Director of Product Quality and Compliance

Brio Water Technology•City of Industry, CA

20h•$170,000 - $180,000

About The Position

The Director of Product Quality and Compliance will lead Brio’s product quality and regulatory compliance function end to end, setting the enterprise quality strategy and overseeing the quality management system across the full product lifecycle. This includes prototype evaluation, product testing, certification, supplier and manufacturing quality, regulatory compliance, and post-market field performance. This leader will establish the standards, frameworks, processes, and performance metrics that protect product integrity, ensure regulatory readiness, and uphold the Brio brand. They will hold suppliers and manufacturing partners accountable to Brio’s quality expectations and serve as the company’s senior quality authority with executive leadership, regulatory bodies, certification partners, and major retail partners. As the senior leader of the function, the Director will build, lead, and develop the Product Quality and Compliance team, own the department’s budget and resourcing, and drive a culture of data-driven decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement across the organization.

Requirements

10+ years of progressive experience in product quality assurance, compliance, regulatory affairs, or supplier quality within manufacturing, consumer products, appliances, water treatment, or a related product-based environment, including at least 3+ years in a leadership role.
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality Management, Operations, or a related field required
Proven experience developing and leading quality programs, compliance frameworks, product testing processes, and supplier quality management programs.
Strong knowledge of product testing, risk assessment, root-cause analysis, defect analysis, corrective-action processes, and product traceability.
Experience working with UL, NSF, ISTA, FDA, and other applicable product safety, certification, and regulatory standards.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to use quality data, field performance trends, customer feedback, and supplier metrics to drive continuous improvement.
Excellent communication, documentation, and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to influence internal teams, suppliers, manufacturing partners, and external stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience building and leading teams, managing budgets, developing department-level processes, and owning a quality or compliance function.
Proven ability to represent product quality and compliance matters to executive leadership, regulatory or certification bodies, and major retail, e-commerce, or channel partners.

Nice To Haves

advanced degree or relevant certification such as CQE, CQM, Six Sigma, or ISO 9001 preferred.
Experience in water treatment, filtration systems, appliance manufacturing, consumer products, or durable goods.
Familiarity with e-commerce packaging, shipping stability, and ISTA testing requirements.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001 quality management systems.
Experience supporting big-box, warehouse-club, e-commerce, or major retail partners with compliance, traceability, audit, and return-handling requirements.
Experience managing product quality across overseas, OEM, ODM, or multi-vendor supplier relationships.

Responsibilities

Define and own Brio’s enterprise product quality and compliance strategy, ensuring products meet UL, NSF, ISTA, FDA, and other applicable regulatory and industry standards.
Govern the company’s quality management system, including testing protocols, inspection procedures, risk-assessment frameworks, documentation standards, and quality controls across all product lines.
Partner with executive and cross-functional leadership across Product Development, Engineering, Sales, Operations, and Supply Chain to align quality standards with business priorities and go-to-market objectives.
Define, monitor, and report on key quality metrics, including defect rates, return/RTV rates, cost of quality, supplier performance, field performance, and corrective-action trends.
Own department budget, headcount planning, organizational structure, and team development for the Product Quality and Compliance function.
Lead incoming inspection programs to ensure container samples, production samples, and finished goods meet functional, safety, compliance, and quality standards before release.
Oversee analysis of field performance, returns, customer feedback, and product defects to identify systemic issues and drive root-cause corrective action.
Own corrective-action, preventive-action, and product-traceability processes, ensuring timely, data-driven resolution of product defects, supplier quality issues, and compliance concerns.
Lead Brio’s product-safety and quality response for major retail partners, including escalations, traceability requests, return-to-vendor programs, and corrective-action follow-up.
Partner with Product Development and Engineering to establish quality gates and evaluate prototypes prior to production release.
Define and enforce technical validation criteria to ensure new products meet design specifications, quality expectations, safety requirements, and regulatory standards.
Drive design, specification, and process improvements based on testing results, field data, customer feedback, industry trends, and regulatory requirements.
Ensure Brio products comply with applicable certifications, safety regulations, government standards, and customer-specific compliance requirements.
Own relationships with third-party certification and testing bodies, including UL, NSF, ISTA, and other relevant agencies.
Ensure the accuracy, integrity, and accessibility of all compliance documentation, certification records, test reports, and audit materials.
Establish company-wide compliance training and ensure organizational readiness for audits, regulatory updates, and major customer compliance requirements.
Establish and maintain standardized testing workflows, quality checklists, inspection procedures, reporting tools, and dashboard systems.
Oversee documentation of product inspections, defect reports, corrective actions, compliance testing, supplier performance, and quality trends.
Set and enforce quality-assurance best practices to ensure consistency, traceability, and accountability across all product lines.
Own the supplier quality program across a global, multi-vendor manufacturing base, setting clear quality expectations and enforcing corrective actions when standards are not met.
Lead on-site and remote quality audits of domestic and overseas manufacturing partners to evaluate process compliance, product quality, and supplier performance.
Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, and Product Development to address supplier quality issues, improve manufacturing consistency, and reduce product risk.