to introduce anti-foaming agent in the process


• Recording the dwell time from the operator's logbook after every 4 hours


• Checking the level of seasoning applied

• Conducting analytical tests for

• Deciding whether blanching is required - Hunter Color Test


• Ensuring optimum utilization of fryer oil

• Conducting 4 hourly checks on oil being used for frying for FFA, OV, PV, foreign materials, taste, odor and specific gravity


• Comparing test results against gold standards oil usage charts


• Deciding the mix of fresh and blended oil to be used for frying operations

• Checking the fried chips after every hour for TPD parameters like PA, percentage oil in the chip, % of soft centered chips, blisters, dark flakes, clusters etc.

• Measuring parameters like bulk density, moisture, seasoning and dimension for Non-PC products

Taking corrective actions to resolve problems thrown up by the tests

1. Providing feedback to operators on corrective actions that can be taken for rectifying small problems

• Communicating to the shift in-charge the number of pickers needed for the process area on the basis of online checks


• Asking the Agro department to change the potato lot in case there are no pickers and the number of potato defects are large


• Communicating concern areas and corrective actions to the concerned shift in-charge and production manager promptly


• Informing the Quality Manager in case test results indicate a crisis situation, who will then conduct a compete trial run of that lot of potato to take an appropriate decision

Conducting online quality checks and finished products’ inspection in the packaging area to ensure compliance with Frito Lay standards of quality

• Ensuring that the Quality Checkers conduct half hourly checks for air leakage and hourly checks for weight, batch printing and air fill

• Conducting analytical tests for

• Checking after every four hours the percentage of oxygen in the bags - Nitrogen Flushing tests

• Conducting random film quality checks on the basis of any special complaints received from the production department

• Communicating concern areas and corrective actions to the concerned operator, shift in-charge and production manager promptly


• Consulting the quality manager in case of criticalities


• Ensuring that the corrective action is implemented

Monitoring machines in the process and packaging area specifically for their effect on quality and ensuring minimum waste due to machine related factors

• Calibration of machines like FL 710e that detects moisture and % of oil in the chips after they are fried


• Ensuring that the slicer blade is changed after every 1 and ½ hour


• Ensuring that the peeler rollers are changed periodically to avoid under or over peeling


• Maintaining accurate and comprehensive reports for communication to all the people concerned


• Ensuring that the quality checkers make an end of shift report (for air leakage) at the end of every shift and then circulate it amongst the concerned people (quality, engineering, production)

• Filing these reports on a daily basis


• Filling the Weak Link Form to record the results of the oil tests


• Making a Daily Quality Report for the Quality Manager


• Updation of reports


• Ensuring that the operators make quality relevant entries in their log books after every ½ hour

• Conducting regular quality wall meetings with the production and engineering personnel for discussing quality defects detected online and then deciding the measures to rectify the problems


• Coordinating a \"Take Action Wall\" meeting after every 4 hours


• Ensuring that at least four people viz. shift incharge, packaging leader, engineering executive and the quality officer are present for the meeting

• Comparing the product with the gold standard for appearance, flavor, texture and recording the ratings given to the product (ratings will vary between 0-10)


• Deciding on appropriate action for the product on the basis of the test scores

• Coordinating a Mini Wall Meeting after an hour of the Take Action Meeting to ensure that the recommended action has been carried out and the problem has been rectified


• Calling for a \"Hot Wall\" meeting in case there is a critical problem

Conducting a weekly housekeeping audit to ensure implementation of safety and hygiene practices

• Inspecting the process and packaging area to ensure that the working conditions like lighting, placement of material on the shop floor are as per standard requirements and that there are no unsafe conditions in the plant


• Ensuring that the equipment have been cleaned properly on the previous Saturday


• Conducting visual inspection to ensure that all the hold material of the previous week is cleared

• Ensuring that pest control is done regularly in the plant


• Getting non-compliances rectified before start-up

Handling the hold material for minimizing wastages

• Ensuring that the hold material is cleared within 24-48 hours of hold-up


• Submitting a weekly and monthly report to the quality manager regarding the details of the hold material, reasons for the hold-up


• Awarding Red, White and Yellow Non-Compliance Disposition (NCD) Tags to the hold material after detailed analysis


• Reporting the status of the tags to the production department stating the reasons for hold-up

Ensuring adherence to statutory laws (Weights and Measures & FSSAI )

• Increasing awareness about statutory laws

• Maintaining accurate statutory records

Effective resolution of customer complaints

• Assisting the quality manager in analyzing root causes of complaint and developing a forward action plan


• Implementing the action plan


• Ensuring the complaint does not occur again

Participating in TPM activities for increased involvement in the functioning of the plant

• Leading/ participating in TPM for various projects undertaken by them.

Practicing a work culture that promotes company growth

• Internalizing quality standards and concept of \" cost of quality\'


• Executing the action plans to institutionalize these


• Providing regular feedback to the quality manager on culture


• Implementing change initiatives and continuous improvement in own department and plant


• Identifying areas of improvement and highlighting these to Quality Manager


• Implementing the action plans developed by the Quality Manager for continuous change


• Ensure compliance with SOX and perform all roles and responsibilities as a Control Owner of I2C process


• Documenting all quality procedures, systems, standards, findings, hazards and corrective actions

Additional information, Interactions / Complexity

• Interact with internal stake holders daily, weekly, Monthly basis such as packaging leader, Shift Incharge, maintenance coordinators for equipment corrections as Pepsico standards.


• External: CFA, 3P, Distributor, Sales


• Proper training and handholding of Quality checks


• Having site leadership team support is critical for the SET to deliver results


• Handling the IR situations of Quality (QC), managing Contract Labours @shop floor

Qualifications

Key Skills/Experience Required –

• B.Tech ( Food Tech)


• Exposure to food safety systems and ISO systems / 3 to 5 years.


• Preferably Knowledge of FSSAI /HACCP/AIB and TPM.