External Manufacturing & Supplier Quality Assurance Analyst

Role Overview

• Lead the implementation and governance of the External Manufacturing Quality Management (EMQM) program at Kevin’s Natural Foods.
• Ensure external manufacturers comply with Kevin’s and Mars Quality Management standards.
• Own supplier qualification, approval, and ongoing performance management.
• Act as a key technical authority ensuring quality and food safety standards across external partners.
• Support both strategic (supplier development, program deployment) and tactical (audits, issue resolution) activities.
• Define validation and verification programs to ensure product equivalency and food safety.
• Drive visibility of external manufacturer quality performance and lead continuous improvement initiatives.
• Manage change control processes impacting quality and food safety.
• Facilitate supplier quality processes, policies, and onboarding frameworks.
• Develop and improve RACIs and ways of working for material and supplier onboarding.
• Monitor and improve inbound raw and packaging material quality across sites.
• Establish KPIs and metrics to track supplier quality performance and compliance.
• Conduct supplier audits (low, medium, high risk) to assess capability and compliance.
• Lead initial supplier assessments and ongoing verification activities.
• Identify gaps and drive corrective and preventative actions (CAPA) with suppliers.
• Maintain supplier status, risk assessments (e.g., EMPRA), and technical documentation.
• Partner with Procurement, R&D, and project teams to support external manufacturing in innovation projects.
• Act as the quality lead for co-manufactured product development.
• Ensure suppliers meet quality and food safety requirements for new product launches.
• Lead investigations related to external manufacturing quality incidents.
• Conduct risk assessments and determine product disposition.
• Identify root causes and ensure effective CAPA implementation.
• Monitor trends and incorporate learnings into continuous improvement efforts.
• Drive supplier development initiatives to improve capability and performance.
• Contribute quality insights to sourcing and supply strategies.
• Engage with global and regional quality communities to align on best practices.
• Support management reviews with data-driven recommendations.
• Require regular interactions with external manufacturers, suppliers, and global quality teams.
• Other duties as assigned or necessary.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Engineering, Chemistry, or related field (preferred).
• 4+ years of experience in Quality, Food Safety, or Technical functions.
• Experience managing external manufacturers and supplier quality.
• Strong background in auditing Quality Management Systems and supplier facilities.
• Strong understanding of Quality & Food Safety standards (e.g., HACCP, GMP, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000).
• Experience with Material Quality Management and supplier quality systems.
• Proven problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders and external partners.
• Strong communication and project management skills.
• Certified Lead Auditor (FSSC 22000 or equivalent) Certification
• HACCP certification.
• Ability to travel up to ~40%.

Benefits

• Offers Bonus
• • Benefits