Technical Assistant

University of Fort Hare; Paarl; On-site; ZAR 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Fort Hare is seeking a Technical Assistant: Berries to join its quality team in Paarl. The role requires a BSc in Horticulture or Food Science with 2–3 years in a similar focus on compliance and quality systems.

You will develop and manage technical/due diligence systems, liaise with customers on food safety and labeling, and coordinate with suppliers to uphold MRL, ethical, and sustainability standards.

Qualifications

• BSc in Horticulture or Food Science required.
• 2–3 years in a similar role focusing on quality/compliance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage internal technical and due diligence systems as defined by the IFS Quality Management Systems.
• Liaise with customers regarding food safety, product quality, labeling, MRL, ethical and sustainability requirements.
• Collaborate with DAFF, PPECB, FruitSA and auditing bodies to stay compliant with industry standards.
• Set supplier approval criteria; assist growers with Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGap, Tesco Nurture, Field to Fork).
• Manage IFS Broker QMS, internal and external audits, HACCP team responsibilities.
• Address ethical compliance and track Sedex/SIZA memberships; drive sustainability initiatives.

Skills

Regulatory compliance

Food safety awareness

Quality documentation

Supplier liaison

Education

BSc in Horticulture or Food Science

Tools

IFS Quality Management System

GlobalGap

PPECB

MRL procedures

HACCP

Paltrack

Papertrail

Job description

My client, a well established fruit exporter based in Paarl is seeking to employ a Technical Assistant: Berries to join their Quality team.
The successful candidate will have a relevant BSc Degree (Horticulture / Food Science) to focus on compliance with 2 -3 years in a similar role.

Responsibilities

General

• Develop and manage internal technical and due diligence systems as defined by the IFS Quality Management Systems.
• Creating and maintaining a database for technical standards and applicable legislation.

Customers Due Diligence Requirements:

• Liaise with customers with regards to their food safety, product quality, labelling, MRL, ethical, sustainability requirements.
• Implementation of these customer requirements per fruit team and communication back to supply base.

Legislation and Industry/Market Requirements:

• Liaise with DAFF, PPECB, FruitSA, auditing bodies and key role players in order to keep up to date with quality, food safety, ethical legislation and requirements applicable to the industry.
• MRL requirements
• Minimum export standards
• Special market protocols and registrations
• FBO requirements and registrations
• Dispensations
• SIZA ethical program
• Food Safety standards
• Implementation of these standards and legislation and communication back to supply base.
• Represent the company at industry technical meetings.

Growers and Packhouse support:

• Set supplier approval criteria as per customer and market requirements. Communicate to commercial teams and supply base.
• Assists producers at farm level with interpretation and implementation of customer requirements and Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGap, Tesco Nurture, Field to Fork).
• Assists packhouses with interpretation and implementation of customer requirements and food safety systems.

Plant Protection Product Usage and other fruit analysis:

• Liaise with analytical laboratories with regards to accreditation status, scope of analyses and test results.
• Address customer concerns in terms of the use of plant protection products.
• Ensure that MRL sampling procedure is followed by monitoring that samples are drawn and results conform to market and customer requirements. Distribute MRL results to supply base and customers.
• Assist with managing of incidences where residue analysis exceeds MRL at farm level or on arrival at customer. Communicate to commercial/technical teams for re-testing, re-routing or possible re-call.
• Assemble spray-records per farm and variety as required.
• Assist with performing of trend analysis for MRL results to determine active ingredients/growers/variety that requires attention in reducing residue levels as requested by customers

Product Quality:

• Receive, interpret, capture and communicate QC feedback on arrival of fruit.

IFS Broker - Quality Management System:

• Management of the company QMS as per IFS Broker standards.
• Implementation and maintenance
• Internal auditing (including traceability)
• External auditing
• HACCP team member with the responsibility for food safety as required by the company's IFS system

Ethical Compliance:

• Address customer concerns in terms of ethical pratices within the company's supply chain.
• Ensure ethical compliance over the entire supply base by communicating market requirements to producers and growers status to customers.
• Follow-up on Sedex and SIZA memberships
• Follow-up on SIZA and GRASP ethical audit compliance

Sustainability Strategy:

• Address customer concerns and requirements in terms of sustainability practices within the company's supply chain.
• Assist in implementation of projects identified by the sustainability strategy (including biodiversity, social, water quality, carbon footprint).

Pre-Season:

• Updating Packing Guide that will be sent to Packhouses.
• Updating the Export System if there are new varieties / pack types etc.

During Season

Intakes:

• Import intake files, received via email and on the Paltrack server
• Ensuring the correctness of the pallets fruit spec, and doing corrections where applicable
• Follow up on receiving all the applicable Consignment notes for record purposes.
• Scan and save inspection documents on Papertrail

Dispatch / Transfers:

• Import transfer files, received via email and on the Paltrack server
• Ensuring the correctness of the pallets fruit spec, and doing corrections where applicable

Stock:

• Delete old stock files
• Import latest stock files
• Run a stock comparison on all pallets on stock, checking for any discrepancies
• Follow up with packhouses and depots on any discrepancy in fruit spec found
• Deviations
• After receiving deviation reports from depots follow up with relevant packhouse / producer and do corrections on stock where applicable.

Loading Instructions:

• Generate the container booking form, confirm booking on vessel planner, print, save and e-mail all
• Loading Instructions to relevant packhouses
• Create a flimsy per customer with relevant documents for each Loading Instruction

Mates:

• Continue to follow-up with depots / packhouses on receivingmates (confirmation on containers loaded)
• Import PO files, received via email and on the Paltrack server
• Compare mates received with loading instructions and confirm the container on Export System
• Generate and print out any relevant documents and add to Flimsy

Loading Notifications:

• After all the mates for a vessel were received, print out a loading notification for all containers
• As soon as confirmation is received from logistics on the actual departure date of the vessel, e-mail the loading notification (packing list) to all receivers

Invoices:

• Collect account sales and capture it on the Export System
• Receive prices / orders form customers or Blueberry Head and generate invoices
• E-mail invoices to customers once all the invoices are finalised
• Receipt confirm containers when specific weeks’ invoices have been issued
• Scan documents for archiving when pooling is finished

Other:

• R & M allocations: allocate stock to different receivers.
• Assist with similar activities for all business units
• Assist with generating invoices for Local Marketing
• Member of the IFS HACCP team