Quality Program Manager- Packaging Supplier Quality Events

Abbott Laboratories; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 99,000 - 199,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness program

Health benefits

Job summary

Abbott Laboratories in Columbus, OH, is seeking a Quality Program Manager for Packaging Supplier Quality Events to lead a team of quality professionals focused on supplier events, performance, and continuous improvement within the Nutrition Division.

You will collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing sites to resolve quality issues, drive preventive actions, and strengthen supplier capabilities across Abbott's packaging supply base.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Packaging Engineering, Food Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Quality, or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Quality Assurance, or Packaging Engineering, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Supplier Quality professionals responsible for Supplier Events and Supplier Excellence activities.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and audit readiness.
• Establish clear expectations and develop team capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and employee development.
• Drive employee engagement, onboarding, training, and development of critical thinking, root cause analysis, and problem-solving skills.
• Lead the response to supplier quality events impacting Abbott manufacturing sites.
• Ensure timely investigations, risk assessments, root cause analysis, and effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Partner with manufacturing sites and suppliers to resolve quality issues, minimize business disruption, and protect product quality.
• Drive event reduction through trend analysis, supplier engagement, preventive actions, and effective escalation management.
• Ensure investigations and quality documentation are accurate, compliant, and audit-ready.
• Lead Abbott's Supplier Excellence Program and drive continuous improvement across the packaging supply base.

Skills

Supplier Quality

Quality Assurance

Packaging Engineering

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related discipline

Job description

Quality Program Manager - Packaging Supplier Quality Events

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology. Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, and Glucerna® – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life.

Working at Abbott

At Abbott, you can do work that matters, grow, and learn, care for yourself and family, be your true self and live a full life. You’ll also have access to:

• Training and career development, with onboarding programs for new employees and tuition assistance
• Financial security through competitive compensation, incentives and retirement plans
• Health care and well-being programs including medical, dental, vision, wellness and occupational health programs, Medical Benefits start day 1
• Vacation – 3 weeks accrued vacation (1st yr. is prorated) + vacation buy program + 5 personal days + 10 paid holidays
• 401(k) retirement savings with a generous company match of 5%
• Tuition reimbursement, the Freedom 2 Save student debt program and FreeU education benefit
• - an affordable and convenient path to getting a bachelor’s degree.
• A company recognized as a great place to work in dozens of countries around the world and named one of the most admired companies in the world by Fortune.
• A company that is recognized as one of the best big companies to work for as well as a best place to work for diversity, working mothers, female executives, and scientists.
• The stability of a company with a record of strong financial performance and history of being actively involved in local communities.

The Opportunity

This position works out of our Columbus, OH location in the Nutrition Division. The Quality Program Manager, supporting Packaging Supplier Quality Events is responsible for leading a team of Supplier Quality professionals focused on supplier event management, supplier performance, continuous improvement, and supplier quality system maturity. This role serves as a key liaison between suppliers, manufacturing sites, quality leadership, and cross-functional business partners to ensure timely resolution of supplier quality issues, drive preventive quality improvements, and strengthen supplier capabilities across Abbott's packaging supply base. This leader will foster a high-performance culture built on accountability, technical excellence, continuous improvement, and audit readiness while developing team members and advancing long‑term strategic initiatives that improve supplier quality performance and business outcomes.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Team Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and develop a team of Supplier Quality professionals responsible for Supplier Events and Supplier Excellence activities.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, continuous improvement, and audit readiness.
• Establish clear expectations and develop team capability through coaching, mentoring, succession planning, and employee development.
• Drive employee engagement, onboarding, training, and development of critical thinking, root cause analysis, and problem-solving skills.

Supplier Event Management

• Lead the response to supplier quality events impacting Abbott manufacturing sites.
• Ensure timely investigations, risk assessments, root cause analysis, and effective corrective and preventive actions.
• Partner with manufacturing sites and suppliers to resolve quality issues, minimize business disruption, and protect product quality.
• Drive event reduction through trend analysis, supplier engagement, preventive actions, and effective escalation management.
• Ensure investigations and quality documentation are accurate, compliant, and audit‑ready.

Supplier Excellence & Supplier Performance

• Lead Abbott's Supplier Excellence Program and drive continuous improvement across the packaging supply base.
• Monitor supplier performance through scorecards, KPIs, assessments, audits, and governance reviews.
• Develop improvement strategies and Quality Improvement Plans for underperforming suppliers.
• Partner with suppliers to strengthen quality systems, process capability, CAPA effectiveness, and overall performance.

Quality Systems, Compliance & Audit Readiness

• Maintain a culture of continuous audit readiness across Supplier Events and Supplier Excellence programs.
• Ensure compliance with quality system requirements, procedures, documentation standards, and regulatory expectations.
• Support audits, inspections, investigations, and CAPA activities while driving timely closure of observations and action plans.
• Champion documentation accuracy, data integrity, and inspection‑ready practices.

Strategic Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead cross‑functional initiatives that strengthen supplier quality processes, governance, and operational performance while driving alignment across suppliers, manufacturing sites, and key stakeholders.
• Utilize quality metrics, KPIs, and trend data to identify risks, prioritize improvements, and drive data‑based decision making and preventive quality actions.
• Develop and communicate supplier performance trends, quality risks, and improvement strategies to suppliers, site leadership, and senior management.
• Drive long‑term improvements through Supplier Excellence, process harmonization, and continuous improvement initiatives.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE, YOU’LL BRING

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Packaging Engineering, Food Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Quality, or related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Quality Assurance, or Packaging Engineering, or related experience in Manufacturing, Operations, or related technical fields.

Preferred:

• Experience in regulated industries such as medical device, pharmaceutical, nutrition, food, or consumer product manufacturing.
• Experience with supplier audits, supplier assessments, and supplier quality system evaluations.
• Experience building and managing scorecards, KPIs, dashboards, and supplier governance processes.
• Experience leading and developing high‑performing teams.
• Experience presenting and aligning internal and external stakeholders with the ability to communicate to all levels of the Abbott organization as well as supplier organization.
• Thorough knowledge of manufacturing processes, quality systems, investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA principles.
• Thorough knowledge of manufacturing processes, quality systems, investigations, root cause analysis, and CAPA principles.
• Proven project management skills with the ability to prioritize multiple initiatives and deliver results in a fast‑paced environment.
• Green Belt, Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement certification preferred.

* Participants who complete a short wellness assessment qualify for FREE coverage in our HIP PPO medical plan. Free coverage applies in the next calendar year.

Learn more about our health and wellness benefits, which provide the security to help you and your family live full lives: www.abbottbenefits.com

Follow your career aspirations to Abbott for diverse opportunities with a company that can help you build your future and live your best life. Abbott is an Equal Opportunity Employer, committed to employee diversity.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.

The base pay for this position is $99,300.00 – $198,700.00. In specific locations, the pay range may vary from the range posted.