Company Overview

Masaka Creamery’s mission is to delight our customers by producing beloved products, with uncompromising devotion to our values. We manufacture high quality dairy products under the Masaka Farms label from our headquarters located in the Kigali Special Economic Zone.

Masaka Creamery actively recruits from the Deaf community in Rwanda, and currently boasts a production team that is 100% Deaf. We are a values-driven organization working diligently toward our vision of being admired in Rwanda and beyond for exemplary culture, quality and inclusion as we scale to 10,000 liters per day.

As part of this commitment, Masaka Farms will implement a three-year project supported by Mastercard, focused on creating meaningful training, skills development, and employment opportunities. Young people, particularly young Deaf women under the age of 35, are strongly encouraged to apply for this position.

Position Overview

Masaka Farms is seeking a qualified, detail-oriented, and highly motivated Quality Control Specialist to support the implementation of a three-year Mastercard-supported project run by Masaka Farms.

The Quality Control Specialist will be responsible for supporting and maintaining quality and food-safety standards across project-related activities and Masaka Farms operations. The role will work closely with Quality, Production, Laboratory, R&D, Warehouse, Procurement, and other relevant teams to ensure products, processes, materials, hygiene practices, and documentation consistently meet required standards.

The successful candidate will also play an important role in coaching and supporting project participants to understand and consistently apply quality, hygiene, food-safety, and Good Manufacturing Practices in their daily work.

This position requires a three-year commitment, aligned with the duration and objectives of the Mastercard project.

Key Roles & Responsibilities

The main objective of this position is to ensure that products, processes, people, and working environments consistently meet Masaka Farms’ required quality and food-safety standards while supporting the development of project participants.

Supporting activities include, but are not limited to:

• Conduct routine quality-control checks throughout production and other relevant operational areas.
• Monitor compliance with established quality, hygiene, food-safety, and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Inspect incoming raw materials, packaging materials, work-in-progress, and finished products as required.
• Conduct and document required product and process quality checks according to established procedures.
• Ensure that products that do not meet required specifications are properly identified, isolated, documented, and escalated.
• Monitor hygiene practices, including proper use and cleanliness of PPE, handwashing, personal hygiene, and sanitation requirements.
• Conduct regular inspections of Production, Warehouse, Laboratory, R&D, and other relevant areas.
• Verify that cleaning and sanitation activities are properly completed and documented.
• Support monitoring of critical quality and food-safety parameters during production.
• Work closely with Production to identify quality issues early and support appropriate corrective actions.
• Support investigations into product defects, customer complaints, quality deviations, and other non-conformities.
• Assist in identifying root causes and implementing corrective and preventive actions.
• Maintain accurate quality-control records, inspection reports, checklists, test results, and other required documentation.
• Escalate significant food-safety or quality concerns immediately through the appropriate channels.
• Support traceability activities and ensure required quality documentation is properly maintained.
• Support product sampling and coordination with the Laboratory for required testing.
• Work closely with R&D and Quality teams during product trials, improvements, and introduction of new products where required.
• Support Quality in monitoring storage conditions and product handling within the Warehouse and during dispatch.
• Provide practical coaching to project participants on food safety, hygiene, quality standards, and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Help participants understand why quality matters, rather than simply instructing them to follow procedures.
• Identify recurring quality gaps and recommend practical improvements.
• Participate in internal inspections, audits, quality reviews, and project monitoring activities.
• Support preparation for external inspections and audits as required.
• Promote a strong quality and food-safety culture across the organization.
• Reinforce Masaka Farms’ core values of Integrity, Dignity, Excellence, and Turi Kumwe in all quality-related activities.
• Work collaboratively with different departments to resolve quality issues without compromising required standards.
• Prepare regular reports on quality performance, identified issues, corrective actions, and project-related quality activities.
• Participate in project meetings, reviews, evaluations, and reporting requirements related to the Mastercard project.
• Perform other quality-control and project-related responsibilities as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Food Science, Food Technology, Dairy Technology, Quality Management, Chemistry, Microbiology, or another relevant field.
• Previous experience in Quality Control, Quality Assurance, food production, dairy processing, laboratory operations, or a related field is preferred.
• Good understanding of food safety, hygiene, sanitation, and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Ability to conduct inspections, identify non-conformities, and maintain accurate quality records.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to consistently follow established procedures.
• Ability to analyze problems and recommend practical corrective actions.
• Good documentation, reporting, and record-management skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively across Production, Quality, Laboratory, R&D, Warehouse, Procurement, and other departments.
• Ability to coach and support trainees and employees in understanding and applying quality standards.
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn Rwandan Sign Language (RSL) and work effectively in an inclusive environment with Deaf colleagues and project participants.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced food-manufacturing environment while maintaining quality standards.
• Demonstrated commitment to food safety, continuous improvement, and professional development.
• Strong alignment with Masaka Farms’ values of Integrity, Dignity, Excellence, and Turi Kumwe.
• Ability and willingness to commit to the full three-year duration of the Mastercard-supported project.

Compensation & Working Conditions

• Compensation: Competitive compensation based on experience and qualifications.
• Location: Masaka Farms, Kigali, Rwanda, with travel to project locations as required.
• Duration: This is a three-year project-based position, requiring commitment throughout the Mastercard-supported project implemented by Masaka Farms.
• Working Schedule: Working hours and schedules will be determined according to project and operational requirements. The position may require flexibility to support production activities and quality monitoring.
• Reporting: The Quality Control Specialist will report to the designated Quality/Project Lead and work closely with the Masaka Farms Quality team and other relevant departments.
• Project Commitment: The successful candidate will be expected to actively contribute throughout the three-year project period toward achieving the project’s quality, training, employment, inclusion, and participant-development objectives.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusion

Masaka Farms is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and expanding employment and professional development opportunities for young people and the Deaf community.

We particularly encourage applications from young women under the age of 35, including young Deaf women, who meet the requirements of this position.

Selection will be based on the qualifications, competencies, experience, and suitability of candidates for the role.