Director, Co-Manufacturing Quality

About the Role:

Kinder’s is seeking an experienced Director of Co-Manufacturing Quality who is passionate about being part of a team of hard-working people focused on bringing the future of flavor to consumers everywhere.

The Director, Co-Manufacturing Quality is a strategic quality leader responsible for establishing and executing the Quality strategy across the company’s co-manufacturing network. This role owns the governance, performance, food safety, quality, compliance, and continuous improvement programs that ensure co-manufactured products consistently meet company, regulatory, customer, and consumer expectations.  It will serve as the senior quality leader and subject matter expert for the co-manufacturing network, partnering closely with Co-Manufacturing, Supply Chain, R&D/Product Development, Regulatory, Commercialization, and Corporate Quality to enable business growth while protecting consumers and the brand.

This leader will build scalable systems, establish clear accountability with external manufacturing partners, proactively identify and mitigate quality and food safety risks, and develop a high-performing Co-Manufacturing Quality organization. The role requires strong business acumen and the ability to translate technical quality risks into clear business decisions for senior leadership.

Key Responsibilities Include:

Co-Manufacturing Quality Strategy & Governance

• Develop and execute the long-term Co-Manufacturing Quality strategy in alignment with company growth and business objectives.
• Establish the Quality governance model, standards, policies, and accountability framework for all co-manufacturing partners.
• Define risk-based Quality requirements based on product category, process complexity, facility capability, volume, consumer risk, and business importance.
• Establish and maintain a standardized operating model for managing Quality across the co-manufacturing network.
• Develop Quality KPIs, scorecards, dashboards, and performance expectations for co-manufacturing partners.
• Establish regular business reviews with strategic partners to evaluate Quality performance, risks, trends, and improvement opportunities.
• Provide senior leadership with clear visibility into network-level Quality performance and emerging risks.
• Identify opportunities to leverage technology, data, and QMS capabilities to improve visibility, efficiency, and consistency.

Co-Manufacturer Qualification, Audit & Risk Management

• Own the Quality component of new co-manufacturer qualification and selection.
• Lead Quality due diligence for new partners, product transfers, acquisitions, capacity expansions, and significant process changes.
• Develop and maintain a risk-based co-manufacturer audit strategy.
• Oversee audits, assessments, findings, corrective actions, and verification of sustainable resolution.
• Evaluate facility food safety and Quality systems, technical capabilities, process controls, sanitation, allergen management, traceability, environmental monitoring, specifications, and regulatory compliance as applicable.
• Establish risk mitigation plans for high-risk partners and ensure timely escalation and resolution.
• Partner with Operations, Procurement, Supply Chain, and R&D to determine whether a manufacturing partner is capable of meeting company standards and business requirements.

Quality Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Establish network-wide programs to improve product consistency, reduce defects, complaints, deviations, and cost of poor quality.
• Lead structured root cause analysis and CAPA processes for significant and systemic issues.
• Identify recurring trends across co-manufacturers and drive systemic corrective action rather than site-specific fixes.
• Partner with co-manufacturers to establish measurable improvement plans and timelines.
• Monitor quality performance through KPIs, trend analysis, statistical tools, and partner scorecards.
• Identify opportunities to improve process capability, testing programs, specifications, manufacturing controls, and product consistency.
• Share best practices across the co-manufacturing network.
• Establish escalation protocols for significant quality and food safety events.

Food Safety, Regulatory & Compliance

• Provide Quality leadership and oversight of food safety and regulatory compliance across the co-manufacturing network.
• Ensure manufacturing partners meet applicable FDA, USDA, FSMA, HACCP, GMP, and GFSI certification requirements, as applicable to the products and facilities.
• Monitor regulatory and industry developments and assess potential impact to the co-manufacturing network.
• Partner with Corporate Quality and Regulatory teams on significant compliance matters, regulatory inquiries, and emerging risks.
• Ensure appropriate food safety and quality documentation, specifications, testing programs, and records are maintained.
• Support company recall readiness and crisis management activities involving co-manufactured products.
• Ensure appropriate escalation and communication of material food safety and Quality risks to senior leadership.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Commercialization

• Serve as the senior Quality partner to Co-Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, R&D, Commercialization, Regulatory, and Corporate Quality.
• Provide Quality leadership throughout new product development, commercialization, scale-up, product transfers, and manufacturing changes.
• Partner with R&D and Commercialization to ensure products are technically and commercially manufacturable at scale.
• Establish Quality requirements and risk assessments for new products and manufacturing processes.
• Facilitate fact-based decision making when balancing Quality, Food Safety, cost, supply, speed-to-market, and commercial objectives.
• Translate technical risks into clear business implications and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to the business on external manufacturing Quality risks and opportunities.

People Leadership & Organizational Capability

• Lead, coach, and develop the Co-Manufacturing Quality organization.
• Establish organizational structure, roles, responsibilities, and capabilities required to support a growing co-manufacturing network.
• Set clear performance expectations and develop individual and team development plans.
• Build technical and leadership capability within the team.
• Establish consistent ways of working, decision rights, escalation pathways, and accountability.
• Develop succession plans and organizational capability to support future growth.
• Foster a culture of ownership, proactive risk management, continuous improvement, and strong partnership with external manufacturers.

Skills + Experience:

• Bachelor's Degree required. Strong preference for degree in food science, engineering, or other relevant domain area
• 10+ years relevant work experience in QA/QC/FS in CPG industry including at least some material experience in the food catergory
• Significant experience managing or overseeing co-manufacturers, contract manufacturers, suppliers, or other external manufacturing partners.
• Demonstrated experience leading Quality programs across multiple manufacturing sites or a complex external manufacturing network.
• Prior people leadership experience with the ability to build, coach, and develop high-performing teams.
• Deep technical knowledge of food safety, Quality systems, HACCP, preventive controls, GMPs, allergens, microbiological controls, and applicable FDA/USDA requirements.
• Experience with GFSI standards such as SQF, BRCGS, or equivalent strongly preferred.
• PCQI certification preferred/required based on business needs.
• Demonstrated experience with audits, CAPA, root cause analysis, risk assessment, and continuous improvement programs.
• Experience supporting new product development, commercialization, scale-up, product transfers, or manufacturing changes.
• Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities with demonstrated ability to use data to identify trends, prioritize risk

 Personal Characteristics

• Strategic thinker who can translate company growth objectives into a scalable Quality strategy.
• Strong business acumen and understanding of how Quality decisions affect cost, supply, service, consumer experience, and brand reputation.
• Executive presence with the ability to communicate complex technical issues clearly to senior leadership.
• Exceptional relationship-building and influencing skills, particularly in environments where direct authority is limited.
• Strong negotiation, conflict-resolution, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to establish structure and accountability in a fast-moving, entrepreneurial environment.
• Comfortable making risk-based decisions with incomplete information.
• Demonstrated ability to drive change across internal teams and external manufacturing partners.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• High level of integrity, ownership, accountability, and sound judgment.

Location & Travel

This position will be based onsite in Walnut Creek, CA. We strongly believe in the power of culture and community and have a work structure with 4 days in the office on a weekly basis to encourage collaboration and personal connections that will allow us to better serve our customers and consumers and to have more fun. Additionally, it will involve 50% travel; predominantly in the U.S. 

Pay Transparency:

The expected starting salary range for this role is $215,000- $240,000 per year. The salary range posted for this role reflects the good-faith base pay range Kinder’s reasonably expects to offer at the time of posting and may vary based on the location of the role. Individual compensation within the posted range will be determined based on factors such as relevant education, experience, qualifications, skills, and business needs.