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Tupande Quality Assurance Officer (Fixed-Term)

Ruiru, Kenya

About One Acre Fund

Founded in 2006, One Acre Fund equips 5.5 million smallholder farmers to make their farms more productive. Across nine countries that together are home to two-thirds of Africa's farmers, we provide high-quality farm supplies, tree seedlings, accessible credit, modern agronomic training, and a wide range of other agricultural services. On average, this model enables any farmer to increase their income and assets on supported land by more than 35 percent, while permanently improving their resilience. This is all made possible by our team of 9,000+ full-time staff, drawn from diverse backgrounds and professions. To learn more, please see our Why Work Here blog post.

Our Kenya program, founded in 2006, operates under the local brand Tupande. Close to 500 staff in our Kakamega headquarters support 1,747 field staff and serve more than 1 million farmers. In Nairobi, around 50 staff support global functions like procurement, recruitment, government relations, and communications.

About the Role

The Quality Assurance Officer supports the execution of quality control, food safety, and compliance activities across all stages of dried fruit production. The role focuses on inspection, sampling, testing, documentation, and hygiene verification to ensure products meet internal specifications and customer requirements. The Assistant works under the guidance of the QA Supervisor to maintain audit readiness and production quality standards. This requires the QC assistant to be on the ground, monitoring QC along each step in the dried fruit processing line.  

Responsibilities

Receiving

  • Inspect incoming fruit for visible defects, pest damage, contamination, and ripeness.
  • Support sampling activities for intake quality checks.
  • Measure and record basic parameters (e.g., Brix, defects, size compliance).
  • Document supplier quality issues and escalate deviations.

Storage & Ripening Monitoring

  • Monitor fruit storage and ripening conditions.
  • Record temperature, humidity, and ripening stages.
  • Conduct firmness checks and visual ripeness assessments.
  • Report over-ripening, spoilage, or deviations.

Sorting, Peeling & Slicing Quality

  • Verify grading and reject thresholds during sorting.
  • Inspect peeling and slicing alignment to product specifications.
  • Flag foreign matter, defects, or non-uniform cuts.

Drying Operations Support

  • Monitor Critical Control Points (CCPs), including:
    • Drying temperature
    • Drying time
  • Conduct moisture content and water activity testing.
  • Verify tray loading hygiene and practices.

Finished Product Testing

  • Test dried fruit for:
    • Moisture content
    • Water activity
    • Visual and organoleptic quality
  • Support batch approval processes.
  • Segregate and label non-conforming product.
  • Escalate non-conformities/ conduct RCAs.

Storage Quality Monitoring

  • Monitor finished goods storage conditions.
  • Support FIFO / FEFO inventory checks.
  • Inspect for mould, pest activity, or oxidation 

Laboratory Testing & Sampling

  • Execute sampling plans for raw, in-process, and finished goods.
  • Record lab results in quality logs.
  • Maintain cleanliness and order of lab areas.
  • Support equipment calibration schedules.

Process Water & Environmental Monitoring

  • Test and record chlorine levels in wash water.
  • Support routine water quality checks.
  • Document results and report deviations.
  • Assist with wastewater sampling coordination.

Food Safety & Compliance

  • Follow all SHEQ and FSSC/BRC food safety procedures.
  • Support FSMS documentation and record keeping.
  • Participate in FSSC/BRC audits as required and ensure all QA documentation is ready for audit.
  • Maintain hygiene and GMP compliance on the floor.

Traceability & Documentation

  • Maintain batch coding records.
  • Complete trackers inspection sheets and deviation logs on time.
  • Ensure accurate, audit-ready filing.

Training & Quality Awareness

  • Support training of production staff on quality basics.
  • Reinforce hygiene and handling standards with the hygiene supervisor.

Career Growth and Development

We have a strong culture of constant learning and we invest in developing our people. You'll have weekly check-ins with your manager, access to mentorship and training programs, and regular feedback on your performance. We hold career reviews every six months, and set aside time to discuss your aspirations and career goals. You'll have the opportunity to shape a growing organization and build a rewarding long-term career.

Qualifications

Across all roles, these are the general qualifications we look for. For this role specifically, you will have:

  • Minimum academic Qualification: Bachelor's/Diploma/certificate in chemistry, food science, agriculture or equivalent qualifications from a recognised University/college.
  • Work Experience: 1+ years of working experience in food processing companies in the quality department/ lab technician.
  • Knowledge and experience in the Food Safety Management System, HACCP, Environmental, and Occupational Health and Safety in the workplace.
  • Attention to detail: Ensures all your tasks are completed to the processing needs.
  • Analytical skills: Have the ability to identify a problem, investigate to find out relevant facts, and find a logical solution.
  • Ability to work as part of a team: Teamwork champion for team work to to help all departments deliver their deliverables.
  • Time management: Ensures you have adequate time to complete your tasks to the desired output and quality standards.

Preferred Start Date

As soon as possible

Job Location

Ruiru, Kenya

Benefits

Health insurance, paid time off

Contract Duration

1 Year

Eligibility

This role is only open to citizens or permanent residents of Kenya.

Application Deadline

11 June 2026. Please note that we hire on a rolling basis which means that applications are reviewed and processed on a continuous basis until a hire is made.

One Acre Fund never asks candidates to pay any money or pay for tests at any stage of the interview process. Official One Acre Fund emails will always arrive from an @oneacrefund.org address. Please report any suspicious communication here (globalhotline@oneacrefund.org), but do not send applications or application materials to this email address.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), and anti-racism are deeply connected to our organization's mission and purpose. One Acre Fund aspires to build a culture where all staff feel consistently valued, represented, and connected – so that our team can thrive as professionals, and achieve exceptional impact for the farmers we serve.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.

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