Job Title: SQATS Lead (Safety, Quality & Technical Systems)
Location: Owo, Nigeria
Employment Type: Full-time (Expatriate Assignment)
Compensation: USD 10,000 12,000 (Local + Savings)
Benefits: Company-furnished guest house, company car
Reports to: Head of Operations / Projects (Africa)
Job Purpose
The SQATS Lead is responsible for establishing, implementing, and governing Safety, Quality, and Technical (SQATS) standards across agri-commodity sourcing, processing, storage, and export operations in Africa. The role ensures compliance with local regulations, international food safety standards, customer requirements, and ESG expectations, while driving continuous improvement, project readiness, and operational risk mitigation.
Assignment Context
This is an expatriate assignment requiring strong familiarity with Indian operating standards, reporting structures, governance frameworks, and stakeholder engagement models commonly applied within agri-commodity processing businesses.
Key Responsibilities
(unchanged your existing responsibilities remain fully valid and strong)
- Lead and embed SQATS requirements across greenfield and brownfield projects
- Act as SQATS workstream owner for processing plants, warehouses, and line expansions
- Ensure Safety- and Quality-by-Design from concept through commissioning
- Support project execution, audits, certifications, and regulatory inspections
- Govern SQATS documentation, validation, and compliance readiness
- Lead training, capability building, and SQATS culture across African operations
Candidate Profile
- Candidates with prior experience working in Indian-owned or Indian-operated agri-commodity processing environments, particularly across African operations, are strongly preferred.
- Proven exposure to oilseed, edible oil, cocoa, or similar agri-processing units.
- Comfortable working in emerging-market environments with strong execution and governance focus.
- Able to build systems from the ground up while ensuring long-term compliance and capability transfer.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Food Technology, Agriculture, or related discipline.
- 10+ years experience in SQATS / HSE / Quality roles within agri-commodity processing.
- Strong working knowledge of ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, ISO 45001, GMP, HACCP.
- Experience supporting plant projects, audits, and certifications across Africa.
