Senior Q&RA Project Lead, Market & Innovation

Oatly AB•Philadelphia, PA

11d•Hybrid

About The Position

This role will be responsible for leading strategic and operational quality and regulatory activities across innovation and product development, ensuring scalable, compliant, and efficient product launches. This is a hybrid role, working on-site in our Philadelphia location (3 days) and remote (2 days). Due to business needs, the qualified candidate will reside in the Philadelphia metro area.

Requirements

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Regulatory Affairs, or a related scientific field
10+ years of experience in food quality and/or regulatory roles in a global or complex environment
Strong experience supporting product innovation and development in a quality or regulatory capacity
Deep knowledge of food safety systems, HACCP, and GFSI standards (BRC, SQF, FSSC/ISO 22000)
Proven project leadership experience, including leading cross-functional teams without direct authority
Strong experience with risk assessments, validation planning, and process documentation
Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth, or ambiguous environments
Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills
Strong analytical, structured, and strategic thinking capabilities

Nice To Haves

Experience with PLM tools and project management platforms preferred
You feel connected to our mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency
You are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for success – we believe strongly in building a culture of individual accountability and ownership and need partners that can embrace that mentality
You are ready to make your mark in a smaller, growing brand, leveraging your experience to deliver amazing results and build an outstanding company
You have an entrepreneurial spirit in that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and are energized by the process of building something lasting from the ground up
You enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkers

Responsibilities

Act as the Q&RA lead and subject matter expert within global innovation and product development projects from concept through launch
Lead product and process risk assessments, define quality and food safety criteria, and ensure stage-gate deliverables are met
Coordinate cross-functional Q&RA work streams across SQA, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance teams
Drive implementation and continuous improvement of Q&RA frameworks, processes, and PD (product development) flows
Ensure end-to-end compliance across food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements for all new products and changes
Oversee validation strategies and challenge launch readiness decisions
Act as escalation point for complex food safety and regulatory risks, with authority to block launches where needed
Partner closely with Innovation, S&T, Commercial, Sustainability, and external stakeholders
Support global and regional market expansion by deploying Q&RA processes in North America
Coach project teams on Q&RA standards and promote a risk-based, quality-first mindset