Senior Manager - Quality Assurance - Systems and Suppliers

Brown-Forman Corporation•Louisville, KY

9d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Brown-Forman, the role of Senior Manager, Global Quality Assurance is more than just ensuring product excellence—it’s about being a guardian of our legacy and a catalyst for innovation. From day one, you will have the opportunity to make a tangible impact by upholding the highest standards of quality in our world-renowned spirits, ensuring every bottle reflects our commitment to craftsmanship. You will be responsible for establishing, maintaining, and continuously improving our global quality systems and food safety framework, ensuring consistent application of quality, food safety, and regulatory requirements across company-owned operations and external manufacturing partners worldwide. This role involves providing strategic leadership for quality governance, overseeing the development and maintenance of quality policies, standards, procedures, and documentation, and leading a team that supports quality systems and food safety initiatives across the business. You will direct internal audit programs for Brown-Forman sites, guide supplier quality programs, and oversee the consumer complaint program to identify trends and drive corrective actions. By championing standardized systems, reporting, and technology-enabled processes, you will enhance visibility, compliance, risk management, and continuous improvement across the global quality organization, ensuring the consistent delivery of safe, high-quality products that uphold Brown-Forman’s world-class brands.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, Biology, or related scientific discipline.
8+ years of experience in quality, food safety, manufacturing, or technical roles within the food and beverage or consumer goods industry.
Strong knowledge of food safety systems and regulatory requirements, including HACCP, GMPs, allergen controls, sanitary design, pest control, and global food safety standards, with experience applying risk-based principles to ensure compliance and product quality.
Demonstrated technical expertise in quality systems, investigations, root cause analysis, and the development and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
Experience leveraging analytical, microbiological, and quality data to drive continuous improvement, risk management, and data-driven decision-making across quality programs.

Nice To Haves

MS or MBA preferred
5+ years of people leadership and management experience.
PCQI and SQF (or similar Food Safety and Quality Systems) certifications
Multilingual skills preferred, especially Spanish and/or Portuguese
Strong organizational, project management, and prioritization skills and attention to detail.
Demonstrated leadership ability to lead teams, influence stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Ability to adapt to rapidly changing environments and manage multiple priorities.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively.

Responsibilities

Lead the execution, governance, and continuous improvement of global quality programs, including the Quality Management System (QMS), consumer complaints, supplier quality, food safety, audit and assurance, and licensee and branded item oversight, aligning program objectives with Technical Services and enterprise priorities while driving initiatives that enhance quality performance, manage risk, and strengthen organizational capability.
Manage and develop a high-performing team of quality professionals, setting priorities, strengthening organizational capabilities, and fostering accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across global quality programs.
Lead the governance, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the global Quality Management System (QMS), establishing and sustaining policies, standards, procedures, controls, and performance expectations that provide a consistent framework for quality and food safety management across the organization.
Drive operational excellence across global quality programs by promoting standardized, risk-based processes, aligning global requirements with local execution, and leveraging data, auditing, technology, and continuous improvement methodologies to enhance program performance, strengthen compliance, and mitigate emerging risks.
Lead the global audit and assurance program for internal and external manufacturing facilities, licensee partners, and branded items, establishing risk-based assessment approaches to evaluate compliance, identify emerging risks, and drive corrective actions and continuous improvement.
Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of quality regulatory compliance programs, partnering with Brands, Legal, local teams, and other stakeholders to interpret and maintain regulatory requirements, assess compliance risks, and support compliance across products, packaging, branded items, and related quality programs.
Lead the supplier quality program for corporate-sourced materials, establishing and maintaining risk-based requirements for supplier qualification, approval, monitoring, performance management, escalation, and continuous improvement.
Lead the governance and continuous improvement of the consumer complaints program, utilizing AI, automation, and data intelligence to streamline complaint management, strengthen trend detection and risk identification, enhance investigation and escalation processes, and drive proactive actions that strengthen product quality and consumer confidence.
Lead the implementation and advancement of global quality data and digital intelligence capabilities, establishing governance, standards, analytics, and technology solutions that transform quality data into actionable business insights and support risk-based decision-making across global quality programs.