Senior Leaf Tobacco Packing & Inspection Specialist - Vietnam

Experience
• Minimum 10-15 years continuous experience within the Indian tobacco industry.
• Extensive experience working directly with:
o Leaf merchants
o Processing factories
o Green Leaf Threshing plants
o Export operations
o Tobacco grading
o Packing operations
o Inspection services
Experience with multinational tobacco companies or internationally recognised leaf merchants will be considered a significant advantage.
Technical Knowledge Requirements
The candidate must possess extensive knowledge of:
Vietnamese FCV Crops & Burley Tobacco Types
Tobacco by-products: Stems & Scrap
Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) Expertise
The candidate shall demonstrate extensive understanding of:
• GLT operations
• Factory process flow
• Leaf preparation
• Moisture conditioning
• Threshing efficiency
• Lamina recovery
• Stem recovery
• Drying systems
• Re-ordering
• Case packing
• Bale preparation
• Storage conditions
The candidate should understand how processing parameters influence:
• Filling value
• Colour
• Lamina degradation
• Stem breakage
• Moisture variation
• Product consistency
Packing Knowledge
The successful candidate must possess expert knowledge in:
• Bale packing
• Case packing
• Moisture management
• Carton integrity
• Compression
• Weight tolerances - Explanation on FTA rules will be required.
• Identification systems
• Packing marks
• Fumigation
• Container preperation and loading
• Export readiness
Inspection Experience
The candidate shall have extensive practical inspection experience involving:
Green Tobacco
Inspection of:
• Colour
• Texture
• Ripeness
• Foreign matter
• Moisture
• Uniformity
Processed Tobacco
Inspection of:
• Lamina
• Stem
• Cut tobacco
• By-products
• Scrap
• Dust
Physical Assessment
Ability to professionally assess:
• Colour
• Aroma
• Texture
• Elasticity
• Moisture
• Maturity
• Uniformity
• Grade consistency
• Damage
• Infestation
• Foreign matter
Factory Process Knowledge
Candidate should understand:
• Tobacco receiving
• Storage practices
• Conditioning
• Threshing
• Drying
• Packing
• Dispatch
• Warehouse management
Must understand causes of:
• Excess degradation
• Moisture loss
• Lamina damage
• Stem contamination
• Dust generation
• Foreign material contamination
Laboratory & Chemical Knowledge: The candidate must possess practical understanding of:
Nicotine Testing
Knowledge of:
• Laboratory methods
• Interpretation
• Variability
• Sampling procedures
• Result verification
Sugar Testing
Experience interpreting:
• Total sugar
• Reducing sugars
• Crop variation
• Laboratory consistency
Chloride Testing
Understanding of:
• Chloride significance
• Crop influence
• Manufacturing implications
• Result validation
Laboratory Coordination
The candidate shall be capable of:
• Reviewing supplier laboratory results.
• Coordinating independent laboratory testing.
• Managing third-party verification.
• Comparing analytical differences.
• Investigating abnormal results.
• Coordinating tri-party laboratory comparisons.
• Producing technical laboratory summaries.
Sampling Knowledge
Must understand:
• Representative sampling
• Core sampling
• Grab sampling
• Sample sealing
• Chain of custody
• Laboratory submission
• Retention samples
• Sample traceability
Supplier Management
Ability to:
• Conduct supplier inspections
• Challenge inconsistent quality
• Verify supplier claims
• Maintain professional relationships
• Negotiate technical issues
• Escalate quality concerns
Market Intelligence
The successful candidate should possess current knowledge of:
• Vietnamese tobacco production
• Crop forecasts
• Regional crop quality
• Weather impacts
• Market pricing
• Export trends
• Supply availability
• Competitive activity
Provide regular market intelligence reports to management.
Reporting Skills
Excellent written reporting skills are essential.
Reports should include:
• Inspection findings
• Quality observations
• Laboratory summaries
• Supplier performance
• Crop updates
• Market intelligence
• Risk assessments
• Recommendations
Communication Requirements
The candidate must demonstrate:
• Excellent spoken English.
• Excellent written English.
• Knowledge of local Indian languages will be advantageous.
• Professional report writing.
• Strong presentation skills.
• Ability to communicate with international management
Computer Skills
Proficient in:
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Outlook
• Digital photography
• Inspection reporting
• Data recording
• Online meetings
• SAP
Personal Competencies
The successful candidate shall demonstrate:
• High attention to detail
• Excellent observation skills
• Strong analytical ability
• Sound technical judgement
• Problem-solving capability
• Professionalism
• Accountability
• Reliability
• Self-motivation
• Time management
• Ability to work independently
Integrity & Ethical Standards
This position is one of high trust and responsibility.
The successful candidate must demonstrate:
• Absolute honesty.
• Professional independence.
• Zero tolerance for corruption.
• No conflicts of interest.
• Complete confidentiality.
• Impartial inspection practices.
• Ethical decision-making under pressure.
The individual will be expected to comply fully with the company's Code of Conduct and Anti-Bribery & Anti-Corruption Policy.
Any attempt to solicit, accept, or facilitate gifts, commissions, inducements, kickbacks, favours, or any other improper benefit from suppliers or third parties will constitute gross misconduct and may result in immediate termination of employment and, where applicable, referral to the relevant legal authorities.
Integrity is considered a fundamental condition of employment and is non-negotiable.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
The successful candidate will be measured against:
• Inspection accuracy
• Quality claim reduction
• Supplier compliance levels
• Laboratory result accuracy
• Timeliness of reporting
• Shipment readiness
• Market intelligence quality
• Cost avoidance through early defect identification
• Ethical compliance
• Technical contribution to procurement decisions
Preferred Background
Preference will be given to candidates with previous experience in:
• International tobacco merchants
• Global tobacco manufacturers
• Export-oriented tobacco processors
• Independent tobacco inspection companies
• Leaf procurement organisations
Final Statement
This position represents a critical technical and fiduciary role within the organisation. The successful candidate will serve as the company's independent representative at origin, ensuring that every consignment purchased meets the highest standards of quality, technical compliance, commercial integrity, and ethical conduct. The individual must combine deep technical expertise with uncompromising professionalism and the confidence to challenge suppliers whenever standards are not achieved.