Regional Food Safety Microbiologist

ofi; Bengaluru Urban; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

ofi seeks a Regional Food Safety Microbiologist for Asia Pacific to provide advanced scientific leadership in food microbiology, microbiological risk management, environmental monitoring, validation science and food safety systems.

The role will support the implementation of global food safety strategies and initiatives across Asia Pacific while ensuring effective deployment of microbiological control programs, environmental monitoring systems and risk management practices.

Qualifications

• PhD in Microbiology is required.
• 15+ years in food microbiology or safety.
• Expertise in environmental monitoring and thermal processing.
• Knowledge of FSSC 22000, BRCGS, GFSI.
• Ability to travel internationally.

Responsibilities

• Lead validation and governance of thermal kill steps.
• Drive environmental monitoring programs regionally.
• Lead investigations into food safety incidents and root causes.
• Support regulatory and customer audits.
• Build micro lab capability and training across sites.

Skills

PhD in Microbiology

Food Safety

Environmental monitoring

Root cause analysis

Leadership

Education

PhD in Microbiology

Food Science/Technology

Job description

As a leading provider of high-quality food and beverage ingredients, we work with farming communities across the globe to grow, source and produce ingredients that are good for consumers, farmers, and the world around us. We supply household food brands and manufacturers worldwide with cocoa, coffee, dairy, nuts and spices ingredients which are often grown on our own farms and estates and sourced from hundreds of thousands of farmers across ~50 countries. Along with our diverse manufacturing and innovation capabilities, this means we can provide ingredients for a range of products, from a plant-based latte mix to an almond-based snack bar or a dairy-free ice cream. Making a positive impact on people and planet is a core component of our Purpose, to be the change for good food and a healthy future. With a deep-rooted presence in the countries where our ingredients are grown, we are closer to farmers, enabling better quality, and more reliable, traceable, and transparent supply. And whoever we’re with, whatever we’re doing, we always make it real.

JOB IN SUMMARY

The Regional Food Safety Microbiologist for Asia Pacific will provide advanced scientific leadership and technical expertise in food microbiology, microbiological risk management, environmental monitoring, validation science and food safety systems.

The role will support the implementation of global food safety strategies and initiatives across Asia Pacific while ensuring effective deployment of microbiological control programs, environmental monitoring systems, validation programs and risk management practices. The position will support ofi's Zero Incident Mindset through the application of sound science, robust risk assessments and continuous improvement of food safety controls.

As part of the Global Food Safety COE, the role will work closely with regional Quality & Food Safety teams, site leadership, Operations, Engineering and global food safety experts to drive harmonization, capability building and consistent application of food safety standards across all product platforms.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Global Food Safety COE Deployment

• Act as the Asia Pacific representative of the Global Food Safety COE.
• Support implementation of global food safety strategies, standards and initiatives across all Asia Pacific sites.
• Drive alignment and harmonization of microbiological risk management programs across regions.
• Support continuous improvement of global food safety standards and governance processes.
• Participate in global communities of practice and technical working groups.

Microbiological Risk Management

• Serve as the regional subject matter expert for food microbiology and microbiological risk management.
• Lead microbiological risk assessments for products, ingredients, processes and manufacturing environments.
• Identify current and emerging microbiological risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Support the development of preventive food safety controls using scientific and risk-based approaches.
• Provide technical leadership during significant food safety incidents and investigations.
• Lead deployment and continuous improvement of environmental monitoring programs across Asia Pacific.
• Establish risk-based pathogen and indicator organism monitoring strategies.
• Support sites in trend analysis, program optimization and investigation of environmental positives.
• Drive standardization of environmental monitoring methodologies across the region.
• Provide technical guidance for environmental monitoring program design and governance.

Thermal Process Validation Program

• Own and lead the validation program for thermal kill steps across all relevant manufacturing sites within Asia Pacific.
• Develop validation standards, protocols and scientific methodologies aligned with global requirements.
• Review and approve thermal process validation studies and challenge testing activities.
• Partner with Operations and Engineering teams to ensure validated processes are maintained and controlled.
• Support revalidation following process, product or equipment changes.
• Drive consistency of thermal process validation approaches across product platforms and regions.
• Maintain oversight of thermal validation effectiveness and identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Provide technical leadership for food safety validation and verification programs.
• Support validation of preventive controls, sanitation programs and microbiological interventions.
• Review validation protocols and ensure scientific rigor in study design and interpretation.
• Support implementation of risk-based verification activities across manufacturing sites.
• Ensure effective documentation and governance of validation programs.

Incident Management & Root Cause Analysis

• Lead microbiological investigations associated with food safety incidents, environmental positives and customer complaints.
• Support root cause investigations and development of corrective and preventive actions.
• Review regional microbiological trends and identify recurring issues requiring systematic improvement.
• Provide guidance during product disposition decisions and crisis management activities.

Capability Building & Training

• Develop and deliver advanced food microbiology and food safety training programs.
• Build microbiological capability across regional and site Quality & Food Safety teams.
• Coach and mentor food safety professionals across the region.
• Support development of technical competency frameworks for food safety and microbiology disciplines.
• Drive knowledge sharing through communities of practice and technical forums.
• Conduct Good Laboratory Practice internal audits for Micro Labs in the region
• Review new test methods and support implementation at all Micro Labs.
• Introduce rapid validated methods to improve TAT for microbiology tests at internal labs.
• Guide & Coordinate the Proficiency test program for all Micro Labs in the region.

Regulatory, Customer & Audit Support

• Participate in customer specifications review, understand requirements for RTE products, and provide guidance to sites on implementation.
• Be an active member of the Global Food Safety COE
• Monitor emerging scientific developments and evolving regulatory requirements.

EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATION

• PhD in Microbiology is required.
• Additional qualifications in Food Science, Food Technology, Biotechnology or related disciplines are advantageous.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in food microbiology, food safety or food manufacturing environments.
• Advanced expertise in foodborne pathogens, environmental microbiology, thermal processing and microbiological risk assessment.
• Demonstrated experience leading validation programs for thermal kill steps and preventive controls.
• Strong knowledge of environmental monitoring programs and pathogen control strategies.
• Extensive understanding of FSSC 22000, BRCGS, GFSI requirements and regulatory food safety expectations.
• Experience supporting multi-site and multi-country manufacturing operations.
• Strong analytical, scientific and statistical interpretation skills.
• Excellent root cause analysis and problem-solving capability.
• Strong project leadership and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence across multiple levels of the organization without direct authority.
• Ability to travel internationally as required.

Our Purpose is to "be the change for good food and a healthy future". At ofi, we celebrate our diversity. ofi provides equality of opportunity for all persons with respect to hiring without discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation. All employment decisions will be based on qualifications, merit, and business needs.