Quality Senior Lead

Job Details

Job Location:

GLENVIEW, IL 60025

Salary Range: $80,000.00 - $90,000.00 Salary

Finlays Solutions is a leading partner to the B2B beverage manufacturing industry, recognized for its deep expertise, strong industry relationships, and commitment to innovation. The company plays a central role in supporting beverage brands, flavor houses, private label partners, and manufacturers through high-quality products, technical capabilities, and collaborative problem-solving. With a strong presence in the ready-to-drink beverage market, Finlays Solutions focuses on identifying emerging opportunities, expanding into new market spaces, and delivering solutions that meet evolving customer and consumer needs.

Finlays Solutions operates with a strong commitment to its mission, values, ethics, and long‑term goals, ensuring that every initiative reflects the company’s dedication to integrity, partnership, and sustainable success.

The Senior Quality Lead – Co-manufacturing owns all quality systems, governance, and relationships associated with Finlays’ third‑party manufacturing network — including co‑manufacturers, co‑packers, warehouses, roasters, blenders, and other external partners. This role ensures that all co‑manufacturing sites consistently meet quality, food safety, regulatory, and customer requirements, and that Finlays maintains a robust, standardized, and risk‑aware co-manufacturing program. This individual acts as both a hands‑on quality leader and a strategic system owner, capable of independently driving work streams, building strong partner relationships, and creating structure in ambiguous or immature processes.

This position is hybrid, based out of the Glenview, IL office, with regular onsite presence required. Travel to co-manufacturing sites is required (approx. 30%).

• Develop and govern the quality and food safety management systems for all U.S.‑based third‑party manufacturing supporting Finlays Solutions.
• Standardize quality expectations across all co‑manufacturers, and external partners, ensuring consistent application of Finlays’ requirements.
• Create structure where processes are immature or ambiguous, establishing clear workflows, documentation, and governance.
• Develop and execute QA/QC programs including specifications, analytical testing plans, and verification protocols.
• Collaborate with R&D and Operations to define critical‑to‑quality parameters and food safety requirements for each product and process.
• Ensure regulatory and customer compliance by working directly with co-manufacturers and relevant authorities.
• Lead non‑conformance investigations including customer complaints, ensuring timely escalation and closure.
• Conduct basic analytical analysis as required from time to time to confirm compliance or investigate product issues.
• Own the onboarding process for new co‑manufacturers in alignment with Finlays’ Supplier Management Program.
• Conduct onsite audits and maintain ongoing compliance monitoring.
• Champion sustainability requirements related to co‑manufactured products.
• Build strong, trust‑based relationships with external partners, acting as a confident, credible quality representative.
• Serve as the face of quality for all co‑manufactured products.
• Manage customer documentation including specifications, certifications, and process information.
• Lead customer quality engagements including technical meetings, complaint resolution, and improvement initiatives.
• Ensure regulatory and portal accuracy by partnering with regulatory and customer support teams.
• Represent Quality in project teams, ensuring quality and food safety are embedded from development through commercialization.
• Proactively identify and elevate risks with clear…