Sr. Partner Quality Manager (Third Party Vendors)

Fanatics Collectibles•Weston, FL

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Sr. Partner Quality Manager (Third Party Vendors) ensures that Topps and Fanatics Collectibles products manufactured by external partners meet quality, integrity, and timeliness standards. The role focuses on print, finishing, and packout quality, works with internal product development teams and the broader external supply chain, and reports to the Vice President of Quality Assurance and Compliance. The position is based on-site at Fanatics’ external partner location, Mittera, in Sunrise, Florida. It requires travel of up to 50% 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 under company policy. Trading card or collectibles manufacturing experience is highly preferred.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree preferred.
At least 10 years of quality assurance experience in commercial print and packaging.
At least 5 years in a supervisory or management role.
Experience developing and maintaining quality control systems.
Ability to implement quality assurance and ensure compliance with established standards.
Experience defining quality parameters cross-functionally and aligning SOPs, 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 color-management standards for 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 appearance.
Experience providing on-site quality oversight during packout operations to confirm products meet specifications, quality standards, and release requirements.
Significant supervisory or managerial experience in a busy manufacturing setting, including directly managing, developing, and holding a team accountable for performance.
Ability to manage and optimize resources effectively.
Demonstrated experience and a track record in process improvement and optimization.
Experience collaborating cross-functionally with teams such as engineering, quality assurance, and supply chain to achieve production goals.
Experience managing external partner relationships.
Strong decision-making, organizational, and time-management skills; ability to troubleshoot and influence external partners.
Strong interpersonal communication, conflict-resolution, and team-building skills.
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.
Proficiency in MS Office, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Ability to analyze and interpret production data to identify trends and improvement opportunities; strong understanding of process optimization and efficiency improvement.
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 remain alert and focused during long shifts and high-pressure situations and comply with applicable PPE and safety protocols.
Ability to work in a manufacturing environment with varying temperatures, noise, potential hazards, and conditions that may include dust, fumes, and strong odors.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Provide external partners with clear direction about quality standards and parameters.
Troubleshoot production issues at external partner locations, including issues involving prepress files, proofing, stock, and product specifications, and implement solutions.
Attend product engineering and Bill of Materials reviews; assess risks and inefficiencies and communicate with product development to improve efficiency, quality, cost, and timing.
Implement and monitor quality assurance programs and conduct on-site and in-process checks of work in progress and finished goods throughout the supply chain.
Work with Fanatics Collectibles to identify supply-chain challenges and address ongoing external partner issues.
Coordinate 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 to verify they meet established specifications; resolve issues within production schedule requirements.
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 may affect product integrity, schedules, or release dates.
Coordinate with scheduling, project management, and engineering teams to keep print and finishing work on schedule for product release dates.
Plan travel and on-site coverage around partner production schedules, press approvals, packout activity, product launches, and quality risks.
Coordinate with other departments to support smooth workflow and efficient production.
Ensure printed work complies with regulatory and company standards and support compliance with applicable ISO standards.
Identify and implement improvements in production processes, efficiency, quality, and waste reduction; develop cost-reduction and efficiency projects at partner locations.
Develop and revise standard operating procedures and quality control processes with external partners and internal subject matter experts.
Maintain accurate records of production activities and initiatives, including output, quality performance, inventory levels, and program implementation.
Support KPI reporting and analysis for quality, scrap, efficiency, equipment utilization, and headcount utilization.
Facilitate communication among production teams and support departments, including engineering, quality assurance, finance, scheduling, logistics, security, and safety.
Participate in cross-functional meetings to discuss and resolve production issues, and keep the direct manager informed about department matters and planned or unplanned absences.
Track and analyze production KPIs to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.
Provide quarterly external partner scorecards covering capacity, communication, spend, on-time delivery, and quality defects.