Quality & Compliance Leader for APAC Diagnostics

AYUSH KUMAR JHA

+91-901******* ***********@*****.*** Delhi, India

Food Safety & Quality Assurance Supply Chain & Distribution Centre Operations PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Quality assurance and audit professional with 12+ years of experience in supplier quality governance, third-party operations compliance, and regulatory audit management across FMCG manufacturing and large-scale supply chain environments. Skilled in planning and executing risk-based, document-based assessments of suppliers and third-party operations against GMP-equivalent and GFSI-benchmarked standards (FSSC 22000, ISO 22000, HACCP). Proven ability to develop and close CAPA plans, maintain supplier data systems, escalate high-risk findings to management, and communicate audit outcomes transparently to internal stakeholders. CORE COMPETENCIES

Supplier & Third-Party Auditing Risk-Based Document Assessments CAPA Development & Closure FSSC 22000 / ISO 22000 / HACCP / VACCP / TACCP / GFSI Vendor Qualification & Onboarding Audit Documentation & Reporting Risk Identification & Escalation Supplier Data & System Maintenance Stakeholder Communication Training & Capacity Building Lean Six Sigma (Black Belt) PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Quality Lead PAN India — Staples (Category Management) Blinkit Commerce Pvt. Ltd. (Zomato Group)

2024 – Present

- Tasked with quality oversight of a PAN-India supplier base of 500+ SKUs, architected a scalable vendor onboarding & audit governance framework for 62 vendors (manufacturing/re-packing centres), standardising audit cadence, documentation checkpoints, & traceability protocols, improving first-time-right supplier approval rates.

- Identified a systemic labelling compliance failure across the supply base through risk-based quality assessments; designed and executed targeted corrective and preventive action plans, achieving 100% defect closure and mitigating ~ 17 Cr in potential recall and rework exposure.

- Identified recurring packaging quality risks in jaggery and allied commodity products; led end-to-end packaging quality transformation, eradicating consumer complaints and delivering 1.5 Cr in annualised cost avoidance.

- Developed cross-functional QA dashboards integrating Operations and Procurement data to enable real-time regulatory compliance monitoring against FSSAI standards, ensuring proactive identification and resolution of non- conformances before escalation.

- Maintained transparent, timely communication with category, procurement, and operations stakeholders on audit progress, quality risks, and CAPA status throughout the lifecycle of each assessment.

- Managed end-to-end consumer and warehouse complaint resolution across Blinkit's quick-commerce platform and omnichannel touchpoints, overseeing receipt, root cause investigation, CAPA execution, and closure tracking, translating real-time consumer feedback into systemic quality improvements across the supplier base.

- Conducted food fraud vulnerability assessments (VACCP) and food defence threat assessments (TACCP) across the staples supplier base, identifying and mitigating adulteration and intentional contamination risks in high-risk commodity categories including jaggery, spices, and edible oils. Senior Programme Associate — Food Technologist UN World Food Programme (WFP), India 2022 – 2024

- Accountable for food safety and quality governance across 204 government-linked manufacturing plants; developed and implemented risk-tiered audit frameworks and product quality monitoring protocols, enabling systematic compliance assessment across a public nutrition supply chain serving 2.1 crore beneficiaries.

- Designed plant readiness SOPs and QA workflows for large-scale nutritional supply chains across 43 districts, standardising food storage, handling, and distribution controls aligned to WFP policies and FSSAI regulations.

- Provided expert technical advisory to cooperating partners and government stakeholders on quality risks and food safety non-conformances, escalating high-risk findings to programme management to ensure appropriate mitigating actions were identified and implemented.

- Designed and delivered blended training programmes on food safety, nutrition, and GFSI-aligned certification readiness for 400+ women-led SHG enterprises; enabled 60%+ to successfully clear audit requirements and gain access to institutional supply chains.

- Led digital MIS rollout across 43 districts, transitioning supplier and programme data from manual records to real- time traceability systems, eliminating 26,768 paper records per year and improving evidence-based reporting to state and central government stakeholders.

Regional Lead — Food Safety & QA (Supply Chain) Nestlé India Limited 2020 – 2022

- Accountable for supplier quality compliance across a 7-state supply chain (350+ SKUs, 7 direct reports); designed and deployed supplier audit frameworks, vendor qualification protocols, and traceability systems, eliminating repeat deviations and reducing regulatory exposure across the regional supply base.

- Developed and executed a CAPA playbook and root cause governance process for persistent supply chain quality deviations, delivering a sustained 10% quarter-on-quarter reduction in consumer complaints throughout the tenure.

- Implemented digital QMS standardisation across regional warehouses, maintaining continuous ISO 22000 and FSSAI audit readiness and ensuring all documentation and compliance records were current at all times.

- Designed and delivered food safety and compliance training programmes for 300+ supply chain personnel; awarded the 'Grow to Win' Award by Head of Supply Chain (2021) for strategic contribution to regional quality outcomes.

Factory Lead — Food Safety & QA Tata Global Beverages (now Tata Consumer Products) 2017 – 2020

- Responsible for end-to-end Food Safety Management System implementation and maintenance FSSC 22000, HACCP, VACCP, TACCP, and FSSAI standards at a manufacturing unit, achieving 89% in FSSC 22000 external audit and 93% in FSSAI internal audit with zero non-compliances.

- Managed full audit lifecycle, preparation, gap assessment, execution, and CAPA closure, for all FSSC 22000 and FSSAI audits, achieving 100% resolution of all identified non-compliances within agreed timelines.

- Led end-to-end customer experience governance through consumer complaint management, covering receipt, root cause investigation, CAPA, and resolution tracking, achieving 93% complaint closure and measurably improving consumer satisfaction metrics.

- Managed market returns and secure stock destruction operations across 6 northern states, maintaining full traceability documentation and strengthening end-to-end stock accountability.

- Built food safety competency across 150+ workers and 20 supervisors through structured training programmes; consecutively awarded 'True Sparkle' Best Performer (2018 & 2019). Food Safety Executive Wellness Q.E.D (Food Safety Consulting) 2016 – 2017

- Conducted on-site food safety audits and pre-audit gap assessments across a portfolio of multi-client food processing and distribution sites, identifying non-conformances and communicating findings to client stakeholders.

- Managed consumer and regulatory complaint investigations including root cause analysis and corrective action planning, improving complaint resolution and traceability standards across client accounts.

- Supported FSSAI licensing and FSMS certification readiness for multiple clients by designing SOPs covering hygiene monitoring, pest control, sanitation, and critical control point management, strengthening overall compliance posture.

R&D Executive Essentia Flavors & Seasonings 2012 – 2014

- Developed seasoning formulations and executed laboratory-based validation trials to ensure sensory consistency and compliance with product specifications.

- Implemented GLP-aligned SOPs and supported pilot-to-production scale-up with full process parameter documentation and validation.

EDUCATION

B.Sc. (Hons.) Food Technology — Bhaskaracharya College, University of Delhi 2009–2012 PG Diploma — Food Safety & Quality Management — IGNOU 2013–2014 M.Sc. Food Science & Technology — Guru Jambheshwar University of Science & Technology 2014–2016 E-PG Program — Public Health & Nutrition — Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) 2023–2024 CERTIFICATIONS & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

- Lean Six Sigma Black Belt — Henri Harvin

- Assessor, CII Award for Food Safety

- Certified Packaging Professional — Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Kolkata

- FSSC 22000 / HACCP / GFSI Compliance Training — Tata Global Beverages & Nestlé India (on-the-job)

Contact this candidate