Senior Manager, Product Safety
5 days ago
Norwalk
Job Description Title: Senior Manager, Product Safety Location: Norwalk, Connecticut Salary: $130-150K FTE exempt No sponsorship available Benefits: health insurance disability insurance life insurance retirement plans (like a 401(k)) paid time off (PTO) including vacation and sick days Summary: The Senior Manager, Product Safety, Quality & Compliance is the enterprise owner of product integrity across the company’s portfolio. This role is accountable for ensuring products are safe, compliant, durable, and launch-ready across e-commerce and retail channels. This leader defines what must be true before a product launches, how that is proven, and how risk is mitigated in a safe manner. The role balances regulatory requirements, brand standards, and business realities, providing clear judgment on performance tradeoffs. You will lead a global Quality organization, partner closely with Product Development, Sourcing, Legal, and Marketing, and advise executive leadership on product performance and risk from concept through post-market performance. This is a senior, visible role requiring strong technical depth, sound judgment, and an execution-first mindset. What You'll Do 1. Product Risk & Compliance Authority • Own external product risk and regulatory exposure across markets., • Serve as the internal authority on global product safety and regulatory requirements (e.g., CPSC, FTC, FDA food contact, Prop 65, REACH, and key international standards)., • Define regulatory and safety requirements by category, including warnings, legal disclaimers, care & use instructions, labeling, and claims., • Lead formal product risk assessments throughout the lifecycle and escalate risks exceeding tolerance., • Act as the decision-maker on compliance readiness and regulatory go/no-go., • Oversee governance of safety warnings, labeling, and lot codes across products, packaging, e-commerce listings, and marketing — from definition through audit., • Lead incident response, regulatory reporting, and recall coordination if required., • Maintain practical compliance guidance for product, packaging, and e-commerce execution., • Manage supplier-related compliance risk, including traceability, audit readiness, and escalation of vendor issues that create regulatory or brand exposure. 2. Quality Standards & Validation • Define what “good” looks like — and how it is proven., • Establish category-specific product performance and durability standards aligned to real consumer use and brand expectations., • Own the global testing strategy: what must be tested, when, and to what threshold., • Set pass/fail criteria and approval standards for product safety, performance, and claims substantiation., • Manage third-party laboratory partnerships, testing scope, and cost effectiveness., • Ensure claims are accurate, defensible, and consistently applied across packaging, e-commerce, and marketing., • Oversee PLM Compliance modules as the system of record for testing requirements, results, approvals, and claims. 3. Supplier Execution, Inspection & Signal Detection • Ensure standards are executed and issues are caught early., • Own supplier quality and compliance execution, including factory audits, approval standards, and ongoing corrective action governance., • Define risk-based audit and inspection strategies by supplier, category, and volume., • Partner with Sourcing to ensure supplier selection, onboarding, and diversification decisions reflect quality and compliance risk., • Lead factory quality execution through international QA teams., • Design right-sized inspection protocols by product and risk profile, including product and packaging., • Drive corrective and preventive actions through root-cause analysis and supplier capability improvement., • Establish post-market surveillance using customer feedback, returns, and marketplace signals., • Identify systemic issues early and ensure they are resolved permanently. 4. Leadership & Influence • Lead and develop a global Quality team, including international resources., • Partner closely with Product Development, Sourcing, Legal, Marketing, and Operations., • Provide regular, clear updates to executive leadership on product risk, quality posture, and emerging issues., • Represent the company with external labs, compliance partners, and industry bodies. What You'll Bring • 10+ years of leadership experience in product safety, quality, and compliance within consumer products., • Experience across hardlines and softlines strongly preferred., • Proven ownership of testing strategy, quality standards, and regulatory decision-making., • Deep knowledge of FDA food-contact materials, CPSC requirements, chemical regulations, and claims compliance., • Experience operating in e-commerce-first environments and supporting retail expansion., • Strong background in global supply chains, factory audits, and supplier quality execution., • Bachelor’s degree in a technical field required (advanced degree a plus)., • Ability to travel internationally up to 4 times a year., • Multilingual capability is a bonus for leading global teams and liaising with international suppliers. Addison Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Addison Group provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. Addison Group complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. Reasonable accommodation is available for qualified individuals with disabilities, upon request.
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