Quality Controller - Gauteng Hatchery - National Chicks

National Chicks, a leading international supplier of day-old chicks and hatching eggs within the Astral Group, is seeking a highly skilled Quality Controller who will be responsible for maintaining and continuously improving quality, hygiene, biosecurity, and operational standards within our Gauteng Hatchery.

Role Responsibilities:

• Pre-incubation management: ensuring eggs are appropriately handled, stored, and prepared prior to incubation.
• Egg quality control – monitoring egg quality and identifying factors that may impact hatchability and chick quality.
• Incubation and hatching optimisation: monitoring incubation processes and implementing corrective measures to optimise hatch results.
• Chick quality control: conducting inspections and monitoring chick quality in accordance with established standards.
• Post-Hatch processing and environmental control: ensuring post-hatch processes, hygiene, environmental conditions, and handling practices meet required standards.
• Sampling and testing: co‑ordinating quality‑control sampling and testing programmes and ensuring accurate results and records.
• Data recording and analysis: maintaining accurate quality records and analysing trends, performance indicators and KPI’s.
• SOP management: reviewing, developing, updating and implementing quality control Standard Operating Procedures.
• Staff training: providing training and guidance to quality control personnel to ensure consistent application of procedures and standards.
• Non-conformance management: investigating customer complaints, quality deviations and non-conformances and implementing appropriate corrective and preventative actions.
• Quality and hygiene standards: ensuring the highest standards of product quality, hygiene, sanitation and food safety are consistently maintained.
• Biosecurity management: ensuring strict biosecurity protocols are implemented, monitored and maintained throughout the hatchery.
• Audits and compliance: conducting internal audits, including biosecurity, 20 Keys and hygiene audits, and developing action plans to address identified gaps.
• Customer support: participating in customer visits, evaluating quality concerns, and providing recommendations for corrective action and continuous improvement.
• 20 Keys programme: supporting the implementation, monitoring and continuous improvement of the 20 Keys programme.
• Quality inspections: conducting regular quality–control inspections and maintaining all relevant quality documentation.

Required Qualification and Knowledge

• A qualification in Animal Science, Animal production, Poultry Science or related field is required.
• Previous hatchery or poultry production experience will be advantageous
• Experience in quality control within an agricultural or poultry environment will be advantageous.
• Experience in the development and implementation of SOP’s will be an advantage.
• Strong computer literacy, with a proven proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, including the ability to perform root-cause analysis.
• Ability to work confidently with quality data, trends, and KPI’s
• Excellent record-keeping skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to work accurately, independently, and under pressure.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills
• Proactive, self-motivated, results-oriented, and performance-driven.
• Strong commitment to quality, hygiene, biosecurity, and continuous improvement.
• Willingness to work irregular hours, including weekends and public holidays where required.

What we offer:

• A competitive, market-related salary package
• Performance bonus
• Opportunity to work within Astral Group anywhere within South Africa if positions arise
• Growing career opportunity within the company and also within the whole Astral Group as the biggest poultry company in South Africa.

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