Quality Manager, Private Label
17 hours ago
San Diego
The Quality Manager leads the end-to-end quality system for a Private Label company ensuring products meet consumer safety, regulatory, and brand standards across various beauty categories. This role owns quality KPIs, incident reporting and escalation, traceability, supplier/facility qualification, and production approval—while driving sustainability, risk management, and redundancy strategies across materials, components, and suppliers. The ideal candidate balances hands-on systems leadership with cross-functional partnership. The Quality Manager reports to the Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain. Key Responsibilities 1. Quality Strategy, KPIs & Governance • Execute and maintain the Quality Management System (QMS) aligned to industry standards for Cosmetics & OTC Personal Care Products (cGMP, ISO & MoCRA)., • Establish and report Quality KPIs and dashboards including consumer incident rate, Vendor Scorecards, Blocking Failures and other standard metrics, • Lead quarterly Quality Business Reviews with leadership; translate trends into action plans for design, sourcing, and manufacturing partners., • Own master standards & reference standards management including pre-production & production samples, COA/COCs, functional and aesthetic standards, print and color tolerances, stability/compatibility acceptance criteria. 2. Incident Reporting, CAPA & Escalation • Operate the consumer incident intake and triage process including coding, severity assessment, evaluation routing, and response letters., • Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and Corrective & Preventive Actions (CAPA) for consumer complaints, nonconformances, and returns; ensure timely closure and effectiveness verification., • Maintain and communicate the Quality Incident Reaction & Escalation Matrix (e.g., safety-related incidents, foreign matter, micro failures, packaging leakage, adverse events, mislabeling)., • Coordinate field actions (holds, retrievals, recalls) with Operations, Regulatory, and Legal as applicable., • Provide trend analytics to drive product and process improvements upstream including scrap assessment & ESG design collaboration. 3. Traceability & Product Data Integrity • Ensure full product traceability from finished goods to batch/lot-level raw materials, components, and contract manufacturers/packers., • Maintain and audit Batch Records, Certificates of Analysis, MSDS/SDS where appropriate, and COC/COA from suppliers., • Lead trace exercises and mock recalls; validate traceability integrity across systems (ERP/PLM/QMS). 4. Facility Audits & Qualification • Develop and execute the Facility Audit & Qualification program for manufacturers, fillers, testing laboratories, and key component suppliers (GMP, hygiene, allergen/contaminant controls, change control)., • Track audit findings, risk ratings, CAPAs, and requalification timelines., • Approve pilot runs, line trials, and Process Validation where applicable; verify documentation for high-risk categories. 5. Material Sourcing Strategy & Component Specifications • Collaborate with Sourcing to define material sourcing strategy, quality acceptance standards, COA/COC requirements, and supplier scorecards., • Own component spec sheets (dimensions, tolerances, resin type, PCR levels, barrier properties, sealing torque, decorative specs, ink/adhesive criteria, pump output, gasket/liner material)., • Implement material and part compatibility guidelines (formula–package compatibility, migration, stress/crack testing, thermal risk & transit simulation)., • Manage sample review (ENG, pilot, pre-production, and reference sets) and first article inspection (FAI) signoffs., • Identify and escalate development projects requiring third party Packaging Engineer support 6. Systems, Tools & Training • Administer QMS/PLM/ERP workflows for specs, NCR, CAPA, change control, and traceability., • Lead SOP creation and training for internal teams and suppliers; certify inspectors and line operators on critical-to-quality attributes., • Drive continuous improvement (Lean/Six Sigma projects) to reduce cost of poor quality and elevate consumer experience. Qualifications • Bachelor’s in Engineering, Chemistry, Quality, or related field; advanced degree or certifications (e.g., ASQ CQE/CQA, ISO Lead Auditor, Six Sigma) preferred., • 7–10+ years in CPG beauty or closely related (cosmetics, personal care, OTC cosmetic-adjacent), with hands-on QMS leadership across suppliers and contract manufacturers., • Demonstrated expertise in GMP for cosmetics, micro/stability/compatibility fundamentals, and packaging quality for beauty categories., • Strong record in supplier quality, facility audits, CAPA/RCA, and production release., • Experience implementing redundancy, risk frameworks (FMEA), and sustainability-aligned quality standards., • Proficiency with QMS/PLM/ERP systems; strong data and dashboard/reporting skills., • Ability to travel as needed to CM locations during production runs, located in the Los Angeles area. Core Competencies • Systems thinking; able to connect design, sourcing, and manufacturing to consumer outcomes., • Analytical decision-making and statistical literacy (SPC, sampling plans, AQL)., • Clear communicator—effective with suppliers, leadership, and customer-facing teams., • Bias for action under ambiguity; disciplined escalation and follow-through., • Collaborative leadership; develops team capability and supplier partnerships., • Detail orientation on specs/artwork with strong documentation rigor. Work Schedule: Hybrid Schedule - Monday through Friday 8:30AM to 5:00PM with variation based on business demands (Mon & Fri remote, Tues - Thurs in-office) Pay range: $110,000 to $120,000 Benefits: • 401(k), • Dental insurance, • Vision insurance, • Health insurance, • Health savings account, • Paid time off