Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs

Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs

Job Category
:
Retail

Requisition Number
: DIREC
024560

East Saint Louis, IL 62206, USA

In September 2022, Stellar Manufacturing was acquired by Leslie's as an affiliate. Stellar Manufacturing is a contract manufacturer of solid particle products and specializes in chemical processing services such as specialty tableting, compaction granulation, and granular filling. We support the manufacturing of a variety of consumer and industrial products including water treatment chemicals, janitorial and sanitation products, agrochemicals, raw materials, and more.

With over 30 years of providing best-in-class products and solutions to our customers, there is nothing that we value more than the development and growth of our team. Both Leslie's and Stellar strive to create a positive and fun atmosphere where our Team Members feel valued and are enthusiastic about the contributions they make to the success of Stellar.

Job Overview:

The Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs provides strategic leadership for Stellar Manufacturing's quality management systems, regulatory compliance, and product stewardship programs. This role is responsible for ensuring products consistently meet customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and industry standards while fostering a culture of quality, safety, operational excellence, and continuous improvement.

Working cross-functionally with Production, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales, R&D, and Executive Leadership, the Director oversees quality systems, regulatory strategy, laboratory operations, audits, customer quality, and risk management to support business growth and product integrity.

• Lead the company's Quality Management System (QMS) and drive a culture of quality, safety, and continuous improvement.
• Oversee Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Regulatory Affairs, and Product Stewardship functions.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and industry regulations.
• Develop quality strategies, policies, performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead internal, customer, supplier, certification, and regulatory audits, ensuring ongoing audit readiness.
• Oversee CAPA, root cause investigations, documentation control, and change management processes.
• Direct Quality Control laboratory operations, including analytical testing, equipment calibration, and quality documentation.
• Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies, customers, and industry partners on quality and compliance matters.
• Partner with Production, Supply Chain, Procurement, Sales, and Executive Leadership to support product quality, regulatory compliance, and new product commercialization.
• Lead investigations and resolution of customer quality concerns and product-related issues.
• Identify quality and regulatory risks and implement mitigation strategies, including product recalls when necessary.
• Lead, coach, and develop Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and Regulatory Affairs teams while managing departmental goals, budgets, and resources.

• Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Materials Science, or a related scientific field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, preferably in chemical manufacturing.
• 5+ years of leadership experience managing quality organizations.
• Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS), regulatory compliance, and chemical manufacturing processes.
• Experience leading customer, supplier, ISO, and regulatory audits.
• Demonstrated success implementing continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean, Six Sigma, Root Cause Analysis, and CAPA.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality management systems.

• Health savings account (with enrollment in the high deductible health plan option).
• Health & dependent care flexible spending accounts.
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance.
• Voluntary supplemental life insurance.
• Company-paid short-term disability and voluntary long-term disability insurance.
• Pre-tax…