Quality Manager, Vendor Compliance

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Quality Manager, Vendor Compliance based in United States.

We are looking for a Quality Manager, Vendor Compliance to oversee supplier quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance across a network of ingredient suppliers, manufacturing partners, and fulfillment facilities. You will own the quality systems and processes that ensure materials and finished products consistently meet established standards. Working closely with Procurement, Regulatory, R&D, and Supply Chain, you will lead supplier qualification, audits, risk assessments, and corrective action programs. You will also manage ingredient verification, quality documentation, and supplier performance monitoring to identify and address potential issues proactively. This role combines hands-on quality oversight with strategic supplier partnerships and continuous improvement initiatives. You will contribute to a collaborative, fast-moving environment where product integrity, accountability, and consumer trust are essential.

Accountabilities:

As Quality Manager, Vendor Compliance, you will take ownership of supplier quality programs and the systems used to maintain food safety, regulatory compliance, and reliable manufacturing standards. You will work across internal teams and external partners to identify risks, resolve quality issues, strengthen supplier performance, and ensure documentation remains accurate and audit-ready.

• Supplier Quality & Compliance

• Own supplier qualification, approval, and compliance programs, ensuring suppliers and materials meet quality, food safety, regulatory, and business requirements.

• Lead supplier and material onboarding in partnership with Procurement, Regulatory, R&D, and Supply Chain.

• Establish and maintain risk-based supplier and ingredient assessments based on material risk, manufacturing processes, supplier performance, and historical quality data.

• Lead supplier quality investigations, corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs), and escalations, ensuring root causes are identified and corrective actions are sustainable.

• Ensure suppliers comply with established requirements, including supplier expectation guidelines, specifications, quality standards, and applicable regulations.

• Lead supplier audits and facility assessments while driving continuous improvement through effective supplier partnerships.

• Ingredient Quality Management

• Manage the ingredient positive release program, including certificate of analysis (COA) reviews, material disposition, and communication with warehouses and internal stakeholders.

• Establish risk-based ingredient testing and verification programs to confirm materials meet quality and food safety specifications.

• Oversee ingredient retention sample and traceability programs to support investigations and supplier performance evaluations.

• Lead ingredient nonconformance investigations and coordinate appropriate supplier corrective actions and material disposition.

• Monitor ingredient quality trends and variability to identify and mitigate emerging risks.

• Quality Systems & Document Control

• Own document control processes for Quality and Supply Chain documentation, including SOPs, forms, specifications, and work instructions.

• Establish standards for document creation, review, approval, version control, archiving, and retention.

• Ensure supplier compliance records remain complete, current, and audit-ready.

• Coordinate periodic document reviews with cross-functional process owners to ensure procedures reflect current practices and requirements.

• Continuously improve quality systems and documentation processes to strengthen compliance, traceability, and operational efficiency.

• Supplier Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Develop and manage supplier performance metrics and scorecards to track quality, compliance, recurring issues, and emerging risks.

• Establish supplier performance review and escalation processes, including improvement plans for high-risk or underperforming suppliers.

• Analyze supplier and ingredient quality trends to identify systemic risks and improvement opportunities.

• Partner with Procurement and Supply Chain leadership on supplier approval, performance management, escalation, and disqualification decisions.

• Provide leadership with visibility into supplier quality risks, significant nonconformances, and outstanding corrective actions.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate has 6–8+ years of Quality Assurance or Supplier Quality experience in the food and beverage industry, preferably within beverage manufacturing. You bring strong technical knowledge of food safety systems and supplier compliance, combined with the ability to manage investigations, audits, and corrective action programs. You are analytical, organized, and comfortable influencing external suppliers and internal…