Sr. Partner Quality Manager (Third Party Vendors)

Fanatics Collectibles•Weston, FL

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Partner Quality Manager ensures Topps and Fanatics Collectibles products manufactured by external partners meet high standards for quality, integrity, and timeliness. The role focuses on print, finishing, and packout quality, working with internal product development teams and the broader external supply chain. It reports directly to the Vice President of Quality Assurance and Compliance. The position is based on-site at Fanatics’ external partner location, Mittera, in Sunrise, Florida. Travel of up to 50% is required to support other external partners, press approvals, packouts, audits, and production needs. Extended hours—including evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime—may be required based on production demands. Approved travel expenses are reimbursed in accordance with company policy.

Requirements

10+ years of quality assurance experience in commercial print and packaging.
5+ years of supervisory or management experience.
Experience developing and maintaining quality-control systems and implementing quality assurance programs that ensure compliance with defined standards.
Experience working cross-functionally to define quality parameters and align standard operating procedures, work instructions, training materials, and implementation plans.
Experience conducting quality-process audits and addressing quality issues at external partner locations.
Extensive experience in commercial printing, coatings, and post-press embellishments, including cold foil, films, and embossing.
Expert knowledge of commercial print standards for color management in digital, conventional, and UV printing.
Track record managing print quality operations and meeting on-time delivery and quality targets.
Experience managing print and press approvals at external partner locations, including color, registration, stock, coatings, embellishments, and overall product appearance.
Experience providing on-site quality oversight during packout operations to ensure products meet approved specifications, quality standards, and release requirements.
Significant management or supervisory experience in a busy manufacturing setting, including directly managing and developing a team.
Experience with process improvement and optimization, including successful implementation of improvement initiatives.
Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams and departments such as engineering, quality assurance, and supply chain to achieve production goals.
Experience managing external partner relationships.
Knowledge of applicable quality and commercial printing standards, ISO standards, and regulatory compliance.
Proficiency with manufacturing software, such as ERP systems including SAP or Oracle, and Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Ability to analyze and interpret production data to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
Strong decision-making, troubleshooting, communication, interpersonal, organizational, and time-management skills; ability to influence external partners, resolve conflicts, and build teams.
Ability to work extended hours, including evenings, weekends, holidays, and overtime, according to production demands.
Ability to travel up to 50%.
Ability to stand and walk for prolonged periods; lift and carry materials and equipment weighing up to 35 pounds; and regularly bend, stoop, and kneel.
Ability to comply with safety protocols and use personal protective equipment as needed, and to work in manufacturing conditions involving varying temperatures, noise, potential hazards, dust, fumes, and strong odors.
Ability to remain alert and focused during long shifts and high-pressure situations.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Trading card or collectibles manufacturing experience highly preferred.

Responsibilities

Ensure external partners have clear direction regarding quality standards and parameters.
Troubleshoot production issues on-site and implement effective solutions, including issues involving prepress files, proofing, stock, and product specifications.
Attend product engineering and Bill of Materials reviews, assess risks and inefficiencies, and work with product development to improve efficiency, quality, cost, and timing.
Implement and monitor quality assurance programs, and manage on-site and in-process quality checks for work in progress and finished goods across the supply chain.
Work with Fanatics Collectibles to identify supply-chain challenges and develop and execute plans to address recurring external partner issues.
Collaborate with design, innovation, prepress, and scheduling teams on stock, color, and the expected appearance of printed sheets.
Implement and enforce quality audits, standards, procedures, and process controls at external partner locations.
Inspect and audit physical products against established quality specifications and resolve production and quality issues within production schedules.
Manage and approve on-site print and press production, ensuring output meets approved proofs, specifications, color standards, and product requirements.
Oversee partner packout operations, verifying product configuration, packaging components, labeling, quantities, and finished-product quality.
Document approval decisions, communicate deviations, and escalate quality or production risks that could affect product integrity, schedules, or release dates.
Coordinate with scheduling, project management, and engineering teams to keep print and finishing processes on schedule for product release dates.
Coordinate travel and on-site coverage according to partner production schedules, press approvals, packout activity, launches, and identified quality risks.
Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory and company standards for printed work.
Identify and implement improvements to production processes, efficiency, quality, and waste reduction; develop cost-reduction and efficiency initiatives at external partners.
Develop and revise standard operating procedures and quality-control processes with external partners and internal subject matter experts.
Maintain current records of production activities and initiatives, including output, quality performance, inventory, and program implementation.
Support KPI reporting and analysis related to quality, scrap, efficiency, equipment utilization, and headcount utilization.
Facilitate communication among production teams and supporting departments, participate in cross-functional meetings, and keep the direct manager informed of department matters and schedule absences.
Track and analyze production KPIs and provide quarterly external partner scorecards covering capacity, communication, spend, on-time delivery, and quality defects.
Lead, develop, and hold team members accountable for performance; manage resources effectively and build productive relationships with external partners.