Laboratory jobs

Laboratory & Quality Control Manager – Food & Beverage Manufacturing

Location: Khazaen Industrial City
Industry: Food & Beverage Manufacturing
Department: Quality Control / Laboratory
Position: Laboratory & QC Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Laboratory & Quality Control Manager to establish, manage, and supervise the laboratory and quality control activities of our food and beverage manufacturing facility in Oman.

The ideal candidate must have strong hands-on experience in food or beverage laboratory operations, quality control systems, analytical testing, laboratory equipment, raw material inspection, in-process control, and finished product testing.

This is a hands-on managerial position. The successful candidate should be capable of not only managing a laboratory team but also personally operating laboratory instruments, developing testing procedures, interpreting analytical results, troubleshooting quality issues, and ensuring that all products meet internal specifications and applicable food safety and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and supervise all daily QC laboratory activities.
• Establish and organize the factory laboratory, including laboratory procedures, documentation, testing schedules, specifications, and workflows.
• Develop and implement Quality Control Plans, SOPs, Work Instructions, Sampling Plans, Testing Methods, and Laboratory Records.
• Perform and supervise testing of:
• Raw materials
• Water
• Syrups and beverage bases
• Packaging materials
• Products during production
• Finished products
• Approve or reject raw materials, packaging materials, bulk products, and finished products based on approved specifications.
• Monitor critical beverage parameters including:
• °Brix / Total Soluble Solids
• pH
• Titratable Acidity
• CO₂ / Carbonation level
• Dissolved Oxygen
• Turbidity
• Density / Specific Gravity
• Conductivity
• Color
• Sensory characteristics
• Preservative and ingredient levels where applicable
• Perform or supervise microbiological sampling and testing and coordinate microbiological control of products, water, equipment, and production environments.
• Ensure proper calibration, verification, maintenance, and performance monitoring of laboratory equipment.
• Maintain laboratory calibration records and coordinate external calibration when required.
• Investigate Out-of-Specification (OOS) and abnormal laboratory results.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA).
• Identify quality deviations during production and coordinate immediate corrective actions with Production and Technical teams.
• Monitor hygiene, sanitation, CIP effectiveness, and water quality from a QC perspective.
• Develop product and raw material specifications together with Production, R&D, Procurement, and suppliers.
• Review suppliers' Certificates of Analysis (COA) and verify incoming material quality.
• Participate in supplier qualification and evaluation when required.
• Maintain complete laboratory traceability and documentation.
• Prepare QC reports, trend analysis, product quality reports, and management reports.
• Manage retention samples and shelf-life/stability monitoring programs.
• Support new product trials, production trials, formulation validation, and scale-up activities.
• Participate in internal, supplier, certification, and regulatory audits.
• Ensure compliance with applicable food safety and quality requirements.
• Train and supervise QC analysts, laboratory technicians, and other laboratory personnel.
• Maintain safe laboratory practices and proper handling/storage of chemicals, reagents, standards, and laboratory waste.

Required Laboratory Equipment Experience

Candidates should have practical experience operating and interpreting results from laboratory instruments used in the food and beverage industry, including as many of the following as possible:

• HPLC
• UV-Vis Spectrophotometer
• Refractometer / Digital Brix Meter
• pH Meter
• Automatic or Manual Titration Systems
• Conductivity Meter
• Turbidity Meter
• Dissolved Oxygen Meter
• CO₂ / Carbonation Measuring Equipment
• Density Meter / Hydrometer
• Analytical Balance
• Water Analysis Equipment
• Incubators
• Autoclave
• Colony Counter
• Microbiological laboratory equipment
• Temperature monitoring and calibration equipment

Experience with GC, ICP, FTIR, or other advanced analytical equipment will be considered an advantage.

Quality & Food Safety Knowledge

The candidate should have strong knowledge of:

• Quality Control (QC)
• Quality Assurance (QA)
• GMP
• GHP
• HACCP
• Food Safety Management Systems
• ISO 22000
• ISO 9001
• Laboratory documentation and traceability
• Sampling procedures
• CAPA
• Root Cause Analysis
• OOS Investigation
• Non-Conformance Management
• Calibration and verification
• Internal auditing
• Product release procedures
• Raw material and packaging inspection
• Statistical and trend analysis of QC results

Knowledge of FSSC 22000, BRCGS, ISO/IEC 17025, Halal requirements, and GCC/GSO food regulations will be a strong advantage.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in one of the following or a closely related field:
• Food Science / Food Technology
• Food Chemistry
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Chemical Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Laboratory Sciences
• Minimum 5 years of relevant laboratory/QC experience, preferably within the food and beverage manufacturing industry.
• Previous experience in a supervisory, Laboratory Manager, QC Manager, or senior laboratory role is highly preferred.
• Beverage manufacturing experience is strongly preferred, particularly experience with carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, malt beverages, juices, bottled water, or similar products.
• Strong hands-on laboratory and analytical skills.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot laboratory equipment and analytical results.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing quality control, not only academic laboratory testing.
• Strong documentation, reporting, and analytical skills.
• Ability to establish laboratory systems and procedures from the ground up.
• Strong leadership and team-management skills.
• Good communication and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Strong command of English is required, both written and spoken.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and quality/laboratory reporting systems.

Preferred Candidate

Priority will be given to candidates who have previously worked in a beverage production facility and have direct experience managing QC for carbonated beverages and other commercial beverage products.

Experience in setting up or commissioning a new food or beverage factory laboratory will be a major advantage.

What We Are Looking For

We are specifically looking for a technically strong and hands-on professional. This position is not purely administrative.

The successful candidate should be comfortable entering the laboratory, operating equipment, reviewing and challenging test results, identifying quality problems on the production line, training laboratory staff, and taking ownership of the overall laboratory and QC function.

Candidates with strong food/beverage QC experience and good English communication skills are encouraged to apply.

Work Location: In person