Company Overview

Our client is a globally celebrated, European-headquartered multinational manufacturer and market leader in gourmet beverage solutions, premium flavored syrups, specialty sauces, and advanced fruit preparations. Renowned for culinary innovation and strict international quality benchmarks, their state-of-the-art automated manufacturing facility in Selangor serves as the primary production engine for the Asia-Pacific region. To lead their active, high-turnover testing laboratories and maintain absolute product compliance, they are seeking a highly technical, hands-on Plant QC & Laboratory Operations Manager.

Important Sourcing Filter (Read Before Applying)

• 
  This is NOT a pure desktop auditing, documentation-heavy, or desk-bound QMS role.

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  We are specifically seeking a
  highly present, floor-active technical leader
  who thrives on the physical production lines, actively manages chemical/microbiological testing laboratories, directs raw material trial runs, and makes real-time, high-stakes food safety and process validation decisions directly on the factory floor.

Mission

The Plant QC & Laboratory Operations Manager holds full operational accountability for the day-to-day inspection, raw material verification, in-process control, laboratory accuracy, and final product release mechanisms of the plant. Operating as the primary defense against production defects, this role focuses heavily on chemical/microbiological laboratory supervision, resolving physical vendor material failures, and managing technical floor trials, while maintaining the plant's overall GFSI and regulatory compliance frameworks.

Key Responsibilities & Activities

1. Shopfloor Quality Control, Lab Management & Real-Time Decision Making

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  Active Plant Control:
  Lead and manage all daily Quality Control (QC) operations on the manufacturing floor, including incoming raw materials, in-process parameters, high-speed automated line testing, and final release protocols.

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  Laboratory Leadership:
  Manage the physical laboratory infrastructure, ensuring chemical, physical, and microbiological testing setups are fully resourced, calibrated, and compliant.

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  On-Floor Incident Response:
  Serve as the immediate technical authority on the line for food safety, contamination, process variations, or physical/chemical deviations, making swift, data-driven decisions to halt, release, or adjust batches.

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  Culture Leadership:
  Drive a zero-defect, high-accountability food safety and quality culture among production line operators and QC technicians.

2. Vendor Quality Management & Technical Line Trials

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  Supplier Performance Monitoring:
  Develop and run the supplier quality program, managing incoming raw material/packaging non-conformances and driving corrective actions with key suppliers.

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  Raw Material Trials:
  Personally lead the quality validation, physical testing, and line trials for all new raw materials, trial ingredients, and packaging components prior to factory scaling.

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  Incident Investigations:
  Investigate and resolve customer complaints linked to raw material failures, performing deep-dive root cause analyses alongside suppliers.

3. Pragmatic QMS, Audits & Compliance Support

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  Practical System Alignment:
  Support the Food Safety Team Leader (FSTL) in maintaining active, functional alignment with GFSI standards, HACCP protocols, SMETA social compliance, and local regulatory mandates.

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  Audit Frontline:
  Serve as a key technical representative during third-party certification audits, corporate reviews, and customer inspections.

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  CAPA Execution:
  Ensure that all non-conformances identified during audits translate into concrete, practical shopfloor habits, preventing administrative "paper-only" resolutions.

4. B2B Client & Online Spec Management

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  Account Specifications:
  Supervise the compilation, verification, and timely submission of technical product specifications and online portals for premium regional B2B key accounts.

Requirements

Education & Professional Registrations

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  Education:
  Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Food Technology, Food Engineering, Chemistry, or a closely related science-based technical discipline.

• 
  Professional Edge:
  Active registration as a
  Registered Food Analyst
  with the Malaysian Ministry of Health (KKM) is highly advantageous.

Technical Competencies & Experience

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  Professional Background:
  Minimum of 5+ years of active managerial experience directly leading hands-on QC operations and laboratory departments within a
  food, dairy, liquid beverage, or FMCG
  manufacturing facility.

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  Hands-on Mastery:
  Strong, demonstrable experience managing chemical/microbiological lab testing, instrument calibrations, on-line process validations, and physical trial runs.

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  Regulatory Compliance:
  Practical experience managing audits for GFSI certifications (such as FSSC 22000, BRCGS, or SQF), HACCP frameworks, and SMETA requirements.

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  Software Literacy:
  Familiarity utilizing enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms (such as JD Edwards/JDE) and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) databases is highly preferred.

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  Root Cause Analytical Skills:
  Highly structured approach to problem-solving, with proven mastery of tools such as 5-Why Analysis, Ishikawa (Fishbone) diagrams, and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA).

Personal Attributes

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  Assertive Decision Maker:
  Comfortable standing ground on the production floor when defending quality standards, with the interpersonal skills to influence production leaders positively.

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  Bilingual Capability:
  Strong verbal and written English communication skills to interface effectively with global suppliers, corporate auditors, and regional key account representatives.