Manager, Quality Assurance

A&F Trading Co.•Columbus, OH

20d

About The Position

The Manager, Quality Assurance is responsible for leading Home Office-based quality strategy, cross-functional QA execution, and vendor quality accountability across assigned product categories, brands, suppliers, or regions. This role partners closely with Sourcing, Technical Design, Regulatory Compliance, regional QA teams, vendors, and factory partners to proactively identify quality risks, drive issue resolution, and ensure quality expectations are consistently executed across the product lifecycle. The Manager serves as the Home Office connection point between internal teams and regional/factory QA resources, translating brand and product priorities into clear quality expectations, audit priorities, escalation paths, reporting, and continuous improvement actions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Textiles, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, Product Development, Sourcing, Business, or a related field required
8+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance, Supplier Quality, Product Integrity, Product Compliance, Sourcing, or related apparel/product development functions preferred.
Ability to travel internationally as business needs require
Prior experience managing quality programs, supplier performance, testing processes, production issue resolution, or cross-functional quality initiatives.
Strong understanding of apparel quality, fabric and garment construction, product testing, care and compliance labeling, supplier quality systems, factory production processes, and corrective action management.
Experience partnering with international vendors, factories, regional QA teams, field auditors, and third-party testing laboratories.
Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional partners and external suppliers without always being physically present in the factory market.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret quality metrics, testing results, audit findings, supplier scorecards, and production risk indicators.
Excellent communication, presentation, documentation, and relationship-building skills with the ability to summarize complex issues clearly for leadership.
Strong planning, prioritization, and organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple suppliers, categories, risks, timelines, and escalations at once.
Curious, adaptable, detail-oriented, collaborative, and comfortable operating in an ever changing environment with a high degree of ownership.

Responsibilities

Own the Home Office quality assurance strategy for assigned product categories, brands, vendors, factories, or regions, ensuring QA priorities align with business needs and customer expectations.
Serve as the primary QA partner to Sourcing, Technical Design, Regulatory Compliance, and regional QA teams on quality risks, escalation management, and supplier performance.
Translate product and business priorities into clear QA expectations, testing strategies, audit focus areas, and issue-resolution plans for vendor and regional QA partners.
Provide leadership visibility to emerging quality risks, supplier trends, recurring production concerns, compliance issues, and recommended mitigation plans.
Balance speed, quality, cost, and risk considerations while helping cross-functional partners make informed decisions throughout development and production.
Manage supplier and factory quality performance through regular communication with regional QA teams, vendors, factory partners, Sourcing, and business stakeholders.
Establish expectations for supplier corrective action plans, follow-up requirements, and verification standards in partnership with field-based QA resources.
Review factory audit outcomes, production findings, failed test reports, inspection results, shipment compliance issues, and other quality escalations to identify root causes and determine next steps.
Partner with in-country QA teams or field auditors to prioritize factory visits, audit scope, remediation needs, supplier training, and production-readiness reviews.
Lead supplier performance discussions and support accountability through documented action plans, scorecards, business reviews, and escalation routines.
Support product testing programs for assigned categories, ensuring testing expectations, timing, risk assessment, and follow-up actions are clear and consistently executed.
Partner with Vendors, Regulatory Compliance, Sourcing, and QA teams to resolve failed or marginal testing results and prevent repeat issues.
Monitor testing, labeling, raw material, trim, garment, workmanship, and compliance-related trends to identify systemic concerns and recommend process improvements.
Support consistent interpretation of quality standards, testing protocols, care and compliance labeling requirements, and product risk decisions across functions.
Ensure quality concerns are documented, communicated, and escalated appropriately before they impact bulk production, shipment, or customer experience.
Own or support quality reporting, supplier scorecards, issue trackers, audit summaries, testing dashboards, and leadership updates for assigned areas of responsibility.
Analyze quality data and supplier performance trends to identify opportunities for prevention, efficiency, process consistency, and vendor development.
Create clear recommendations for process improvements, risk mitigation plans, supplier education, and QA operating routines based on data and business priorities.
Partner with cross-functional teams to improve documentation, handoffs, escalation paths, testing workflows, and quality governance across the product lifecycle.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives that strengthen product quality, supplier accountability, operational consistency, and cross-functional ways of working.
Lead, coach, or mentor QA associates, cross-functional partners, or regional QA counterparts depending on final team structure.
Set clear priorities, expectations, and communication routines to support timely issue resolution and strong execution across assigned workstreams.
Build strong relationships with Home Office partners and global QA teams, ensuring quality priorities are understood and acted upon consistently.
Represent the QA function in cross-functional meetings, supplier discussions, leadership updates, and seasonal business reviews.