Senior Manager, Quality and Compliance (Licensed)

Varsity Brands•Farmers Branch, TX

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Manager, Quality and Compliance (Licensed Brands), defines and executes the enterprise licensed brand quality and compliance strategy across a global manufacturing network. This role establishes governance frameworks, supplier performance standards, and risk mitigation practices to protect the organization from financial, contractual, regulatory, and reputational risk. Serving as the senior liaison to licensed brand partners, the role leads cross functional alignment across product development, sourcing, manufacturing, quality, and compliance teams to translate brand standards into scalable enterprise policies and ensure consistent execution throughout development, production, and post production. The Senior Manager drives supplier performance governance, corrective action oversight, and continuous improvement to elevate factory capability, strengthen compliance, and support sustainable portfolio growth.

Requirements

Demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate with senior external stakeholders, including licensed brand partners and licensors.
Executive presence with strong verbal, written, and presentation communication skills.
Deep knowledge of global regulatory requirements, social compliance standards, sustainability frameworks, and licensed product compliance obligations.
Advanced expertise in root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action governance.
Proficiency in quality management systems and data analytics tools to drive risk assessment and performance improvement.
Proven leadership capability to develop high performing teams, foster accountability, and manage competing priorities in a complex, fast paced environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Product Development, Supply Chain, Sustainability, Quality Management, Engineering, or a related field required; advanced degree or relevant professional certification preferred.
10+ years of progressive experience in licensed or private brand quality, supplier quality management, sourcing, sustainability, or manufacturing within consumer goods, apparel, or related industries.
Demonstrated leadership experience overseeing global quality and inspection programs across multi country supply chains.
Proven track record of establishing supplier performance governance, leading corrective action programs, and driving measurable quality improvements across a global manufacturing network.
Experience influencing cross functional stakeholders and external brand partners at a senior level.
Experience managing third party inspection providers and supporting external audits and brand compliance reviews.
Willingness and ability to travel 15% domestically and internationally as required.
Ability to lead and support team members in a collaborative, fast-paced environment.
Strong interpersonal skills to motivate, coach, and build trust within the team.
Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining focus on team performance and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Own and define licensed brand quality and compliance strategy across the enterprise, translating brand specific standards into scalable enterprise policies and governance frameworks that mitigate financial, reputational, and regulatory risk.
Serve as the senior point of contact for licensed brand partners, leading cross functional alignment across product development, sourcing, manufacturing, quality, and compliance teams, and influencing governance discussions at the brand leadership level.
Oversee enterprise quality assurance programs and third party inspection partners across the global manufacturing network, holding factory partners accountable for compliance with brand standards, contractual obligations, and performance expectations.
Establish and lead enterprise performance governance for licensed brand suppliers, defining scorecards, KPIs, and risk thresholds to proactively identify systemic issues and drive measurable improvement across the global supply base.
Oversee corrective action governance and supplier remediation efforts, ensuring timely resolution of non compliance, implementation of root cause solutions, and sustained capability improvement within factory partners.
Integrate licensed brand quality, sustainability, and ethical sourcing requirements into product development and sourcing processes to reduce downstream risk, improve speed to market, and lower cost of quality.
Ensure all licensed products meet contractual obligations, brand standards, sustainability commitments, and applicable regulatory requirements, proactively managing updates to brand guidelines and representing the organization in audits, brand reviews, and executive governance forums.
Develop scalable processes, tools, best practices, and training programs to support growth, operational excellence, and organizational capability across a diverse licensed brand portfolio.
Provide day-to-day guidance and support, fostering accountability, skill development, and continuous improvement.
Set clear goals and expectations, conduct regular check-ins, and support performance reviews to drive team growth.
Translate departmental goals into actionable plans aligned with broader organizational objectives.