Quality Assurance Manager

About the role Quality Assurance Manager for perfume packaging, you will own QA strategy for new product development, supplier qualification, tooling/mold validation, and serial production release for pumps, collars, caps, bottles, cans and finished fragrance items. You will coordinate cross functional teams (Product Development, QC,Supply Chain, Procurement, Production, Sales, external labs/inspection bodies) to ensure products meet regulatory, cosmetic, aesthetic and functional requirements, on time and within budget.

Key responsibilities

• QA leadership for NPD
• Define and enforce QA gates, acceptance criteria and test plans for NPD milestones (concept prototype preproduction production release).
• Collaborate with Product Development (PDD) to translate technical drawings, decoration specs, and functional requirements into measurable quality criteria and PSDs.
• Drive design for manufacturability (DFM) inputs and quality risk assessments early in projects.
• Supplier qualification and management
• Lead supplier audits, capability assessments and onboarding for packaging and fragrance suppliers.
• Define supplier KPIs (quality, OTIF, NCR rate), monitor performance and lead improvement plans.
• Manage supplier tooling/mold approval processes, periodic tooling health checks and maintenance escalation.
• First article and sample control
• Oversee first-sample inspections, coordinate mock-ups and prototype test plans, approve trial/mold samples and first production runs.
• Maintain structured sample library and version control for prototypes, preproduction and approved parts.
• Incoming, in-process and outgoing quality
• Specify and maintain sampling plans, inspection methods and defect classification for incoming components and finished goods.
• Authorize production release based on objective evidence (test results, inspection reports).
• Coordinate SGS / third-party inspections and validate external lab reports.
• Non-conformity and corrective action
• Lead NCR investigations, root-cause analysis (5Why, Ishikawa), corrective & preventive actions (CAPA) and supplier CAPA follow-up.
• Ensure timely communication of quality status to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Documentation & systems
• Create and maintain Product Specification Documents (PSDs), test reports, validation records, inspection procedures and quality checklists in ERP/QMS.
• Ensure traceability of batches, tooling numbers and sample approvals.
• Maintain QC records and support internal/external audits (ISO, Ecovadis, cosmetic regulatory audits).
• Team leadership & training
• Manage and mentor QC/QA staff, delegate inspection assignments and develop technical competence across the team.
• Deliver technical training to Sales, Production and customers on handling, assembly and inspection of perfume packaging components.
• Continuous improvement & compliance
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects, scrap and returns; run quality improvement projects using data-driven methods.
• Keep up-to-date with cosmetic & packaging regulatory requirements and industry best practices (materials safety, migration, packaging closures, coating/decoration standards).

Qualifications & experience

• 6+ years' experience in QA/QC with at least 3 years focused on NPD in perfume/cosmetics packaging or closely related decorative packaging sector. Experience in fragrance component QA (pumps, closures, aerosols, decorative glass/metal) mandatory.
• Bachelors degree in Quality Management, Industrial Engineering, Chemistry, Packaging Technology or related discipline.
• Proven experience with tooling/mold approval, first-article inspection processes, decoration/printing quality requirements, and supplier quality management.
• Handson experience with third-party inspection firms (e.g., SGS), laboratory testing coordination and acceptance of test certificates.
• Strong working knowledge of ISO 9001; familiarity with cosmetic sector standards and regulatory needs (IFRA, REACH basics, migration testing) preferred.
• ERP and QMS experience; advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and quality reporting tools.

Skills & competencies

• Strong project management skills: able to lead multiple NPD projects and hit time-to-market milestones.
• Excellent technical judgment and attention to detail for aesthetic and functional requirements.
• Analytical: experience with root-cause analysis, statistical process control (SPC) and quality metrics.
• Clear communicator with ability to interact at supplier, customer and senior management levels.
• Leadership: experience hiring, coaching and developing QA/QC teams.
• Customer-focused, pragmatic problem solver with ability to travel to supplier sites as required.

Reporting & scope

• Reports to: Head of Operations
• Direct reports: QC Inspectors
• Regular interaction with: Product Development, Procurement, Production, Sales, External Labs, Third-party Inspectors, Key Suppliers, Customers

KPIs (examples)

• First-pass yield and production release success rate for NPD launches
• NCR rate (ppm) from suppliers and production
• On-time product release for NPD projects
• Supplier quality performance (defects per million, corrective action closure time)
• Audit readiness score and documentation completeness

What we offer

• Competitive salary and benefits
• Role with high impact on product quality and brand perception in a fast growing fragrance packaging business
• Opportunities to lead cross-functional projects and supplier development