Quality Controller

Salt Digital Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 450,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Salt Digital Recruitment seeks an experienced Quality Controller to oversee QA across promotional products produced in factories worldwide. This hands-on, factory-facing role requires travel to production sites and accountability for supplier conformance to specifications.

You will coordinate product testing, review lab reports and BOMs, perform label and compliance checks, and drive corrective actions to keep projects on schedule. Strong knowledge of safety and regulatory standards is essential.

Qualifications

• 8+ years working with 3rd party laboratories in a customer-support role.
• 2–3 years in sourcing offices for hard goods and softlines promotional products.
• Experience as a QC Manager or QC Supervisor is advantageous.
• Experience handling markets with importation/certification requirements is a plus.
• Solid knowledge of product safety, regulatory and performance standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-site QC checks, in-line inspections and final AQL inspections at factories.
• Develop product inspection checklists and protocols for different promotional product categories.
• Lead and conduct on-site factory audits to assess capability and capacity.
• Coach and support suppliers on audit requirements and corrective actions.
• Review inspection reports and follow up on findings with vendors and manufacturers.

Skills

Lab experience

Sourcing offices

Quality management

Regulatory knowledge

Travel willingness

Organisational skills

Job description

Quality Controller Our client is looking for an experienced Quality Controller to manage quality assurance across a wide range of promotional products, manufactured in factories across various regions. This is a hands-on, factory-facing role for someone who's comfortable travelling on-site to inspect production runs and hold suppliers accountable to spec, across the full mix of promotional product categories.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Product Testing & Certification (Promotional Products)
  • Work with 3rd party laboratories to determine the required test plan for each promotional product - covering safety, regulatory, performance, and local country importation/certification requirements
  • Review test plans with internal teams and Client Supplier Quality Assurance (SQA) for sign-off, balancing product compliance against cost across the various promotional product categories
  • Review lab test reports from 3rd parties and manufacturers to confirm tested items match the required test plan and Bill of Materials (BOM)
  • Conduct label reviews on promotional items, checking symbols, instructions, and language requirements for accuracy
  • Manage pre-purchase, production, and intervention testing to keep results on track with project timelines - and guide corrective action when a test fails
• Factory-Based Inspection & Auditing
  • Conduct on-site QC checks, in-line inspections, and final AQL inspections at factories manufacturing promotional products, ensuring items conform to agreed specifications and quality standards
  • Develop product inspection checklists and protocols tailored to different promotional product categories, for use by internal QC teams and appointed 3rd party inspection providers
  • Lead and conduct on-site factory audits to assess capability and capacity
  • Coach and support suppliers/factories on audit requirements and corrective actions
  • Review inspection reports and follow up on findings with vendors and manufacturers
• Compliance & Documentation
  • Provide technical support on Chain of Custody (CoC) and Declaration of Conformity (DoC) requirements to suppliers, factories, and procurement/merchandising teams, down to raw materials level
  • Generate and review product specifications, including test plans and inspection protocols
  • Conduct preliminary failure analysis on field-reported issues and track these through to resolution
  • Stay current on global product recall databases to proactively build recall-prevention checks into test plans and inspections

What You’ll Need

• At least 8 years' experience with 3rd party labs in a customer support/service capacity, plus 2-3 years in sourcing offices covering hard goods and softlines promotional product categories
• Previous experience as a QC Manager or QC Supervisor across hard goods and softlines promotional products is an advantage
• Practical experience managing projects into markets with local importation/certification requirements (e.g. Kenya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia) is a plus
• Solid knowledge of product safety, regulatory, and performance requirements against international and market-specific standards
• A methodical, detail-driven approach - able to apply quality tools and methodologies consistently
• Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and timelines at once
• Comfortable travelling to factories/production sites as part of the role