Country Lead: Qualify & Food Safety at Coca Cola Beverages Africa
Job Description
Job Summary
The Country Lead: Quality & Food Safety (Q&FS) is responsible for safeguarding consumer health, brand integrity, and regulatory compliance by governing end-to-end quality and food safety systems across the value chain. The function sets strategic direction, ensures robust controls, and drives a strong quality culture through disciplined execution, capability building, and continuous improvement.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
- Country Q&FS Leadership & Strategic Advisory : Serve as the country’s leading expert on quality and food safety, aligning local strategies with CCBA standards and regulatory requirements
- Q&FS Strategy Execution & Compliance : Develop and execute a country-level Q&FS strategy, ensuring full compliance with internal standards and external regulatory requirements
- Food Safety System Excellence : Implement and sustain world-class food safety systems, ensuring consistent product safety and quality
- Product Quality & Consumer Trust : Ensure delivery of consistent product quality standards, safeguarding brand integrity and consumer trust
- Regulatory Adherence & Risk Mitigation : Proactively manage food safety and quality risks, ensuring compliance with all legal, customer, and internal requirements
- Supplier & Value Chain Quality Assurance : Strengthen supplier quality management and end-to-end value chain assurance to prevent quality failures
- Incident & Crisis Management Leadership : Lead IMCR processes for quality and food safety incidents, ensuring rapid containment, resolution, and prevention of recurrence
- Capability Development & Quality Culture : Build in-country Q&FS capability through training, coaching, and embedding a strong quality-first culture
- Performance Monitoring & Continuous Improvement : Establish robust Q&FS metrics and drive continuous improvement through data-led insights and interventions
- Stakeholder Engagement & Representation : Represent the organization with regulators, industry bodies, and customers on Q&FS matters
Educational Qualifications, Experience, & Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related field
- Master’s degree or equivalent qualification (advantageous)
- Certification in HACCP / Food Safety Systems (preferred)
- 5-10 years in quality and/or food safety roles within FMCG or manufacturing
- Strong experience with food safety systems (HACCP, FSSC 22000, ISO standards)
- Proven track record in managing audits, regulatory engagement, and incident response
Core Competencies
- Technical Expertise : Deep knowledge of food safety systems, quality standards, and regulatory frameworks
- Risk Management : Strong capability in hazard analysis, risk assessment, and mitigation
- Analytical Thinking : Ability to interpret Q&FS data and drive insight-led improvements
- Problem Solving : Root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action implementation
- Stakeholder Influence : Ability to engage regulators, customers, and internal stakeholders
- Leadership & Capability Building : Coaching and developing high-performing Q&FS teams
- Audit & Compliance Management : Strong experience in leading internal/external audits
- Crisis Management : Ability to lead and communicate effectively during incidents
- Continuous Improvement Mindset : Driving standardization, simplification, and excellence
- Cultural Transformation : Embedding a “quality-first” and “consumer-first” mindset
