We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join us as a Data & Innovation Specialist -Quality to work in a truly global environment to manage and improve coffee quality control processes by analysing samples, coordinating quality reporting and communication across teams and global partners, and driving digitalisation, automation, and AI integration within the quality lab operations. The role provides long term development potential for someone eager to join the fast-paced soft commodities environment post education.
Volcafe Ltd is one of the world’s leading international green coffee trading companies, operating in over 20 countries globally. Our expertise spans green coffee procurement and preparation, sustainability, blending, quality control, risk management and export as well as importing and distribution. We supply the world’s major coffee roasters and retail distributors with their green coffee requirements, with significant strategic growth ambitions for the future. We are part of ED&F Man Commodities, a world leading trader of agricultural products including coffee, sugar, molasses and animal feed.
Volcafe works across the whole green coffee supply chain to make coffee business better, together with our partners and employees. We have built and operate sustainable coffee supply chains across all our origins, addressing key economic, social and environmental issues in coffee farming communities. Our Volcafe Way farmer support programme engages with thousands of coffee farmers and provides a holistic response to the challenges they face.
This role will be working at Volcafe’s headquarter in Winterthur, Switzerland.
We are part of Hartree Partners, LP a leading global merchant commodities firm facilitating the flow of energy, metals, agriculture, and environmental products across the full commodity supply chain, connecting producers and consumers. Hartree was founded in 1997, is jointly owned by senior management and funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management, LP, and employs around 5,000 individuals worldwide.
- Support the receipt, logging, analysis, and reporting of all coffee samples processed through the quality laboratory.
- Evaluate and analyse coffee quality, providing clear and detailed feedback to internal stakeholders, suppliers, and customers where required.
- Coordinate with origin and destination teams to monitor quality progression across crop cycles and share findings across the Swiss entity.
- Develop technical expertise and pursue industry-recognised qualifications, including Q-Grading, with the objective of becoming a fully qualified coffee quality controller.
- Assist with all quality-related matters for the Swiss office, ensuring alignment with company and customer standards.
- Drive AI integration and automation initiatives across quality reporting processes and laboratory operations.
- Prepare and maintain detailed reporting on supplier/customer PSS performance, origin sample evolution and destination coffee inventory.
- Provide proactive and accurate reporting on all matters related to coffee quality and quality performance metrics.
- Collaborate with the Data Team to support automation, digitalisation and AI-driven process improvements within the quality function.
- Develop a strong understanding of customer quality requirements to ensure products consistently meet client expectations.
- Work closely with trade, logistics and quality teams to ensure seamless cross-functional communication and integration.
- Support customer and trade-related quality requests, including questionnaires, quality documentation and technical queries.
- Contribute to the continuous improvement of quality food safety communication and reporting across Group stakeholders.
- Maximum of 2 years experience in coffee quality control, laboratory operations, food quality or a related field.
- Degree educated in Food Science, Agriculture, Supply Chain, Data Analytics or a related discipline.
- Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to evaluate coffee quality and provide clear feedback to stakeholders
- Interest in developing expertise in cupping, grading, sample analysis and Q-Grading certification
- Ability to collaborate effectively across quality, trade, logistics and data teams.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage reporting, sample tracking and multiple priorities.
- Interest in automation, digitalisation and AI integration within quality and reporting processes.
- Proficiency in Generative AI and Automation Platforms (eg. LLM, CoPilot, Claude, Microsoft Power Automate Ecosystem).
- High attention to detail and commitment to quality and food safety standards.
- Confident use of Microsoft Office tools, particularly Excel; Power BI experience advantageous.
- Proactive, adaptable, and able to work independently and within an international team environment.
- Fluency in English is essential; additional languages are advantageous.
- Willingness to travel occasionally for training, origin visits or customer support activities.
We recognise that talent comes in many forms, and we value potential just as much as experience. If this role excites you but you don’t meet every requirement, we still encourage you to apply.
We provide a fast-paced, stimulating and truly global environment, which will stretch your abilities and channel your talents. We also offer competitive salary and benefits combined with outstanding career development opportunities in one of the global leaders in soft commodity trading.
Our values define who we are. They are the fundamental beliefs that determine our actions and guide our behaviour. They influence the way we communicate and collaborate, and define the way we engage with our clients, partners, and communities. Our values are underpinned by a set of essential behaviours, which form part of our performance management approach. Delivering on our objectives is very much about ‘what’ we do, but these essential behaviours also provide a guide and measure for ‘how’ we do things. Our performance essentials are Take Initiative, Self‐Management, Deliver Results and Collaboration.
We are committed to creating and sustaining an inclusive and diverse work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect. We are committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment and are focussed on actively building and developing diverse teams. All qualified applicants will receive equal treatment without regard to race, colour, sex, gender, age, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital or civil partner status, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender reassignment (identity, gender expression), genetic information or any characteristic protected by local law.
We are not accepting unsolicited CV/resume’s from recruitment or search agencies for this vacancy. Any CVs/resume’s submitted without a prior agreement in place with our talent acquisition team, will be considered the property of Volcafe, and no fees will be paid.
