QC Supervisor

POSITION: QC Supervisor
LOCATION: Cape Town

Job Purpose
The QC Supervisor will oversee quality control activities within a cosmetic and personal care product
manufacturing environment, ensuring that raw materials, custom formulations, manufacturing processes,
filling, packaging, labelling, and finished products consistently meet approved quality standards, customer
specifications, and applicable regulatory requirements. The successful candidate will maintain compliance
with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), particularly ISO22716 – Cosmetics: Guidelines on Good Manufacturing
Practices, while supporting product safety, formulation accuracy, batch consistency, traceability, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities
1. Quality Control and Product Inspection

• Supervise daily quality control activities across cosmetic formulation, manufacturing, filling, and packaging operations.
• Inspect incoming raw materials, ingredients, fragrances, active ingredients, and packaging components against approved specifications.
• Ensure raw materials and packaging materials are identified, inspected, and approved before use.
• Monitor weighing, dispensing, mixing, and blending to ensure compliance with approved formulations and manufacturing instructions.
• Conduct or coordinate in-process checks, including appearance, colour, odour, consistency, pH, viscosity, and other relevant quality parameters.
• Inspect finished products against approved specifications and customer requirements.
• Verify filling accuracy, packaging integrity, batch coding, labelling, and final presentation.
• Ensure private-label products meet agreed specifications, packaging requirements, and approved samples.
• Investigate product defects, formulation inconsistencies, contamination risks, deviations, and customer complaints.
• Ensure non-conforming materials and products are identified, segregated, documented, and controlled.
• Coordinate corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and confirm their effectiveness.

2. GMP and ISO 22716 Compliance

• Ensure compliance with GMP principles and ISO 22716 requirements relevant to cosmetic manufacturing and packaging.
• Monitor hygiene, sanitation, housekeeping, personnel practices, equipment cleanliness, and contamination prevention.
• Ensure standard operating procedures (SOPs), work instructions, and approved manufacturing processes are followed.
• Verify equipment, utensils, and production areas are cleaned and maintained according to established procedures.
• Review batch manufacturing records, formulation records, cleaning records, inspection reports, and quality documentation for completeness.
• Monitor storage conditions, material identification, expiry dates, and traceability.
• Assist with internal, external, and customer audits, inspections, and quality compliance assessments.
• Identify GMP deviations and compliance gaps, implement corrective measures, and monitor effectiveness.
• Promote product safety, hygiene, documentation accuracy, and quality awareness throughout the facility.

3. Formulation and Batch Manufacturing Quality

• Work with formulation and production teams to ensure custom-developed products are manufactured according to approved formulations and specifications.
• Verify correct ingredients, quantities, and processing instructions for each production batch.
• Monitor batch consistency and investigate variations in appearance, texture, pH, viscosity, colour, fragrance, and other relevant characteristics.
• Ensure formulation changes, ingredient substitutions, and process adjustments are authorised, documented, and assessed for quality impact.
• Support product trials, scale-up activities, and transfer of approved formulations into routine manufacturing.
• Ensure deviations during formulation or production are documented and investigated before affected products proceed.
• Liaise with technical personnel on stability concerns, product performance, and formulation-related quality risks.
• Ensure required quality checks are completed before bulk products are approved for filling and packaging.

4. Private-Label Manufacturing and Packaging Quality

• Oversee quality checks during filling, packing, labelling, and final inspection of private-label products.
• Verify the correct containers, closures, pumps, tubes, jars, labels, and other packaging components are used for each order.
• Check labels against approved artwork, product specifications, batch details, and customer requirements.
• Inspect packaging for leaks, damage, incorrect assembly, contamination, and other defects.
• Confirm batch numbers and other required product identification details are accurate and legible.
• Inspect customer-supplied packaging materials for suitability before use.
• Investigate packaging-related complaints and manufacturing errors, implementing appropriate corrective actions.
• Maintain batch and product traceability to support investigations, withdrawals, or recalls where necessary.

5. Team Supervision and Training

• Lead, supervise, and support the QC team in daily inspection and testing activities.
• Allocate responsibilities, monitor performance, and ensure quality checks meet production schedules.
• Train employees on GMP, ISO 22716 principles, hygiene, sampling, inspection techniques, and documentation.
• Ensure production and packaging personnel understand and follow applicable quality procedures.
• Promote accountability and proactive reporting of quality concerns.
• Address recurring errors and skills gaps through coaching and refresher training.

6. Quality Systems and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain and review quality procedures, SOPs, product specifications, inspection criteria, and quality records.
• Support quality control plans for different cosmetic products and manufacturing processes.
• Conduct or support root-cause investigations into non-conformances, formulation deviations, packaging defects, and complaints.
• Coordinate CAPA activities and monitor timely, effective closure.
• Analyse quality data to identify recurring defects, batch failures, wastage, rework, and improvement opportunities.
• Work with Production, Formulation and Development, Warehouse, Procurement, and other departments to resolve quality issues.
• Support initiatives to improve consistency, reduce waste and rework, minimise complaints, and improve efficiency.
• Escalate quality risks and ensure products are not released without required quality approvals.

7. Reporting and Documentation

• Prepare regular reports on inspections, batch performance, deviations, non-conformances, and corrective actions.
• Maintain accurate, complete, traceable records for raw materials, bulk formulations, production batches, packaging, and finished products.
• Monitor quality performance against established targets and report significant trends to management.
• Keep documentation available for audits, customer enquiries, investigations, and traceability requirements.
• Promptly escalate significant quality risks, potential contamination, product safety concerns, and compliance issues.

Minimum Requirements

• Grade 12 / Matric
• Proven experience in Quality Control within a manufacturing environment.
• Previous supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Familiarity with GMP and ISO 22716 – Cosmetics: Guidelines on Good Manufacturing Practices is essential.
• Experience in cosmetics, skincare, personal care, toiletries, pharmaceutical, or related manufacturing is highly advantageous.
• Practical understanding of raw material inspection, batch manufacturing records, in-process checks, finished-product inspection, and packaging quality control.
• Knowledge of SOPs, non-conformance management, root-cause analysis, CAPA, and audit processes.
• Understanding of cosmetic quality parameters such as pH, viscosity, appearance, colour, and consistency.
• Good computer literacy, particularly Microsoft Office and quality documentation systems.

Required Skills and Competencies

• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to quality control.
• Good understanding of cosmetic manufacturing processes and GMP requirements.
• Excellent analytical, investigative, and problem-solving skills.
• Effective leadership, team supervision, and training abilities.
• Strong organisational skills and accurate documentation practices.
• Ability to identify product quality risks and take appropriate corrective action.
• Confidence in addressing non-compliance and upholding quality standards.
• Effective communication and collaboration across departments.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a production-driven environment.
• High levels of integrity, accountability, and professionalism.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement, product consistency, and customer satisfaction.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Compliance with GMP and applicable ISO 22716 requirements.
• Accuracy and completeness of batch manufacturing, inspection, and quality records.
• Consistency of cosmetic formulations and finished-product quality.
• Reduction in product defects, rejected batches, packaging errors, and customer complaints.
• Timely investigation and closure of deviations, non-conformances, and CAPAs.
• Accuracy of packaging, labelling, and batch identification.
• Successful completion of internal, external, and customer audits.
• Effective raw material, in-process, and finished-product inspection.
• Adherence to approved product specifications and customer requirements.
• Effective supervision, training, and performance of the QC team.