Port Quality Chief

Company Description

Chiquita is a leading global company with 20,000 employees across 30 countries. We are passionate about our nutritious, high-quality, energy-rich and value-added bananas.

Chiquita's products are sold in nearly 70 countries around the world. Chiquita Brands International grows, procures, markets and sells bananas and other fresh fruits under the Chiquita brand and other names.

Job Description

Position Summary

The Quality Chief is responsible for overseeing and ensuring compliance with Chiquita's quality standards for imported fruit at ports in the Netherlands. This role leads the quality inspection activities for incoming products, ensuring that fruit quality, temperature management, handling conditions, and operational processes meet company specifications and customer requirements.

The position serves as the primary point of contact for all quality-related matters at Dutch ports and supports the business through proactive monitoring, inspection management, customer engagement, incident investigation, and continuous quality improvement. The Quality Supervisor also manages a team of Quality Inspectors and coordinates with customers, suppliers, shipping lines, terminal operators, and regulatory authorities to minimize quality risks and protect product integrity throughout the supply chain.

Key Responsibilities

Quality & Operations

• Lead and develop the Quality Inspection team.
• Ensure imported fruit meets Chiquita's quality standards and customer requirements.
• Monitor inspection processes, inventory quality, and operational compliance.
• Oversee cold chain integrity, storage conditions, product handling, and loading activities.

Claims & Incident Management

• Investigate quality and food safety incidents and customer claims.
• Conduct inspections and identify root causes of quality issues.
• Prepare reports and recommend corrective actions.

Stakeholder & Regulatory Management

• Act as the main quality contact for port operations.
• Collaborate with customers, suppliers, carriers, and logistics partners to resolve issues.
• Represent the company during audits and ensure compliance with food safety and regulatory requirements.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

• Analyze quality trends and performance indicators.
• Prepare regular quality reports.
• Support initiatives that improve quality, customer satisfaction, and supply chain performance.