Supplier Quality Manager

The Farmer's Dog • Omaha, NE

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Farmer’s Dog is seeking a Supplier Quality Manager to ensure the highest quality raw materials are used in their products, upholding customer trust. This role involves investigating and resolving supplier, manufacturing, and customer quality issues related to raw materials through methods such as audits, defect trend analysis, and continuous improvement projects. The Supplier Quality Manager will act as the liaison between plants and suppliers within the food safety and quality group, reviewing documentation, 3rd party audits, performing hazard analysis/risk rankings for suppliers and ingredients, conducting supplier audits, and participating in spec configuration. The position reports directly to the Senior Quality Engineering Manager.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or a related technical field.
• Typically 5–8+ years in quality assurance or supplier management within a human or human grade pet food manufacturing environment.
• PCQI 2.0 (Preventive Controls Qualified Individual), HACCP, and GFSI/SQF Practitioner certifications.
• Proficiency in Quality Management Systems (QMS), ERP software (i.e. TraceGains), and statistical analysis tools like SPC (Statistical Process Control).
• Strong negotiation, cross-functional collaboration, and the ability to influence suppliers without direct authority.
• Deep knowledge/understanding of FDA, USDA, GFSI compliance standards and corresponding documentation requirements.
• Strong background in core food safety principles, supplier quality, and production processes.
• Experienced in conducting Supplier Audits.
• Excellent communication skills, including presenting, report writing, and training across all organizational levels.
• Willing and able to travel 30–50%.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Access) and Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms).
• You love dogs.

Nice To Haves

• ASQ Certification in Supplier Quality and/or Auditing.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a robust process for selecting and approving new suppliers based on their technical capabilities, food safety programs, and historical performance.
• Conduct regular on-site or remote audits of supplier facilities to ensure adherence to GFSI-recognized standards (e.g., SQF, BRC, FSSC 22000) and regulatory requirements such as FSMA and USDA.
• Establish Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and oversee supplier scorecards to ensure scores reflect incidents (food safety, quality, defects), communication, documentation, and audit scores.
• Lead investigations focusing on Root Cause Analysis into supplier-related quality issues (e.g., foreign objects, microbial contamination) that come from complaints or from logged incidents, and manage the Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) process to prevent recurrence.
• Partner with R&D and Procurement to define and maintain detailed ingredient and packaging specifications, ensuring all Certificates of Analysis (COAs) meet internal standards.
• Perform science-based risk assessments for all raw materials, categorizing suppliers by risk level to determine the necessary frequency of audits and testing.
• Provide food safety expertise and decision-making support for supplier qualifications and any issues related to raw materials.
• Make risk-based food safety decisions for raw materials that ensure compliance with regulatory and internal standards while enabling reliable product delivery.
• Analyze supplier data to identify trends and issues, using insights to guide food safety and quality improvements and cross-functional education.
• Demonstrate a proactive approach to identifying and solving raw material related food safety and quality issues.
• Apply strong communication and influencing skills to implement effective problem resolution.
• Work with cross-functional teams such as procurement and suppliers to drive adherence to food safety initiatives, CAPA execution, and supplier quality improvements.
• Direct day-to-day food safety and quality activities within assigned areas of responsibility.
• Engage and coordinate with subject matter experts to ensure ongoing regulatory compliance and high food safety and quality standards.
• Display strong communication to collaborate and implement effective problem resolution with suppliers and cross functional partners.

Benefits

• Dog-friendly office in SoHo
• Market-competitive compensation and equity packages
• Comprehensive Healthcare, Dental, and Vision
• Company supported mental health benefits
• 12 week paid parental leave
• Competitive 401k plan with company match
• Flexible PTO
• Discounted fresh food for your pup
• Your pet interrupting video calls (and in-person meetings) is now a feature, not a bug

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior