Director, Quality

Maesa•New York, NY

1d•$155,000 - $165,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The next gen beauty company, Maesa is transforming the industry by incubating and growing meaningful, innovative brands and making prestige beauty accessible. Maesa believes beauty ignites inspiration, creativity, imagination, and connection, sparking new ideas and possibilities, and meeting unmet consumer needs. Through best-in-class design, formulation, brand creation and marketing capabilities, Maesa delivers new, better and different products with an unsurpassed speed to market. Maesa works with a variety of retailers to create and launch brands across beauty and wellness categories. The current portfolio includes Kristin Ess, Hairitage by Mindy McKnight, Fine'ry, Being Frenshe, and Niches & Nooks among other brands. For more information, visit www.maesa.com. Director of Quality - Roles & Responsibilities Quality Strategy & Leadership Develop and execute the enterprisewide Quality Management Strategy aligned with business, regulatory, and customer expectations. Set Quality vision, KPIs, and continuous improvement roadmaps across the organization. Lead, mentor, and develop Quality teams across manufacturing, packaging, suppliers, and labs. Serve as the senior voice of Quality in executive leadership meetings, commercial reviews, and operational steering teams. Quality Systems & Governance Own and maintain the company’s Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring global alignment with FDA, ISO 9001, ISO 22716, cGMP, and marketspecific regulations. Approve and govern quality policies, SOPs, work instructions, and technical standards. Drive internal and external audits; manage corrective/preventive actions (CAPA). Oversee data integrity, documentation practices, and digital quality tools. Product & Package Quality Oversight Ensure all formulations, packaging, labeling, and finished goods meet established quality and safety standards. Partner closely with R&D, Packaging Development, Operations, Procurement, and Regulatory to design quality into products from concept through launch. Approve product specifications, packaging test methods, quality attributes, and release criteria. Partner with Regulatory and R&D to ensure stability programs, shelflife requirements, and consumer safety evaluations. Manufacturing & Supplier Quality Lead the implementation of Supplier Quality Management (SQM), including qualification, auditing, scorecards, and risk mitigation. Validate manufacturing processes (IQ/OQ/PQ) and ensure robust process controls at internal and contract manufacturing sites (CMOs). Monitor plant quality performance, driving metrics such as First Pass Yield, deviations, consumer complaints, and nonconformance rates. Deploy quality improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma, Lean, SPC, and root cause analysis. Compliance, Regulatory & Risk Management Ensure compliance with global CPG regulatory bodies (FDA, EPA, EU, Health Canada, ASEAN, etc.). Lead product quality risk assessments and implement preventive systems across the supply chain. Manage product incident investigations, recalls, and crisismanagement protocols. Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies and thirdparty certification bodies. Consumer Safety & Complaint Management Oversee systems for consumer feedback, complaint trending, safety monitoring, and earlywarning signals. Ensure timely investigation, documentation, and closure of consumerimpacting issues. Lead crossfunctional reviews to reduce recurrence and improve customer satisfaction. Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Identify systemic issues and quality trends to drive corrective/preventive action. Promote a quality culture across R&D, supply chain, manufacturing, and commercial teams. Lead training programs on GMPs, product stewardship, and quality best practices. Implement digital transformation initiatives that enhance data visibility and quality automation. CrossFunctional Collaboration Act as strategic partner to Packaging Development, ensuring packaging meets safety, integrity, manufacturability, and sustainability requirements. Collaborate with Supply Chain on network reliability, inventory quality, and logistics controls. Partner with Legal, Regulatory, and Marketing to validate product claims and packaging compliance. Work with Finance on qualityrelated cost management (CoQ/CoPQ). Budgeting & Resource Management Build and manage the Quality budget, forecasting resource needs across sites and programs. Justify capital investments in quality labs, equipment, and testing capabilities. Optimize operating costs while maintaining compliance and product integrity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemistry, Biology, Microbiology, Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or related scientific/technical field.
8+ years of QC/QA experience in cosmetics or personal care, including 3–5 years in a leadership role.
Strong understanding of cosmetics GMP, ISO 22716, FDA and EU regulations.
Experience leading external audits and maintaining regulatory compliance programs.
Expertise in batch record review, stability programs, SOP management, and validation strategies.
Skilled in CAPA systems, risk management (ICH Q9), Six Sigma/Lean, and LIMS.
Strong understanding of cGMPs, HACCP, FSMA, and CPG quality standards.
Experience with lab testing, SPC, and data analysis.
Proficiency with quality management/documentation platforms.
Demonstrated ability to lead and influence cross-functional teams.
Strong decision-making, problemsolving, and risk assessment capabilities.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills across technical and nontechnical audiences.
Ability to operate in manufacturing and warehouse environments as needed.
Travel up to 20–50% for audits, supplier visits, and site support.

Nice To Haves

ISO 9001 / ISO 22716 Lead Auditor
ASQ certifications (CQE, CQA, CQM)
HACCP (Lead Auditor or equivalent)
BRCGS / SQF auditing experience (preferred)

Responsibilities

Develop and execute the enterprisewide Quality Management Strategy aligned with business, regulatory, and customer expectations.
Set Quality vision, KPIs, and continuous improvement roadmaps across the organization.
Lead, mentor, and develop Quality teams across manufacturing, packaging, suppliers, and labs.
Serve as the senior voice of Quality in executive leadership meetings, commercial reviews, and operational steering teams.
Own and maintain the company’s Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring global alignment with FDA, ISO 9001, ISO 22716, cGMP, and marketspecific regulations.
Approve and govern quality policies, SOPs, work instructions, and technical standards.
Drive internal and external audits; manage corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).
Oversee data integrity, documentation practices, and digital quality tools.
Ensure all formulations, packaging, labeling, and finished goods meet established quality and safety standards.
Partner closely with R&D, Packaging Development, Operations, Procurement, and Regulatory to design quality into products from concept through launch.
Approve product specifications, packaging test methods, quality attributes, and release criteria.
Partner with Regulatory and R&D to ensure stability programs, shelflife requirements, and consumer safety evaluations.
Lead the implementation of Supplier Quality Management (SQM), including qualification, auditing, scorecards, and risk mitigation.
Validate manufacturing processes (IQ/OQ/PQ) and ensure robust process controls at internal and contract manufacturing sites (CMOs).
Monitor plant quality performance, driving metrics such as First Pass Yield, deviations, consumer complaints, and nonconformance rates.
Deploy quality improvement initiatives such as Six Sigma, Lean, SPC, and root cause analysis.
Ensure compliance with global CPG regulatory bodies (FDA, EPA, EU, Health Canada, ASEAN, etc.).
Lead product quality risk assessments and implement preventive systems across the supply chain.
Manage product incident investigations, recalls, and crisismanagement protocols.
Serve as the primary liaison with regulatory agencies and thirdparty certification bodies.
Oversee systems for consumer feedback, complaint trending, safety monitoring, and earlywarning signals.
Ensure timely investigation, documentation, and closure of consumerimpacting issues.
Lead crossfunctional reviews to reduce recurrence and improve customer satisfaction.
Identify systemic issues and quality trends to drive corrective/preventive action.
Promote a quality culture across R&D, supply chain, manufacturing, and commercial teams.
Lead training programs on GMPs, product stewardship, and quality best practices.
Implement digital transformation initiatives that enhance data visibility and quality automation.
Act as strategic partner to Packaging Development, ensuring packaging meets safety, integrity, manufacturability, and sustainability requirements.
Collaborate with Supply Chain on network reliability, inventory quality, and logistics controls.
Partner with Legal, Regulatory, and Marketing to validate product claims and packaging compliance.
Work with Finance on qualityrelated cost management (CoQ/CoPQ).
Build and manage the Quality budget, forecasting resource needs across sites and programs.
Justify capital investments in quality labs, equipment, and testing capabilities.
Optimize operating costs while maintaining compliance and product integrity.

Benefits

Maesa offers a variety of benefits to eligible employees. Employees can choose to enroll in health insurance coverage, wellness programs, life and disability insurance, and retirement savings plans.
Through generous paid time off, a hybrid office setup, and paid leave options, Maesa encourages wellness and balance among employees.

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