Senior Manager of Supplier Quality & Compliance

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We connect high-performing professionals with organizations that value people, performance, and growth, helping leaders find roles where they can make an impact and build meaningful careers.

We’re supporting a search for a Senior Manager, Supplier Quality & Compliance with a specialty food ingredients manufacturer in California. This role will lead supplier quality, raw material risk assessment, regulatory compliance, supplier approval, and quality systems across the organization. The position will also manage the Regulatory & Compliance Manager and Supplier Quality Coordinator while supporting both California and Indiana operations.

You’ll lead supplier quality and compliance activity with responsibility for raw materials, supplier performance, risk assessment, corrective action, and quality systems.

• Lead risk-based raw material and packaging evaluations
• Evaluate fruits, sweeteners, functional ingredients, stabilizers, and packaging
• Own new supplier approval and supplier performance management
• Partner with Procurement and plant leadership on supplier management
• Conduct supplier audits and track corrective actions
• Manage raw material specifications
• Lead raw material and shelf-life reviews
• Conduct food safety and quality risk assessments for new ingredients and products
• Own Trace Gains supplier quality workflows
• Manage supplier setup, approvals, COA requirements, and testing setup
• Lead supplier-related root cause and CAPA investigations
• Support plant rejections, customer complaints, and material nonconformances
• Manage Organic and Kosher compliance for assigned ingredients
• Support applicable certification requirements
• Establish supplier quality KPIs and trend performance
• Communicate supplier risks and drive corrective and preventive improvements
• Lead and develop the Regulatory & Compliance Manager and Supplier Quality Coordinator
• Partner with Procurement, Operations, R&D, Commercial, and plant Quality teams
• Support FDA, FSMA, CFIA, HACCP, GMP, SQF/GFSI, and supplier quality compliance

You are an experienced supplier quality and compliance leader with a strong background in food manufacturing.

You understand supplier risk, raw material quality, regulatory requirements, audits, CAPA, and quality systems. You are comfortable working cross-functionally and leading both programs and people during a period of company growth.

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Engineering, or related scientific field
• Master’s degree preferred
• 8+ years of supplier quality, food safety, regulatory compliance, or quality systems experience in food manufacturing
• People or program leadership experience
• Strong knowledge of FDA and FSMA requirements
• CFIA knowledge
• HACCP and GMP knowledge
• SQF / GFSI experience
• Supplier approval and food ingredient risk assessment experience
• Supplier audit experience
• Experience with specifications, COA programs, and raw material testing
• CAPA and root cause analysis experience
• Validation, verification, and change management experience
• Experience assessing allergen, contamination, packaging, regulatory, and quality risks
• Trace Gains or similar supplier quality system experience
• ERP experience supporting ingredient traceability, inventory, or raw material management
• Microsoft Office and data analysis skills
• Strong project management, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Strong cross-functional communication skills
• Experience with fruits, sweeteners, and functional ingredients is a plus

The company is in a period of significant growth following new investment and is expanding capacity, capabilities, and operations. This role will help strengthen supplier quality, compliance systems, raw material controls, and quality expectations while supporting continued growth across both manufacturing sites.