Senior Q&RA Project Lead, Market & Innovation

Oatly; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); Híbrido; USD 122.000 - 149.000; Jornada completa

Ventajas ofrecidas por este puesto de trabajo

Flexible vacation

Pet insurance

Volunteer days

Oatmilk packs

Descripción de la vacante

Oatly is seeking a Senior Q&RA Project Lead, Market & Innovation in a hybrid Philadelphia role. Lead quality/regulatory activities from concept to launch across innovation and product development, ensuring compliant, scalable launches.

Expect collaboration across SQA, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance with a strong emphasis on risk-based decision making. The role demands 10+ years in food quality/regulatory roles, HACCP/GFSI knowledge, and proven cross-functional leadership for complex

Formación

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Regulatory Affairs, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in food quality or regulatory roles in a global or complex environment.
• Experience supporting product innovation and development in a quality or regulatory capacity.
• Deep knowledge of food safety systems, HACCP, and GFSI standards (BRC, SQF, FSSC/ISO 22000).
• Proven project leadership experience, including leading cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strong experience with risk assessments, validation planning, and process documentation.
• Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth, or ambiguous environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.
• Strong analytical, structured, and strategic thinking capabilities.
• Experience with PLM tools and project management platforms preferred.

Responsabilidades

• Act as the Q&RA lead and subject matter expert within global innovation and product development projects from concept through launch
• Lead product and process risk assessments, define quality and food safety criteria, and ensure stage-gate deliverables are met
• Coordinate cross-functional Q&RA work streams across SQA, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance teams
• Drive implementation and continuous improvement of Q&RA frameworks, processes, and PD (product development) flows
• Ensure end-to-end compliance across food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements for all new products and changes
• Oversee validation strategies and challenge launch readiness decisions
• Act as escalation point for complex food safety and regulatory risks, with authority to block launches where needed
• Partner closely with Innovation, S&T, Commercial, Sustainability, and external stakeholders
• Support global and regional market expansion by deploying Q&RA processes in North America
• Coach project teams on Q&RA standards and promote a risk-based, quality-first mindset

Conocimientos

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical thinking

Project leadership

Strategic thinking

Educación

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Food Science/Regulatory Affairs

Herramientas

PLM tools

Project management platforms

Descripción del empleo

Hello potential future Oatly employee. It’s us, the original oatmilk company that started in Sweden back 25 or so years ago and has since expanded to the U.S. where we’ve continued growing at a rate such that we need more brilliant minds to come work with us to keep the momentum going and the oatmilk flowing.

Sustainability, health, and transparency are the core values that guide everything we do. Basically, we exist to help people live a healthier life without recklessly taxing the planet’s resources in the process, and to change the food system for the better. We drive that change through the power of oats and through a significant reduction in cow’s milk consumption. If any of this resonates with you, then maybe you’d like to work for Oatly, too. Now onto the formal stuff.

We are looking for a Senior Q&RA Project Lead, Market & Innovation to join our team. This role will be responsible for leading strategic and operational quality and regulatory activities across innovation and product development, ensuring scalable, compliant, and efficient product launches. This is a hybrid role, working on-site in our Philadelphia location (3 days) and remote (2 days).

Due to business needs, the qualified candidate will reside in the Philadelphia metro area.

Here are the things we want to hire you to do:

• Act as the Q&RA lead and subject matter expert within global innovation and product development projects from concept through launch
• Lead product and process risk assessments, define quality and food safety criteria, and ensure stage-gate deliverables are met
• Coordinate cross-functional Q&RA work streams across SQA, Regulatory Affairs, and Compliance teams
• Drive implementation and continuous improvement of Q&RA frameworks, processes, and PD (product development) flows
• Ensure end-to-end compliance across food safety, quality, and regulatory requirements for all new products and changes
• Oversee validation strategies and challenge launch readiness decisions
• Act as escalation point for complex food safety and regulatory risks, with authority to block launches where needed
• Partner closely with Innovation, S&T, Commercial, Sustainability, and external stakeholders
• Support global and regional market expansion by deploying Q&RA processes in North America
• Coach project teams on Q&RA standards and promote a risk-based, quality-first mindset

Here Are The Things We Think You Need

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Food Science, Food Safety, Regulatory Affairs, or a related scientific field
• 10+ years of experience in food quality and/or regulatory roles in a global or complex environment
• Strong experience supporting product innovation and development in a quality or regulatory capacity
• Deep knowledge of food safety systems, HACCP, and GFSI standards (BRC, SQF, FSSC/ISO 22000)
• Proven project leadership experience, including leading cross-functional teams without direct authority
• Strong experience with risk assessments, validation planning, and process documentation
• Experience working in fast-paced, high-growth, or ambiguous environments
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills
• Strong analytical, structured, and strategic thinking capabilities
• Experience with PLM tools and project management platforms preferred

And here’s another list of qualities we think make a good Oatly team member:

• You feel connected to our mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency
• You are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for success – we believe strongly in building a culture of individual accountability and ownership and need partners that can embrace that mentality
• You are ready to make your mark in a smaller, growing brand, leveraging your experience to deliver amazing results and build an outstanding company
• You have an entrepreneurial spirit in that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and are energized by the process of building something lasting from the ground up
• You enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkers

Another bulleted list felt a bit too…bullet-y. So we wrote this long, awkward sentence to let you know all the ways we sweeten the deal when you work with us, like flexible vacation (take it when you need it), really great benefits (yes, pet insurance is in there), paid volunteer days off throughout the year (doing good is fun), free six packs of...(drumroll)…oatmilk, and you’ll also get genuinely great coworkers who are rooting for each other and the company to thrive. Oh, one more short but very important sentence: We are nimble and agile (not chaotic) in how we work, and we’re grounded in a long company history dating way back to the last century.

• flexible vacation (take it when you need it)
• really great benefits (yes, pet insurance is in there)
• paid volunteer days off throughout the year (doing good is fun)
• free six packs of...(drumroll)…oatmilk

The salary for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. Compensation may also include bonus, commission, or equity as applicable. Our good faith estimate for base salary is $135,000.

Our team is available to support you through the hiring process with reasonable accommodations to enable a barrier-free interview experience. We will maintain candidate privacy and confidentiality to enable an unbiased and equitable experience. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or special need, please contact [e-mail].

Oatly is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.