Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) Officer_SC8

The Food Safety and Quality Assurance Officer supports WFP Liberia in integrating Food Safety and Quality Assurance Management System across procurement, logistics, Home Grown School Feeding, smallholder farmers, food fortification, and other projects. The role involves leading implementation of food safety standards, monitoring risks, supplier assessments, laboratory coordination, and capacity strengthening.

Responsibilities

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of WFP's Food Safety and Quality Management System (FSQMS), ensuring compliance with WFP requirements, national regulations, and international food safety standards across procurement, local sourcing, storage, transportation, and distribution activities.
• Monitor food safety and quality risks throughout the supply chain and recommend preventive and corrective measures to safeguard food quality and beneficiary wellbeing.
• Oversee food quality and quantity assurance activities across the supply chain, including commodity inspections, sampling and testing, review of laboratory results, commodity acceptance and clearance processes, warehouse monitoring, and distribution spot checks.
• Ensure that corrective and preventive actions arising from inspections, audits, and quality assessments are effectively implemented and tracked to closure.
• Support supplier prequalification, technical assessment, validation, monitoring, and performance evaluation processes for food suppliers, processors, retailers, inspection companies, and other service providers.
• Provide technical guidance and capacity strengthening support to suppliers and partners to improve compliance with WFP food safety, quality, and food fortification requirements.
• Coordinate food safety risk management activities, including food incident investigations, root cause analysis, traceability exercises, product recalls, food holds, and implementation of mitigation measures.
• Provide evidence-based recommendations to minimize commodity losses, address food safety concerns, and support effective decision-making in both routine and emergency operations.
• Manage laboratory-related activities, including laboratory identification, assessment, validation, and performance monitoring in line with WFP requirements.
• Coordinate sampling and testing programmes, review analytical results, and provide technical guidance on food technology, food fortification, packaging materials, shelf-life studies, product development, and emerging food safety issues to support quality assurance and local food systems development.
• Provide technical advice and support to programme activities, including Home-Grown School Feeding (HGSF), nutrition programmes, food fortification initiatives, cash-based transfers, resilience-building interventions, smallholder farmer support programmes, and emergency response operations.
• Ensure food safety and quality risks are assessed and appropriate control measures are integrated into programme design and implementation.
• Strengthen the capacity of WFP staff, government counterparts, suppliers, laboratories, cooperatives, schools, and other stakeholders through training, coaching, mentoring, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Promote a strong food safety culture and support the development of sustainable national capacities in food safety, quality assurance, food processing, and quality management systems.
• Serve as the focal point for food safety and quality matters within WFP Liberia and represent the organization in relevant national and regional technical working groups, coordination forums, and stakeholder platforms.
• Establish and maintain effective partnerships with government ministries and regulatory agencies, UN agencies (including UNIDO), NGOs, academia, laboratories, development partners, and private sector actors to strengthen food safety systems, quality infrastructure, food fortification initiatives, local food value chains, and national food safety governance.
• Support collaboration and knowledge exchange among stakeholders to promote sustainable food systems transformation and improved food safety outcomes in Liberia.
• Perform other related duties as assigned in support of WFP Liberia's programme and supply chain objectives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in food science, Food Technology, Food Safety and Quality Management, Food Control, Nutrition, or another related field. Alternatively, a first university degree in a relevant discipline combined with at least Three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience in food safety and quality assurance, food technology, food control, or a related.
• At least Three (3) years of progressively responsible professional experience in food safety and quality assurance, food technology, quality management systems, food supply chain management, supplier quality assurance, food inspection, laboratory management, and food safety incident management.
• Knowledge of food safety and quality management systems (i.e., ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, BRC, HACCP).
• Experience in industrial food production, food fortification and food safety, and stability testing.
• Knowledge in ISO, Codex standards, laboratory analysis, inspection, certification, accreditation.
• Proven experience in conducting suppliers’ audits, incident management, product traceability.
• Ability to advise operations, logistics and procurement on food contracting, handling, and distribution.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective work relationships with clients and partners.
• Good knowledge of UN system policies, rules, regulations, and procedures is an asset.
• Fluency (Level C) in English, both oral and written, is required.

Skills

• Food Safety Management
• Quality Assurance
• Food Technology
• Quality Management
• Food Supply Chain Management
• Supplier Quality Assurance
• Food Inspection
• Laboratory Services Management
• Food Safety Incident Management
• ISO 22000
• FSSC 22000
• BRC
• HACCP
• Industrial Food Production
• Food Fortification
• Stability Testing
• Codex Standards Finalization
• Laboratory Analysis
• Certification and Accreditation
• Supplier Audits
• Product Traceability
• Food Contracting Advice
• UN System Policies

Languages

English