Food Safety and Quality Assurance (fsqa) Officer_sc8

Organizational Context

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, dedicated to saving lives and building a pathway to peace and prosperity. WFP works in over 80 countries, assisting millions of people annually by providing food assistance in emergencies and collaborating with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. WFP is committed to diversity and inclusion, fostering a skilled and high-performing workforce.

Job Purpose

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Officer will be instrumental in ensuring the integrity and safety of food commodities throughout WFP Liberia's operations. This role involves leading the implementation and continuous improvement of the Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS) across all programmatic activities, including procurement, logistics, Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), smallholder farmer support, and food fortification. The FSQA Officer will monitor risks, conduct inspections, support supplier assessments, manage food safety incidents, and provide technical guidance to enhance food quality and beneficiary well-being. This position is crucial for safeguarding WFP's reputation and ensuring that the food assistance provided meets the highest safety and quality standards, contributing to WFP's mission of achieving Zero Hunger.

Responsibilities

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer is responsible for implementing and enhancing the World Food Programme's (WFP) Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS) across all supply chain activities, including procurement, storage, and distribution. This involves ensuring compliance with WFP standards, national regulations, and international food safety guidelines. The role includes monitoring food safety and quality risks, recommending preventive and corrective actions, and overseeing quality assurance processes such as inspections, sampling, testing, and warehouse monitoring. A key duty is supporting supplier prequalification and providing technical guidance to partners to improve their compliance. The officer will also manage food safety risk activities, including incident investigations, traceability, and product recalls, offering recommendations to minimize losses and address concerns. Responsibilities extend to managing laboratory activities, coordinating testing programs, and providing technical advice on food technology, fortification, and packaging. Furthermore, the role involves providing support to various program activities like school feeding and nutrition initiatives, ensuring food safety risks are integrated into program design. Capacity building for WFP staff, government counterparts, and other stakeholders through training and mentoring is crucial, as is promoting a strong food safety culture. The officer will act as the primary contact for food safety matters in WFP Liberia, representing the organization in technical forums and building partnerships with government agencies, UN bodies, NGOs, and private sector actors to strengthen national food safety systems and governance.

Work Experience

Requires at least three years of progressive professional experience in food safety and quality assurance. This includes expertise in food technology, quality management systems, supply chain management, supplier quality assurance, food inspection, laboratory management, and incident management. Knowledge of food safety standards like ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRC, and HACCP is also necessary.

Skills

Food Safety Management Systems, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain Management, Food Technology, HACCP, ISO 22000, Supplier Audits, Incident Management, Laboratory Management, Food Fortification, Capacity Building, Stakeholder Engagement, Partnership, Risk Management, Logistics, Procurement, Distribution, Commodity Inspection, Product Traceability, Food Security

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