Primary Products Quality Assurance Officer

A Quality Assurance Officer in primary production monitors and tests raw agricultural, horticultural, or pastoral products at collection, processing, or storage points to ensure compliance with food safety standards, pesticide residue limits, and export requirements. They conduct sampling, laboratory analysis, and documentation to verify product quality and safety before distribution or export, working within Australian food standards and regulatory frameworks.

Collect representative samples from bulk lots of primary products using standardised sampling protocols and record chain-of-custody documentation. Conduct visual and organoleptic inspections of products for defects, contamination, bruising, or disease symptoms against grade standards. Operate laboratory equipment including refractometers, pH meters, texture analysers, or moisture meters to measure product attributes. Perform rapid testing for pesticide residues, microbial contamination, or allergens using test kits or portable analysers on-site. Interpret test results against Australian Food Standards Code, Export Control Orders, or buyer specification sheets and record findings in laboratory information management systems. Document quality data, non-conformances, and corrective actions in traceability systems and maintain records for audit trails. Liaise with producers, packers, or processors to communicate quality issues and advise on sorting, grading, or rework requirements. Prepare quality reports and certificates of analysis for domestic sales or export documentation including phytosanitary or food safety certifications.

The standard entry pathway requires a diploma, advanced diploma or associate degree (ABS skill level 2). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

You'll be doing a lot of routine testing and paperwork that doesn't change much day to day. The job is heavily documentation-focused, so if you like variety and problem-solving, this can feel repetitive. Pay is modest for the responsibility you carry (you're the gate-keeper stopping contaminated food reaching consumers), and there's real pressure when test results don't match expectations. Shift work at processing facilities is common, especially during harvest.

Realistically most opportunities are in regions, not major cities. Remote work is rare. Jobs follow harvest seasons and export demand.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 3113, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Audit techniquescore
• Communicate health and safety measurescore
• Conduct workplace auditscore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Enforce sanitation procedurescore
• Food safety principlescore
• Foodborne diseasescore
• Identify policy breachcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Quality Assurance and Checkingcore
• Quality Assurance Monitoringcore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Verification and Authenticationcore
• Write inspection reportscore
• Written Communicationcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Health, safety and hygiene legislation
• Identify hazards in the workplace
• Inventory Tracking
• Lead inspections
• Manage health and safety standards
• Microsoft Excel Data Management
• Monitor legislation developments
• Pollution prevention
• Present reports
• Process Documentation
• Reporting and Analytics
• Research and Analysis
• Supplier Communication
• Team Collaboration
• Verbal Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026