Apparel Quality Systems Manager

Champro•Bannockburn, IL

About The Position

Champro is a privately owned sporting goods and apparel manufacturer. The Apparel Quality Systems Manager serves as the hub of the quality team for Champro’s stock team uniforms and sportswear categories. The role establishes quality standards and inspection plans, evaluates inspector reports, helps resolve quality-related problems, and coordinates quality issues and expectations among internal teams, auditors, and factories. The manager leads in-house, country-specific, and contracted inspection resources; assesses apparel quality and manages documentation, defect handling, and chargebacks; and communicates quality findings to relevant teams and senior leadership. The role also drives continuous improvement of quality programs, factory evaluation, inspection resources, data collection, and operational processes. Some international travel may be required, possibly twice a year.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field.
Proven experience in quality auditing and quality control.
Ability to master quality standards, inspection techniques, and quality control tools, especially in apparel.
Analytical mindset and ability to interpret data and make informed decisions.
Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
Attention to detail and commitment to maintaining high-quality standards.
Strong organizational skills in documentation, record-keeping, and system creation.
Proficiency with quality management software, Google platform, and Microsoft Office applications.
Drive for ongoing improvement, a proactive personality, and a holistic view of operations.

Responsibilities

Manage the in-house inspection team by creating sampling and inspection plans, prioritizing inspections, assigning inspection and rework tasks, and ensuring consistent, precise data collection.
Review country-specific auditor reports and hold regular meetings to discuss factory issues; compare auditor reports with US team reports to benchmark and evaluate performance.
Identify contracted auditors, set project scope, and compare their reports with US team reports to benchmark and evaluate performance.
Assess apparel quality using inspection results and reports; identify defects, irregularities, trends, and other quality issues; and determine whether products meet required specifications and standards.
Coordinate with internal teams to manage defective inventory and issue chargebacks as needed.
Maintain records and data related to quality audits and inspections.
Prepare reports summarizing inspection findings, quality assessments, and chargeback calculations, and communicate them to relevant team members and factories.
Liaise among the product management team, tech design team, in-house quality team, and factory quality teams; understand product lines and document standards and acceptance criteria accessibly for the quality team.
Provide quality summaries to senior leadership.
Collaborate with production teams and auditors to identify root causes of quality issues and defects and develop corrective action plans.
Work with product management and tech design teams to create quality resources for factory and in-house teams, including critical measurements and major and minor defects.
Identify critical qualities of raw materials and create sampling and inspection plans for factories.
Drive the search for software solutions to support data collection and evaluation.
Help develop factory quality KPIs and evaluation systems.
Identify and implement process improvements that simplify and enhance quality control and efficiency.
Share insights and best practices with the quality team and work with in-house inspectors to improve consistency and precision of data collection.
Stay updated on industry trends, standards, and regulations related to team uniforms and sportswear.
Undertake other projects as identified.