QA Manager - Upholstery & Manufacturing

About the position

This leadership role serves as a key liaison between the Quality and North American Manufacturing teams and external vendors. The Manager will ensure that production processes align with design integrity, quality standards, and overall manufacturing efficiency. This role also involves identifying and mitigating risks related to design and production, while driving collaboration across internal teams and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Act as a bridge between internal teams and North American upholstery vendors to support production efficiency, quality assurance, and design alignment.
• Document risks related to design, construction, materials (fabrics/leathers), and manufacturing defects that could impact customer satisfaction or drive up returns.
• Communicate potential risks and quality concerns to internal teams and vendor partners.
• Collaborate with internal departments (e.g., Product Development, Buying, Distribution, and Customer Experience teams) to address quality concerns and ensure smooth production workflows.
• Respond to quality issues reported by internal stakeholders such as stores and customer support teams.
• Oversee the transition from product sample development to initial production runs, ensuring quality and design standards are upheld.
• Facilitate meetings with key stakeholders to evaluate pilot production runs and address variances in design or quality.
• Conduct inspections during initial and subsequent production runs, documenting findings and ensuring compliance with agreed-upon standards.
• Establish and maintain processes to capture production specifications, retain reference samples, and track materials required for manufacturing.
• Identify and address product challenges that may require training or improvement efforts across teams such as marketing, quality assurance, and retail staff.

Requirements

• Ability to travel internationally across North America as required.
• A minimum of 10 years of experience in manufacturing, product development, and vendor management, with a focus on domestic and international operations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., functions, pivot tables, data analysis) and PowerPoint.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks or projects.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication abilities.
• Demonstrated ethical standards, integrity, and confidentiality in handling sensitive information.

Benefits

• Compensation: 80-90k + 5-10% target bonus