Job Description

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION:

Edesia is a non-profit social enterprise on a mission to end global malnutrition. We manufacture and distribute life-saving, ready-to-use therapeutic foods--such as Plumpy'Nut and Nutributter--to treat and prevent malnutrition among children and mothers in the world's most vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities. Through strong partnerships with leading humanitarian organizations, NGOs, and Ministries of Health, we ensure our products reach those who need them most--even in the midst of the most complex and challenging humanitarian emergencies.

JOB SUMMARY:

The Quality Supplier Manager is responsible for ensuring that all domestic and international suppliers meet Edesia's high standards for food safety, quality, and compliance. This role will oversee supplier approval, verification, and monitoring programs to ensure consistency with regulatory requirements, industry standards, and Edesia's internal quality management systems. The individual will be instrumental in driving continuous improvement, strengthening supplier partnerships, and ensuring the integrity of Edesia's supply chain. In addition, this role will serve as the primary point of contact during customer and certification audits, supporting preparation, documentation, and responses to demonstrate compliance and supplier program effectiveness.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:

Supplier Management & Approval

Lead the supplier approval process for both domestic and foreign suppliers, including documentation review, risk assessment, and compliance checks. Manage and maintain Edesia's Approved Supplier List (ASL), ensuring timely updates and compliance with regulatory and customer requirements. Develop, distribute, and evaluate supplier questionnaires, scorecards, and risk-based assessments. Work closely with the Quality Director and Senior Director to address supplier-related issues, out-of-specification batches, and recurring or emerging quality trends. Collaborate on root cause analyses, escalation of critical supplier problems, and development of strategic actions to improve supplier reliability and performance.

Supplier Audits & Verification

Manage the Supplier Assurance Program for (domestic and foreign) ensuring compliance with Edesia's standards, GFSI schemes, and applicable regulations. Verify and validate the audit schedule based on risk, organizing supplier visits, and ensuring that audit reports are reviewed and filed appropriately. Additionally, ensure that corrective and preventive actions are obtained from suppliers following the visits. Manage the Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) in compliance with FDA and FSMA requirements. Partner with cross-functional teams to evaluate supplier performance and implement corrective/preventive actions (CAPAs) when needed.

Documentation & Compliance

Review and maintain supplier documentation, including food safety certifications, specifications, questionaries, etc. Ensure all foreign suppliers maintain compliance with U.S. import regulations and certifications. Maintain audit records, risk assessments, and supplier documentation in alignment with regulatory and certification requirements (e.g., BRCGS, FDA, and customer requirements).

Performance Monitoring & KPIs

Develop and maintain supplier performance scorecards, monitoring key performance indicators such as quality, service, compliance, and cost. Identify trends in supplier performance data and work with suppliers to implement improvements. Provide regular reports on leadership on supplier performance and risk.

Leadership and Continuous Improvement

Directly oversee the Quality Assurance Technician fostering their development and ensuring alignment with quality standards. Review and approve the QA technician's material sampling for product release, ensuring compliance with quality standards and specifications. Collaborate with Procurement, Quality, and R&D teams to evaluate new and existing suppliers for innovation, efficiency, and risk mitigation. Recommend and implement improvements to Edesia's supplier management systems and processes. Support production and quality teams in troubleshooting raw material quality issues and minimizing supply disruptions.

QUALIFICATIONS:

B.S. in Nutrition or Food Science-related field. Minimum 5 years of experience in supplier quality management, quality assurance, or procurement within food manufacturing or a regulated industry. Must have knowledge and experience with food safety regulations such as HACCP, GFSI Standards, Codex, GMP's, SSOP programs and US food regulations. Must have experience interacting with regulatory agencies and customer inspections. Able to work effectively and efficiently in cross functional team environments. Strong communication skills and ability to interact with all levels throughout the organization. Highly innovative and creative. Excellent organization/time management and problem-solving skills. Strong customer focus and ability to prioritize and adapt to compliance and business needs required. Strong computer skills (proficient with Power Point, Excel and Word) and familiar with SAP.

WORK CONDITIONS:

General office environment, plus time spent in Quality lab and production area. Occasional lifting, bending, pulling, some of which could be heavy (>15 lbs) or require the use of carts. High utilization of office equipment, phone, computer, etc.
Ability to travel up to 50% of the time, both domestically and internationally, to conduct supplier visits, audits, and inspections. Must be able to travel to vendors/partners as well as domestic and international conferences and meetings related to quality. HOURS: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (may be required to work other shifts/hours, as needed to support projects)
The requirements described are representative of those that must be met to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.