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At work with Simone Stevens: Food Technologist

Job title: Quality Assurance Manager

Company: Garon Foods

Highest standard passed at school: Matric

Previous occupations:

• Sales consultant (casual) 

My qualifications:

• ND Food Technology
• Currently doing BTech in Food Technology
• Attended short courses in:

1. Workplace discipline, Dismissal & Hearings
2. Hygiene courses  
3. Pest Control  
4. Sensory evaluation

I financed my studies by...

Half through a bursary ex Woolworths

A typical working day:

• Greet staff and check absenteeism at 8:00am.
• Check communication mails with Woolworths and suppliers.
• Set up Microbiological laboratory in the morning and ensure that products are booked in and analysed on a daily basis by the Laboratory Technician. 
• Work on projects and improve quality control systems in the factory and procedures with the Quality Control (QC) ladies. Any procedures or product out of specification must be dealt with urgently.
• Dishing procedures, temperature controls, verification of equipment and quality control sheets to be checked daily. 
• Randomly draw products off the production line and send to SABS for product screening on a monthly basis.
• Manage the contracted pest control company to ensure that monthly services are followed through and daily internal checks are done on the premises.
• Ensure that staff issues and staff problems are adhered to on a daily basis to ensure a pleasant working environment. COFESA (contracted Labour Law Consultants) are also closely involved in sorting out staff issues. 
• Manage incoming raw material by training and following up on receivers.
• Train staff members with regards to policies, rules and regulations, and hygiene standards as well as chemical usage, pest control, etc. Internal audits to be conducted on a quarterly basis, and an
• Ensure that all processes are adhered to in compliance for the annual hygiene and process audit.

Highlights of the job:

• Learning new things all the time, whether it be technically, or culturally.
• I love to work on process alteration to better a product or to make is financially feasible for the company.

 Challenges:

• There are always new things required to be done - and  I need to be be on top of these at all times.
• Working with people who are culturally different.

I would recommend this career because:

It’s challenging and very different if you overlap other job functions within the business. You can grow and branch off into different business areas, as its all interlinked

What next:

I am currently busy with my Btech in Food technology, part-time. Once I’ve achieved that degree, I would like to do a course in the business field. E.g. Mini MBA, so that I bridge can be formed between my technical skill and the financial side of the business.