Quality Assurance Manager

Catering Collective · Mumbai, India

Location: Corporate Office (Regular travel to kitchens, venues, LifeCo sites & events)

Department: Quality, Health, Safety & Environment

Reporting To: Business Head / Head – Culinary & Operations

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Head – Quality, Health, Safety & Environment (QHSE) to lead food safety, quality, workplace safety and environmental compliance across Catering Collective‘s Banquets & Catering and LifeCo operations .

The role is responsible for setting clear standards, checking their implementation, closing gaps quickly and supporting operations to deliver safe, compliant and consistent food service.

Key Responsibilities:

QHSE Leadership:

• Own QHSE standards, SOPs, audit formats and compliance controls for venue kitchens, central kitchens, outdoor catering events, warehouses and LifeCo sites.
• Ensure compliance with FSSAI requirements, client standards and applicable health, fire, labour-safety and local authority requirements.
• Implement HACCP-based controls for receiving, storage, preparation, cooking, cooling, reheating, holding, dispatch, transport and service.
• Monitor food temperatures, shelf life, labelling, traceability, FIFO/FEFO, allergen controls, vegetarian/non-vegetarian segregation, sanitation and personal hygiene.
• Conduct planned and surprise audits, classify findings by risk, issue corrective actions and verify closure.
• Investigate food complaints, suspected foodborne illness, accidents, near misses and serious deviations; complete root-cause analysis and preventive action.
• Coordinate food, water and surface testing; review reports and ensure timely action on adverse results.
• Maintain the compliance calendar, licences, certificates, food-handler medical fitness records, pest-control records and other statutory documentation.
• Train chefs, kitchen teams, service teams, stewarding, warehouse staff, drivers, supervisors and outsourced manpower on practical QHSE requirements.
• Prepare concise weekly and monthly reports covering critical risks, audit scores, incidents, complaints, overdue actions and support required from management.

Banquets & Outdoor Catering

• Complete pre-event risk checks for temporary kitchens, utilities, fire safety, food holding, hand-wash facilities, waste disposal and emergency readiness.
• Check dispatch hygiene, vehicle condition, cold-chain controls and food-receipt temperatures at the venue.
• Monitor live counters, buffets, back-of-house areas and safe use of LPG, electrical equipment, induction units, tandoors and chafing fuel.
• Ensure external food vendors and outsourced counters follow Catering Collective standards before and during service.
• Review event deviations and ensure corrective actions are closed before the next event.

LifeCo Operations

• Implement site-level QHSE controls for corporate cafeterias, food courts and institutional catering locations.
• Conduct routine inspections covering production, service, replenishment, pantry operations, equipment hygiene and peak meal-period controls.
• Coordinate with client administration, facilities and EHS teams; manage client audits and close observations with evidence.
• Review consumer complaints and recurring service issues and share a monthly site performance report.

Workplace Safety & Environment

• Identify and control risks related to burns, cuts, slips, falls, manual handling, chemicals, electrical systems, gas banks, heat exposure and temporary event setups.
• Ensure use of PPE, first-aid readiness, safe work practices, emergency response and incident reporting.
• Drive practical controls for food-waste reduction, waste segregation, used-oil disposal, water and energy conservation, chemical handling and reduced single-use plastic.

Vendor & Supply Quality

• Support vendor approval through risk assessment, site audits and review of licences, testing and hygiene controls.
• Set incoming material checks for quality, temperature, packaging, labelling, shelf life and cold-chain compliance.
• Raise supplier non-conformities and coordinate corrective action with SCM, Culinary and Operations.

Authority

• Stop production, dispatch or service where there is an immediate food-safety or safety risk.
• Reject unsafe or non-compliant material and recommend temporary closure of unsafe equipment or operating areas.
• Escalate critical or repeated violations directly to senior management and require documented corrective action.
• Permit restart only after the risk has been controlled and corrective action has been verified.

Qualifications & Experience

• Graduate or postgraduate qualification in Food Technology, Food Science, Microbiology, Hotel Management, Environmental Health, Occupational Safety or a related field.
• HACCP certification is required. FSSAI Food Safety Supervisor and internal-auditor certification are preferred.
• Working knowledge of ISO 22000; exposure to ISO 45001 and ISO 14001 is desirable.
• 8–12 years of relevant experience, including at least 3–5 years in a managerial or multi-location role within hospitality, catering, institutional food service, central kitchens or large-scale food production.

Skills & Behaviour

• Strong practical knowledge of food safety, hygiene, audits, risk assessment and root-cause analysis.
• Firm, fair and collaborative approach with chefs, operations teams, clients and vendors.
• Clear reporting, training and communication skills with strong follow-through on corrective actions.
• Comfortable working at kitchens, warehouses, client sites and events, including weekends or irregular hours when required.

First 90 Days

• Complete a baseline review of all locations, licences and high-risk gaps.
• Standardise core audit checklists, incident reporting and CAPA tracking.
• Launch priority training and establish monthly location-wise QHSE scorecards.
• Present a practical 12-month improvement plan to management.

Role Success

Success in this role means that operations remain legally compliant, food-safety and workplace risks are controlled, critical issues are escalated early, corrective actions are closed on time and site teams take day-to-day ownership of QHSE standards.