Manager Quality, Commercial

Lamb Weston • Richland, WA

3d • $117,060 - $175,600 • Hybrid

About The Position

The primary purpose of this position is to provide technical quality support to the Lamb Weston Sales team and customers through strategic initiatives, project management, and solution-driven collaboration. This role leverages deep quality expertise and effective communication to deliver knowledge-based insights that strengthen customer relationships and drive business growth. The Quality Manager will provide product analysis, capability assessments, and data-driven recommendations to both management and customers to maintain a competitive quality advantage. Responsibilities include specification reviews for optimizing cost and quality, identifying products for specific applications, developing competitive product replacement strategies, and supporting upgrade initiatives, all aimed at enhancing customer satisfaction and increasing market share.

The position requires strong business strategy and vision, project management skills, and sound decision-making skills, working collaboratively with sales leadership, customers, marketing, and plant operations. This role demands the ability to balance technical quality expertise with commercial objectives to ensure alignment between customer expectations and operational execution. Field troubleshooting related to product performance versus customer specifications often requires immediate, on-site decision-making and product disposition authority, reinforcing the position’s responsibility for protecting both product integrity and customer satisfaction.

The ability to build and sustain strong customer relationships is critical to the success of this role. Effective relationship management directly influences new products and market opportunities, product performance improvements, customer success, and overall business profitability. A key component of this position is fostering relationships based on mutual trust and transparency, while confidently representing and upholding company standards, values, and positions.

Requirements

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in business, Marketing, Food Science or related field.
• Process Quality Certified.
• Minimum of 5 years of quality assurance, and/or potato processing experience, with proven food safety and quality improvement experience in commercial and/or supply chain
• Strong understanding of potato products, quality procedures, and specifications.
• Excellent knowledge of potato products manufacturing.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills.
• Excellent problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Understanding of food safety principles and regulatory requirements.
• Strong work ethic, and employment history.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
• Demonstrate good leadership skills, ability to work with a team, and independently
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• This role is a resource in product and process experience.
• Ability to manage/support customer/quality responsibilities/priorities.
• Ability to manage Domestic customers.
• Ability to manage multiple projects at once.
• Requires high-level thinker and critical problem solver.
• Support Sales, markets, and customers through travel to their locations.
• Plant operations product alignment and support of team training.
• Ability to manage projects to achieve goals.
• Travel budget management responsibility

Responsibilities

• Provide comprehensive project support and technical solutions to both internal and external customers.
• Leverage deep product knowledge to assist with specification development, product procedures, and processing steps along with product quality training.
• Support business reviews and ensure alignment between plant operations and customer product expectations.
• Manage sample shipping requests, maintain Salesforce documentation, and facilitate customer tours in coordination with Sales, Marketing, and Operations teams.
• Deliver accurate and timely technical product information in customer-specific formats and systems to strengthen relationships and ensure satisfaction.
• Provide technical support across process, product, and plant capabilities to drive continuous improvement and operational excellence.
• Conduct yield studies, statistical analysis, and market research to identify opportunities for optimization and product enhancement.
• Support product upselling and value-added initiatives to maximize profitability and customer satisfaction.
• Utilize raw product, and variety knowledge to assist with new variety approvals and ensure consistent quality throughout the year.
• Collaborate with customers and Operations teams to support new plant and production line approvals, as well as packaging initiatives.
• Lead and manage customer complaints and product quality concerns with a focus on timely resolution and long-term improvement.
• Oversee comprehensive complaint investigations, including root cause analysis, corrective and preventive action development, and product reviews.
• Collaborate with Plant Operations to ensure alignment and effective resolution of quality issues.
• Support market visits, customer education initiatives, and warehouse or logistics investigations as needed.
• Provide technical guidance related to food safety and quality standards to strengthen customer confidence and prevent recurrence of issues.
• Support new product development, from concept through commercialization, ensuring quality and operational readiness.
• Partners with Product Development teams create and support specifications, procedures, and ensure process capabilities.
• Provide on-site technical support during plant production runs for new products, limited time offers (LTOs), and product launches.
• Perform product quality evaluations to ensure products meet customer expectations and internal quality standards.
• Support product quality initiatives by actively participating in product cuttings, competitive evaluations, customer meetings, and customer conventions.
• Provide both internal and external operational support for new products, line-item changes, and audit activities.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to organize customer tours, showcase production capabilities, and facilitate product launches and limited-time offers (LTOs).
• Serve as a technical and quality representative to strengthen customer relationships and promote confidence in company products and processes.
• Collaborate with Raw Product Development and Plant Operations teams to support the introduction and approval of new potato varieties.
• Coordinate customer sample preparation and manage the approval process to ensure alignment with quality standards and performance expectations.
• Provide technical input to ensure successful production outcomes and seamless integration of new varieties into manufacturing operations.
• Leverage expertise in processing, raw product attributes, grading, and customer requirements to provide strategic guidance to Marketing and Operations teams.
• Support project management initiatives by offering insights that align quality, production, and customer objectives.
• Act as a key advisor to ensure projects are executed efficiently while maintaining product integrity, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction.
• Exercise sound decision-making and coordinate closely with Operations, QA Managers, Customer Centric, Planning, Marketing and other functional partners.
• Ensure alignment across all functions to support operational efficiency, product quality, and customer satisfaction.
• Serve as a central point for collaborative problem-solving, balancing technical, operational, and business priorities to drive timely and effective outcomes.

Benefits

• Health Insurance Benefits - Medical, Dental, Vision
• Flexible Spending Accounts for Health and Dependent Care, and Health Reimbursement Accounts
• Well-being programs including companywide events and a wellness incentive program
• Paid Time Off
• Financial Wellness – Industry leading 401(k) plan with generous company contributions, Financial Planning Services, Employee Stock purchase program, and Health Savings Accounts, Life and Accident insurance
• Family-Friendly Employee events
• Employee Assistance Program services – mental health and other concierge type services

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager