National Cleaning & Food Safety Compliance Manager

General Job Information:

Job Purpose: To provide national leadership, standardisation and assurance over cleaning operations, food safety compliance, and chemical and machine handling compliance across all Distribution Centres, in accordance with South African legislation and specifically the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and applicable food safety legislation. The role works in close partnership with Regional Operations Managers to design and embed consistent cleaning procedures, and independently audits compliance on an ongoing basis.

MINIMUM EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum 5–8 years' experience in a cleaning, hygiene, food safety or OHS compliance role, ideally within a warehousing, distribution, FMCG or retail supply chain environment
• Demonstrated experience conducting formal compliance audits and managing corrective action processes
• Experience operating across multiple sites/regions, with the ability to influence stakeholders without direct line authority
• Working knowledge of chemical handling (SDS/hazardous substances) and industrial cleaning equipment compliance requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in Food Safety/Hygiene Management, Environmental Health, or a related field (National Diploma or Degree)
• SAMTRAC or equivalent OHS qualification advantageous
• HACCP / food safety systems certification advantageous

KNOWLEDGE OF LEGISLATION:

• Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) 85 of 1993 and regulations
• Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972 and associated regulations
• General understanding of relevant municipal health by-laws applicable to food-linked storage and distribution facilities

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

PROCEDURE DESIGN & STANDARDISATION

• Partner with Regional Operations Managers to design, document and implement standardised cleaning procedures for all Distribution Centres
• Ensure cleaning procedures are fit for purpose for the specific risk profile of each site (food-grade storage areas, chemical storage, mechanised cleaning equipment)
• Maintain and continuously improve a national cleaning standards framework, incorporating lessons learned from audits and incidents

COMPLIANCE AUDITING

• Develop and execute a regular, structured national audit programme covering all 25 Distribution Centres
• Audit compliance against cleaning standards, food safety requirements, and chemical/machine handling procedures
• Document audit findings, track corrective actions to completion, and escalate unresolved risks to the Operations Executive and relevant ROM
• Conduct root-cause analysis on recurring or high-risk non-conformances

LEGISLATIVE & REGULATORY COMPLIANCE

• Ensure ongoing compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) 85 of 1993 and associated regulations relevant to cleaning, chemical handling and machine operation
• Ensure compliance with the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act 54 of 1972 and associated food safety/hygiene regulations applicable to DC operations
• Monitor changes in relevant legislation and update internal procedures and training accordingly
• Act as the designated national subject-matter expert on cleaning, food safety and chemical/machine handling compliance

STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT & REPORTING

• Provide regular national compliance reporting to the Operations Executive and client stakeholders
• Support Regional Operations Managers with guidance, coaching and escalation support on compliance matters
• Liaise with external regulatory bodies and auditors as required
• Support supplier/service provider management for cleaning chemicals and equipment, ensuring compliant products and safe usage

TRAINING & CAPABILITY BUILDING

• Coordinate national training on cleaning standards, food safety practices, and safe chemical/machine handling for cleaning staff across all sites
• Support the development of site-level champions/coordinators to sustain compliance between formal audits

COMPETENCIES:

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ATTRIBUTES

• Strong working knowledge of cleaning standards, food safety principles and OHS/chemical handling compliance
• Excellent audit, investigative and root-cause analysis skills
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills — able to drive compliance outcomes through Regional Operations Managers without formal line authority over them
• High attention to detail and a rigorous, structured approach to documentation and reporting
• Sound written and verbal communication skills, including report-writing for executive and client audiences
• Self-managed and resilient, with the ability to plan and manage a demanding national travel schedule
• Sound judgement and integrity when dealing with compliance risk and escalation

WORKING CONDITIONS:

• National travel required to visit Distribution Centres across all 4 provinces on a regular, planned basis
• Exposure to warehouse environments, including areas where cleaning chemicals and mechanised equipment are in use
• Standard office-based work between site visits, for reporting, planning and stakeholder engagement

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Completion of the national audit programme against schedule across all 25 Distribution Centres
• Percentage of DCs achieving compliance against cleaning and food safety standards
• Closure rate and average closure time of corrective actions arising from audits
• Reduction in food safety, OHS and chemical/machine-handling incidents linked to cleaning operations
• Timeliness and quality of national compliance reporting to the Operations Executive and client

OUR CORE VALUES