Culinary QA Specialist (Gaza Field Operations), Contract World Central Kitchen

Role Overview

A World Central Kitchen (WCK) Culinary QA Specialist based in Egypt will serve as the dedicated culinary presence on the ground to safeguard the quality of food procurements destined for Gaza field kitchens. This contract role bridges the WCK Supply Chain & Procurement team in Egypt with the Culinary Unit Manager in Gaza, ensuring that every product inspected, approved, and dispatched meets the standards required to serve dignified, culturally appropriate meals under crisis conditions.

This position is a three (3) month fixed-term contract and reports directly to the Regional Culinary Manager, MENA.

What You Will Do

Quality Inspection & Vendor Oversight

• Conduct regular quality inspections at vendor facilities, cold stores, warehouses, and packaging sites across Egypt.
• Evaluate incoming and outgoing food products frozen goods, canned proteins,grains, dried goods, and commodities against WCK quality specifications.
• Perform sensory evaluations (taste, smell, texture, appearance) for all applicable product categories.
• Identify and document quality deficiencies including brand inconsistencies, incorrect specifications, packaging defects, and non-conforming products.

Pre-Dispatch Cargo Inspection

• Inspect all cargo loads prior to dispatch to Gaza, verifying product quality, correct quantities, accurate labelling, and cold-chain integrity.
• Flag and formally escalate any non-conformities to the Supply Chain Manager and Culinary Unit Manager before dispatch is authorised.
• Ensure that rejected or flagged products are not dispatched until issues are
• resolved or replaced.

Vendor Engagement & Feedback

• Communicate WCK culinary standards, taste preferences, and quality expectations directly to vendor teams.
• Provide structured, documented feedback to vendors on product performance taste, texture, consistency, and adherence to agreed specifications.
• Support the qualification of new vendors and products through organised tasting and evaluation sessions.
• Build professional relationships with vendor representatives to foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Coordination & Reporting

• Maintain close communication with the Culinary Unit Manager, Gaza, to stay aligned with kitchen needs, menu requirements, and Palestinian/Gazan culinary standards.
• Liaise regularly with the Supply Chain Manager on procurement schedules, vendor visits, and quality action items.
• Submit weekly quality inspection reports to the Regional Culinary Manager covering all inspections, issues identified, and actions taken.
• Maintain an ongoing product quality log tracking approvals, rejections, and vendor performance by category.