Quality Manager — Plant Quality & RFT Champion

Colgate; Tonganoxie (KS); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision benefits

401(k) with company match

Paid time off (vacation/holidays)

Bonuses / long-term incentives

Job summary

Colgate-Palmolive’s Hill’s Pet Nutrition facility in Tonganoxie, Kansas, is seeking a Quality Manager to lead corporate quality assurance, food safety programs, and daily quality ownership on the plant floor.

You will drive Right First Time, oversee CAPA, audits, and KPI reporting, partner with Manufacturing, S&T, Engineering, and Supply Chain, and mentor Quality team members while managing budgets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree.
• 8+ years of Quality Management experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading teams of Quality professionals.
• Experience participating in or leading quality and regulatory audit/inspection activities.
• Strong knowledge of Food Safety and cGMPs.
• Demonstrated ability to influence cross-functional teams and drive quality and continuous improvement initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement site Quality Systems and Food Safety Plans to reduce variation, minimize waste, protect the business, and ensure consistent product quality.
• Drive the local execution of the Right First Time (RFT) program, championing RFT principles and establishing quality at the source as the standard across the plant.
• Champion, implement, and oversee Quality Operational Excellence and continuous improvement initiatives at the local manufacturing site, identifying process gaps and opportunities to prevent defects and improve quality performance.
• Foster a strong culture of quality, food safety, and continuous improvement by engaging and developing manufacturing teams to take ownership of quality in their daily work.
• Identify opportunities to leverage digital and automation solutions on the plant floor to strengthen quality controls, improve process capability, and enable proactive quality management.
• Ensure compliance with Colgate/Hill’s, local, and international regulatory standards; partner with regulatory agencies to address and resolve issues.
• Track and report site Quality KPIs to internal and external stakeholders on a monthly basis, using data and insights to identify trends, prioritize actions, and drive business outcomes.
• Serve as a key member of the Site Leadership Team to drive continuous improvement and deliver upon plant strategy.
• Own daily execution of key Quality Systems such as Incoming Component & Finished Product Inspection & Release, Validation, CAPA, Change Control, Internal Audits, Laboratory Management, and Documentation Management.
• Manage the site Quality Audit program to ensure conformance with standards, quality-related regulatory requirements, cGMPs, and continuous improvement expectations; lead action plans to address internal and external quality or food safety audit findings.
• Lead site consumer satisfaction programs, including consumer complaint tracking, root-cause analysis, and reduction of plant-controllable complaints.
• Partner cross-functionally with Manufacturing, S&T, Engineering, Supply Chain, and other site teams to proactively identify and mitigate quality and food safety risks.
• Administer Performance Management and Coaching/Feedback activities and provide effective career development and planning for Quality team members.
• Prepare and manage operating budgets for variable and fixed overheads for the Quality Team.

Skills

Quality Management experience

Team leadership

Regulatory/audit experience

Cross-functional collaboration

cGMP knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s Degree

Job description

Colgate-Palmolive’s Hill’s Pet Nutrition facility in Tonganoxie, Kansas, is seeking a Quality Manager to lead corporate quality assurance, food safety programs, and daily quality ownership on the plant floor.

You will drive Right First Time, oversee CAPA, audits, and KPI reporting, partner with Manufacturing, S&T, Engineering, and Supply Chain, and mentor Quality team members while managing budgets.