Senior Manager, Product Testing & Regulatory Compliance

Crate and Barrel•Northbrook, IL

51d•Hybrid

About The Position

We inspire purpose-filled living that brings beauty and quality to the modern home. Together, we achieve. Associates across our business drive results, innovate, and inspire. Drawn together by our shared values and passion for our customers and our brands, we deliver home furnishings that are expertly designed, responsibly sourced, and bring timeless style and function to people's homes. From the day we opened our first store in Chicago in 1962 to the digital innovations that engage millions of customers today, our iconic brand is over 60 years in the making-and our story is still unfolding. We're here for it. We think you should be too. We're looking for a driven professional with an inclusive mindset to join our team as a Senior Manager, Product Testing & Regulatory Compliance. This is an on-site position (Monday through Thursday) based out of our Northbrook, IL offices with the flexibility to work remotely on Fridays. The Senior Manager, Product Testing and Regulatory Compliance, is responsible for overseeing the entire product testing and quality lifecycle, ensuring all products meet stringent quality and regulatory standards. This role involves proactive collaboration with design and sourcing teams to embed quality and compliance into product design from the outset. Key to this position is the ability to identify and implement solutions for performance and safety improvements, aligning with merchandising calendars, and swiftly addressing potential quality or compliance issues. Strong collaboration with internal and external business partners is essential for success in this role.

Requirements

7+ years previous experience
Knowledge of Compliance / Regulatory areas or Consumer Retail is required.
Able to work effectively across many internal functional groups to optimize product offerings and issue resolution
Ability to travel domestically and internationally if needed.
Possess a complete understanding of the merchandising vision, goals and seasonal assortment plans for all CBH Brands.
Computer skills including Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint), Google platform (Sheets, Documents, Slides), Business Intelligence and AS400 systems
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with ability to build team and teamwork
Proven ability to lead a team, work in a collaborative and matrixed environment.
Excellent organizational and project management skills ,and the ability to execute on multiple projects

Responsibilities

Manage all aspects of our product testing program with nominated third-party testing labs to ensure products meet company performance, product regulatory, and any product claims for all markets in which we operate.
Serve as the primary liaison with all third-party testing laboratories. Negotiate laboratory fees for all testing protocols, manage billing discrepancies, and ensure laboratories adhere to service level agreements, monthly KPI reviews, and reporting.
Collaborate with all Merchandising divisions, offering daily support throughout the quality process. This includes training for new hires and associates in new roles, as well as guidance on regulatory changes affecting our business.
Take accountability for safety performance by using recognized industry and regulatory practices and procedures to ensure brand protection by validating that all current and potential suppliers provide products that are safe, conforming and consistent.
Responsible for identifying, documenting and implementing continuous improvement initiatives based on current and future regulatory compliance requirements.
Lead a team of analysts that manage process compliance issues for the US, Canada, and international markets.
Initiate and oversee the annual review process of protocols to certify most up-to-date requirements are captured by the independent testing labs.
Collaborate with Sourcing/D&D teams to proactively identify and address potential quality concerns during product development, implementing necessary changes in production to guarantee flawless execution.
Manage compliance efforts for the division, ensuring adherence to all Federal, State, and Provincial regulatory requirements, with support and strategic partnership from the CBH Compliance team.
Lead product investigations, collaborating with Sourcing/D&D, Agents, and vendors to develop and implement effective corrective action plans for customer feedback and safety concerns.
Partner with the packaging team to lower the financial impact that is driven from quality and shipping defects by monitoring company adjustments.