Excellence Assurance Lead

Welcome to a workplace where everyone passionately believes in one purpose!

Our company's commitment extends beyond tasks; it's about infusing every action with purpose. We are dedicated to bringing unparalleled passion and customer focus to every facet of our business, creating an environment where your contribution truly matters.

With 70 years of experience, we are the leading strategic partner, providing specialized solutions for airlines, airports, and enterprises across 21 countries throughout The Caribbean and Latin America.

At GCG, we believe the secret recipe for a perfect team blends talent, focus, and discipline. We seek these qualities in candidates eager to thrive in a diverse and multicultural environment.

Our comprehensive solutions include Sky Dining, Airport Dining, Aviation Support, and Culinary. With a team of over 5,500 highly skilled experts dedicated to excellence, we uphold the highest standards of quality and service. We are committed to elevating travel & culinary experiences for all our customer's journeys, becoming the top choice in the region.

JOB PURPOSE

The Excellence Assurance Lead is accountable for the Group’s corporate assurance program, providing an objective assessment of compliance and control effectiveness across operational processes, management systems, and applicable customer requirements. The role ensures that findings are consistently evaluated, corrective action plans adequately address identified gaps, and closure decisions are supported by evidence of effective implementation.

The role leads the Excellence Assurance team, directs customer compliance verification, and turns assessment results into actionable insights for management. It also strengthens local assessment capabilities and coordinates the sharing of validated lessons and good practices with Operational Excellence and QHSE.

Duties & Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Corporate Assurance Strategy & Planning

· Develop and maintain a risk-based corporate assurance program covering the operational processes, management systems, and customer requirements within the department’s scope.

· Establish assessment priorities using risk exposure, previous findings, incidents, customer concerns, operational changes, and station performance.

· Define assessment objectives, scope, frequency, resource requirements, and expected deliverables for approval by the Director of Excellence & Integration.

· Coordinate participation from OPEX, QHSE, and qualified local representatives, ensuring appropriate technical competence and objectivity.

· Adjust the program when significant risks or emerging concerns require additional verification, escalating resource or priority conflicts.

· Maintain visibility of coverage gaps and communicate their implications to the Director.

Assessment Methodology & Consistency

· Own the corporate audit and assessment methodology, including evidence requirements, sampling approaches, finding classification, reporting, and dispute handling.

· Ensure assessment tools reflect current requirements approved by the relevant technical or process owners.

· Establish consistent criteria for evaluating compliance and control effectiveness across stations, while accounting for applicable local and customer requirements.

· Review assessment reports to ensure conclusions are clear, proportionate, and supported by traceable evidence.

· Resolve inconsistencies in interpretation through consultation with the responsible technical pillar, preserving the objectivity of the assessment.

· Maintain assessor competence and calibration, assigning technical experts where specialized knowledge is required.

Corporate Assessments & Control Effectiveness

· Lead the execution of the corporate assurance program and participate in assessments according to risk, complexity, and business priorities.

· Evaluate whether controls are appropriately implemented, consistently applied, and effective in addressing the risks and requirements they are intended to manage.

· Challenge unsupported declarations of compliance and request additional evidence or verification when necessary.

· Approve findings and classifications within the established governance framework, ensuring consistent treatment across stations.

· Communicate significant findings promptly to station management, the responsible pillar, and the Director, according to established escalation requirements.

· Protect assessment objectivity by avoiding assignments in which personnel would independently assess work they directly designed or implemented.

Corrective Action Acceptance & Closure

· Hold accountability for the formal acceptance of corrective action plans arising from corporate audits and for the closure or reopening of associated findings.

· Require responsible owners to provide adequate root cause analysis, corrective actions, accountable owners, completion dates, and evidence of effectiveness.

· Obtain technical validation from OPEX or QHSE when assessing the adequacy of proposed actions and supporting evidence.

· Return inadequate plans or closure submissions for correction, clearly explaining the outstanding requirements.

· Approve closure only when evidence demonstrates that the identified gap has been addressed and required effectiveness checks have been completed.

· Require further action or reopen findings when verification identifies ineffective implementation or recurrence.

· Escalate overdue actions, unresolved disagreements, and unacceptable residual exposure through established governance channels.

Customer Compliance & External Assessment Coordination

· Direct the Customer Compliance Officer in maintaining visibility of applicable customer requirements, compliance commitments, and identified gaps.

· Coordinate with KAM, Operations, OPEX, and QHSE to ensure customer requirements are assigned to appropriate owners and supported by evidence of implementation.

· Ensure technical interpretation and changes to operational requirements are reviewed by the responsible pillar, with commercial commitments managed through KAM and authorized business leaders.

· Coordinate readiness and evidence consolidation for customer assessments within the assigned scope.

· Monitor responses to customer findings and escalate commitments that are overdue, unsupported, or at risk.

· Identify recurring customer compliance issues requiring broader technical or operational intervention.

Performance Analysis & Management Escalation

· Consolidate assurance results to identify systemic weaknesses, recurring findings, and differences in control effectiveness across stations.

· Provide management with a clear view of significant risks, corrective action effectiveness, unresolved findings, and decisions required.

· Evaluate the pillar’s performance using meaningful measures, including assessment quality, risk coverage, recurrence, and verified corrective action effectiveness.

· Distinguish administrative completion from demonstrated improvement when reporting progress.

· Refer needs for new or revised operational standards to OPEX and technical standards to QHSE, supported by assessment evidence.

· Escalate matters beyond the role’s delegated authority to the Director of Excellence & Integration.

Assessment Capability & Knowledge Sharing

· Establish training and guidance for local internal assessments, evidence collection, finding documentation, root cause analysis expectations, and corrective action verification.

· Develop the capabilities of the corporate assurance team and participating local assessors through coaching, calibration, and feedback.

· Identify lessons and potential good practices from assessments and submit them to OPEX or QHSE for technical validation before wider dissemination.

· Coordinate the sharing of validated practices and recurring lessons with stations and relevant corporate functions.

· Verify, through subsequent assessments, whether communicated lessons and corrective measures have reduced recurrence or strengthened controls.

· Maintain a clear distinction between training on assessment methods and technical training owned by the relevant pillar.

Team Leadership & Cross-Pillar Coordination

· Set objectives, allocate responsibilities, and review the performance of the Excellence Assurance Analyst and Customer Compliance Officer.

· Ensure team members have the competence, tools, and guidance required for their assigned responsibilities.

· Coordinate assessment schedules and evidence requests with other pillars to reduce duplication and maintain coherent station engagement.

· Work with designated local system and process owners and, where applicable, local OPEX Managers, without assuming local personnel supervision.

· Maintain controlled assurance procedures, tools, and records in coordination with the Document Controller.

· Promote objective reporting, constructive challenge, and timely escalation throughout the assurance process.

Qualifications & Skills

Education and qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering, Quality Management, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related discipline.

· Formal training in management system auditing, including audit planning, evidence evaluation, reporting, and follow-up.

· Recognized lead auditor training or certification in a relevant management system standard is preferred.

Skills/Competencies

• Strong knowledge of audit and assurance principles, including risk-based planning, evidence sufficiency, objectivity, and consistent finding classification.
• Ability to evaluate control effectiveness and distinguish procedural compliance from sustained operational implementation.
• Ability to assess root cause analysis, challenge inadequate corrective action plans, and make evidence-based closure decisions.
• Working knowledge of integrated management systems and their application in operational environments.
• Ability to coordinate assessments across food safety, quality, health and safety, security, environmental, and operational disciplines, engaging qualified technical experts as needed.
• Ability to interpret customer requirements with the relevant technical and commercial stakeholders and verify their implementation.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to identify systemic issues and communicate risk and performance clearly.
• Sound judgment, professional integrity, and the ability to manage disagreements objectively.
• Effective leadership, coaching, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to influence action across geographically dispersed teams without direct hierarchical authority.
• Proficiency in digital audit and action management platforms, Microsoft Excel, and reporting tools.
• Professional working proficiency in English and Spanish.

Experience

• At least six years of relevant experience in operational auditing, management systems, quality assurance, or compliance.
• Experience leading assessments across multiple sites or business units.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating corrective action plans, verifying effectiveness, and making or recommending closure decisions.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary teams and presenting findings to operational and senior management.
• Experience supporting customer assessments or verifying customer compliance requirements.
• Experience training or coaching internal assessors and operational teams.
• Experience in airline catering, food production, aviation services, hospitality, or similarly complex operational environments is preferred.
• Previous team leadership or supervisory experience is preferred.

Work Environment

• Corporate role involving assessment planning, management reporting, team leadership, and coordination with geographically dispersed stakeholders.
• Regular interaction with station management, OPEX, QHSE, KAM, and designated local system and process owners.
• On-site work in production facilities, airport service locations, and other operational environments during assessments and verification activities.
• Compliance with applicable hygiene, security, and occupational safety requirements at each location.

Travel requirements

Up to 75% of domestic and international travel, depending on audits, operational assessments, compliance reviews, project priorities, and organizational requirements.

Embark on a journey with us, where every day brings new opportunities for growth and success. If you thrive in a dynamic environment and want to be part of a team that celebrates achievements, come, be a part of our story. Your career adventure starts here!

About Us

Through a great team of experts, GCG provides quality and excellence, aiming to impact people's lives. The company’s goal is to create memorable connections, transforming its services into personalized experiences that exceed the expectations of its internal and external clients throughout Latin America and The Caribbean.

GCG offers career growth opportunities for individuals at all levels of experience.