Director of Product Quality & Hard Lines

The Foggy Dog•San Francisco, CA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Product Quality & Hard Lines is responsible for driving product safety, quality, and compliance across The Foggy Dog’s entire assortment, while also owning end-to-end product development for Hardlines and Technical Wear. This person is the company’s authority on testing, safety, and regulatory compliance. In addition, this person will be directly responsible for bringing new hardware, plastic, and technical-wear products to market, our categories with the highest compliance and safety requirements. The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, resourceful, and proactive in identifying and solving quality, safety, and development roadblocks before they impact the business. Beyond technical expertise, this person will build and scale the company's quality function: establishing robust systems, processes, and standards that can support a growing product assortment. Success in this role will be measured by reducing customer defect rates, improving first-pass quality, and consistently launching new products on time while maintaining the highest standards of safety, quality, and regulatory compliance. This position is based in San Francisco (we are currently hybrid and come into the office twice a week).

Requirements

7+ years of experience in product quality, testing, compliance or product development within consumer goods (regulated categories such as pet, hardgoods, or juvenile products preferred).
Deep working knowledge of product safety and chemical compliance standards.
Hands-on experience with factory audits and social/ethical compliance frameworks.
Experience managing overseas supplier relationships and quality issues in real time.
Track record of leading product development from concept through tooling and launch, ideally for hardware, plastic, or technical/performance goods.
Strong root-cause CAPA methodology experience.
Comfortable with travel as needed, including overseas.
Excellent cross-functional collaborator with experience partnering with design, merchandising, and CX teams.

Responsibilities

Product Quality, safety, and compliance across the full product assortment.
Set quality standards, AQLs, and testing protocols (lab, reliability, fit/use, and durability) across all product categories.
Oversee inspection procedures and reporting, manage QC issues as they arise both domestically and overseas.
Validate and evolve standards as materials and products change.
Identify and enforce the correct chemical safety standards by product and update as regulations evolve.
Maintain test reports, certification, and product traceability, keeping the company audit-ready at all times.
Validate standards and certifications supporting sustainability, recyclables content, eco/bio claims.
Lead factory audits (Sedex/SMETA) and assess supplier process and manufacturing capability.
Own supplier scorecards, sourcing performance, and escalation management for quality and compliance failures.
Investigate customer complaints, lead root cause investigations, and drive corrective and preventative actions.
Report on quality trends to leadership and turn findings into process changes.
Maintain SOPs and lead continuous improvement initiatives across the broader supply chain.
Select and vet vendors, and source new materials for pilot and new-product development.
Define required safety protocols for new materials and constructions.
Lead early-stage development, timeline planning, and tooling approvals for new hardware and plastic components.
Own end-to-end product development for Hard Lines, including hardware, plastics, charms, and ID tags.
Own end-to-end product development for Technical Wear including harnesses and leashes.
Manage all communication with vendors and development partners.
Drive timeline against key milestone dates to deliver products on-time.
Partner with cross-functional teams including product design, marketing and planning to bring high quality, attractive products to market that meet our safety standards.