External Manufacturing & Supplier Quality Assurance Analyst
Kevin's Natural Foods
full-time
Posted on:
Location Type: Remote
Location: United States
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Salary
💰 $90,000 - $110,000 per year
About the role
- Lead the implementation and governance of the External Manufacturing Quality Management (EMQM) program at Kevin’s Natural Foods.
- Ensure external manufacturers comply with Kevin’s and Mars Quality Management standards.
- Own supplier qualification, approval, and ongoing performance management.
- Act as a key technical authority ensuring quality and food safety standards across external partners.
- Support both strategic (supplier development, program deployment) and tactical (audits, issue resolution) activities.
- Define validation and verification programs to ensure product equivalency and food safety.
- Drive visibility of external manufacturer quality performance and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
- Manage change control processes impacting quality and food safety.
- Facilitate supplier quality processes, policies, and onboarding frameworks.
- Develop and improve RACIs and ways of working for material and supplier onboarding.
- Monitor and improve inbound raw and packaging material quality across sites.
- Establish KPIs and metrics to track supplier quality performance and compliance.
- Conduct supplier audits (low, medium, high risk) to assess capability and compliance.
- Lead initial supplier assessments and ongoing verification activities.
- Identify gaps and drive corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) with suppliers.
- Maintain supplier status, risk assessments (e.g., EMPRA), and technical documentation.
- Partner with Procurement, R&D, and project teams to support external manufacturing in innovation projects.
- Act as the quality lead for co-manufactured product development.
- Ensure suppliers meet quality and food safety requirements for new product launches.
- Lead investigations related to external manufacturing quality incidents.
- Conduct risk assessments and determine product disposition.
- Identify root causes and ensure effective CAPA implementation.
- Monitor trends and incorporate learnings into continuous improvement efforts.
- Drive supplier development initiatives to improve capability and performance.
- Contribute quality insights to sourcing and supply strategies.
- Engage with global and regional quality communities to align on best practices.
- Support management reviews with data-driven recommendations.
- Require regular interactions with external manufacturers, suppliers, and global quality teams.
- Other duties as assigned or necessary.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Chemistry, or related field (preferred).
- 4+ years of experience in Quality, Food Safety, or Technical functions.
- Experience managing external manufacturers and supplier quality.
- Strong background in auditing Quality Management Systems and supplier facilities.
- Strong understanding of Quality & Food Safety standards (e.g., HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000).
- Experience with Material Quality Management and supplier quality systems.
- Proven problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
- Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and external partners.
- Strong communication and project management skills.
- Certified Lead Auditor (FSSC 22000 or equivalent) Certification
- HACCP certification.
- Ability to travel up to ~40%.
Benefits
- Offers Bonus
- + Benefits
Applicant Tracking System Keywords
Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.
Hard Skills & Tools
Quality ManagementFood SafetySupplier QualificationAuditingValidation ProgramsVerification ProgramsCAPARisk AssessmentKPI DevelopmentMaterial Quality Management
Soft Skills
Problem-solvingRoot Cause AnalysisInfluencingCommunicationProject Management
Certifications
Certified Lead Auditor (FSSC 22000)HACCP Certification