Quality Assurance Manager

Solo Brands; Grapevine, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Solo Brands is seeking a senior Quality Assurance leader to oversee QA programs across apparel production, garment testing, and vendor coordination. You will drive corrective actions, maintain documentation, and collaborate with Sourcing and Technical Design to meet quality benchmarks.

In this role, you will manage multiple factories, oversee testing with labs (SGS/BV/Intertek), and ensure compliance with safety standards.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of QA experience in apparel or consumer products.
• 3–4 years in manufacturing with factory operations exposure.
• Hands-on garment testing methods and standards.
• Deep knowledge of garment quality construction and materials.
• Experience with compliance standards including children's safety testing.
• Experience working with third-party labs (SGS, BV, Intertek).
• Experience supporting both eCommerce and retail/wholesale QA.
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Ability to manage multiple vendors, factories and timelines.

Responsibilities

• Conduct weekly virtual meetings with vendors to review in-process quality reports and ensure adherence to AQL 1.5.
• Conduct monthly virtual audit meetings at factories on targeted POs, with emphasis on: key programs and strategic style categories; new silhouettes entering production; new fabrics and material blends.
• Track and trend quality data across vendors and factories to identify recurring issues and drive corrective action plans.
• Maintain documentation and reporting cadence so quality performance is visible to Sourcing, Technical Design, and leadership.
• Partner with Sourcing and Technical Design to execute garment testing protocols across product categories.
• Ensure all garments meet internal quality benchmarks and external safety/regulatory requirements.
• Establish testing protocols for new products, materials, and constructions; partner with SGS/BV/Intertek to define plans.
• Stay current on testing standards and industry best practices; update internal protocols as needed.
• Support packing compliance (labeling, folding, poly-bagging, carton specs) and QA checks on packed goods.
• Serve as a key quality liaison with vendors on corrective actions and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support new product launches by ensuring quality and testing milestones are met on schedule.
• Provide metrics against objectives to leadership on quality performance and risks.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Garment Testing

Vendor Management

Data Analysis

Cross-functional Collaboration

Attention to detail

Communication

Tools

SGS

Bureau Veritas

Intertek

Job description

• Conduct weekly virtual meetings with vendors to review in-process quality reports and ensure adherence to the AQL 1.5 requirement
• Conduct monthly virtual audit meetings at specified factories on targeted POs, with particular emphasis on:
• Key programs and strategic style categories
• New silhouettes entering production for the first time
• New fabrications and material blends
• Large fashion programs with high volume or visibility
• Track and trend quality data across vendors and factories to identify recurring issues and drive corrective action plans
• Maintain clear documentation and reporting cadence so quality performance is visible to Sourcing, Technical Design, and leadership

Garment Testing & Safety Compliance

• Partner closely with Sourcing and Technical Design to execute garment testing protocols across all product categories
• Conduct kids' safety testing prior to production to ensure compliance with applicable safety regulations and standards
• Ensure all garments meet Chubbies' internal quality benchmarks as well as external safety and regulatory requirements
• Establish and update testing protocols for new products, materials, and constructions as the product line evolves
• Partner with SGS (or other accredited testing labs) to define appropriate testing requirements, scope test plans, and interpret results
• Stay current on testing standards, safety regulations, and industry best practices, updating internal protocols as needed
• Partner with the vendor base to ensure packing compliance, including labeling, folding, poly-bagging, and carton specifications
• Conduct QA checks on packed goods prior to shipment to confirm compliance with brand and retail partner requirements
• Serve as a key point of contact for vendors on quality-related questions, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives

Retail & Wholesale QA

• Support quality assurance efforts for products distributed through retail and wholesale channels, ensuring consistency with eComm quality standards
• Partner with retail/wholesale account teams to understand and comply with any retailer-specific quality, labeling, or packaging requirements (e.g., chargebacks avoidance, routing guide compliance)
• Monitor and address quality issues surfaced through retail partner feedback, store-level returns, or wholesale account complaints
• Help ensure a consistent customer experience and brand quality standard across all sales channels, direct-to-consumer, wholesale, Amazon, retail.

Returns Management

• Establish implement and monito processes in partnership with the third-party return vendor or 3PL facility.
• Review return reasons and trends to identify quick action response to all fit issues and create action plans that can be feed back into sourcing and design decisions
• Partner with Customer Experience teams as needed to identify trends that can be quickly resolved to maintain high level customer satisfaction.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Act as the primary quality liaison between Sourcing, Technical Design, vendors, and testing labs
• Provide metrics against establish objectives to leadership on quality performance, risks, and improvement initiatives
• Support new product launches by ensuring quality and testing milestones are met on schedule

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Quality Assurance, ideally within apparel, softlines, or consumer products
• 3-4 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, with direct exposure to factory operations and production processes
• Strong, hands‑on experience with garment testing methodologies and standards
• Deep understanding of garment quality construction, materials, and common defect categories
• Experience with compliance standards and protocols, including children's product safety testing
• Experience working with third‑party testing labs (e.g., SGS, Bureau Veritas, Intertek) strongly preferred
• Prior experience supporting both eCommerce and retail/wholesale quality programs is a plus
• High attention to detail and strong organizational skills
• Comfortable managing multiple vendors, factories, and timelines simultaneously

Key Attributes

• Strong communicator, comfortable leading virtual meetings with international vendors and factories
• Analytical mindset with the ability to identify trends and root causes from quality data
• Proactive problem-solver who can balance speed-to-market with quality standards
• Collaborative and cross-functional, able to build strong working relationships with Sourcing, Technical Design, and vendor partners
• Passion for product quality and the customer experience, aligned with the Chubbies brand voice and culture

Equal Opportunity Employer
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