SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:
The SHEQ Manager is responsible for establishing, leading, and maintaining Kerston Foods’ Health & Safety, Environment, Food Safety, and Quality systems. The role ensures compliance with legal, customer, and certification requirements (FSSC 22000, HACCP, OHS Act, Environmental Legislation & ECOVADIS). This position ensures safe food handling, product integrity, operational excellence, and workplace safety while driving continuous improvement across the organization.
Duties & Responsibilities
Supervisory
- Lead Health & Safety, Environment, Food Safety, and Quality initiatives.
- Provide guidance and oversight to all teams regarding SHEQ & Food Safety compliance.
- Conduct SHEQ and Food Safety training, toolbox talks, and coaching sessions.
- Supervise SHEQ staff or assistants (if applicable).
- Facilitate audit readiness and manage corrective action plans.
- Embed a culture of safety, cleanliness, quality, and compliance.
- Ensure ongoing readiness for customer, FSSC, ECOVADIS and regulatory audits.
- Support Operations, Warehouse, Procurement, and Quality teams with SHEQ alignment.
Receiving, Returns, and Warehouse Defective & Non-Conforming Stock Control.
- Oversee and monitor the handling of defective and non-conforming stock in the warehouse.
- Ensure all returned, damaged, expired, or compromised stock is correctly identified, isolated, labelled, documented and discarded of .
- Conduct food safety and quality checks on all returns and defective products, including verification of temperature abuse, packaging integrity, and contamination risks.
- Ensure correct procedures for segregation of high-risk, quarantined, or unsafe products.
- Lead investigations into non-conforming stock trends and identify root causes.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date documentation for traceability of all non-conforming and returned products.
- Verify compliance with FSSC, HACCP, Ecovadis and legal food safety requirements for product handling and disposal.
- Strengthen controls over defective and non-conforming stock to prevent contamination, rework, or accidental reintroduction into sellable inventory.
- Reduce financial losses by improving accuracy in returns, damages, and non-conforming stock processes.
- Maintain full compliance with food safety and quality regulations concerning isolation, disposal, and corrective action processes.
- Support Finance, Sales, and Procurement through accurate categorization of defects, returns, and supplier-related non-conformance issues.
Quality Management
- Maintain and update the Quality Management System (QMS).
- Conduct internal audits, process inspections, and quality trend analysis.
- Manage customer complaints and conduct root cause analysis.
- Support process improvement and Six Sigma initiatives.
Environmental Management
- Implement environmental management policies ECOVADIS
- Monitor waste management, energy usage, and recycling programmes.
- Conduct environmental inspections and risk assessments.
Health and Safety
- Conduct HIRA, JSA/JHA, Bow-Tie Analysis, and safety risk assessments.
- Lead incident investigations and ensure corrective actions are implemented.
- Oversee emergency preparedness, PPE compliance, and safety training.
- Maintain OHS Act compliance and safety files.
Food Safety
- Maintain and manage Food Safety Systems (FSSC 22000, HACCP, PRPs, GMPs).
- Conduct daily, weekly, and monthly food safety inspections in all temperature zones.
- Ensure strict adherence to cold chain, hygiene standards, and allergen controls.
- Maintain accurate food safety records, version control, and documentation.
- Lead product recall simulations, traceability tests, and food defence activities.
- Train staff on food safety requirements, hygiene, product handling, and contamination prevention
- Ensure all operations meet or exceed food safety legal requirements.
- Protect product integrity and reduce food safety risks.
- Ensure audit readiness for FSSC, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
- Support Procurement with supplier food safety documentation and COA verification.
