Supplier Quality Manager

HydroJug; Ogden (UT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

HydroJug, Inc. is seeking a Senior Supplier & Quality Manager in Ogden, Utah to own supplier development and product quality end-to-end across its multi-brand portfolio.

You will manage supplier qualification, performance scorecards, corrective actions, and the quality system with the 3P QC team to ensure what is paid for is received and suppliers meet expectations.

Qualifications

• 4–8 years in supplier development, quality management, or a combined supplier/quality function in a consumer products environment.
• Deep familiarity with AQL inspection standards, sampling plans, and how to apply them across product categories.
• Experience running corrective-action programs with suppliers, including root cause and verified closure.
• Experience with supplier scorecards and supplier performance management, including QBRs with underperforming suppliers.
• Experience working with third-party QC teams or inspection agencies (e.g., QIMA, Bureau Veritas, SGS).

Responsibilities

• Lead supplier qualification and onboarding across drinkware, apparel, and supplements; own documentation and sign-off.
• Design and run supplier scorecards with OTIF tracking, defect rate monitoring, and SLAs; conduct quarterly business reviews.
• Own corrective-action programs from root cause to closure; escalate or exit underperforming relationships.

Skills

Supplier development

Quality management

AQL sampling

Corrective-action processes

Supplier scorecards

Cross-functional collaboration

Data-driven decision making

Job description

Reports to: Director of Supply & Sourcing (Ally Montoya)

ABOUT THE ROLE

This is not a quality-only role, and it is not a vendor management role. It is both — combined into a single senior seat that owns supplier development and product quality end-to-end across HydroJug's multi-brand portfolio.

As Supplier & Quality Manager, you own the full supplier lifecycle: how new suppliers get qualified, how existing suppliers are held accountable via performance scorecards, and what happens when a supplier underperforms. You also own the quality system: AQL inspection standards, sampling plans, corrective-action programs, and the operational relationship with HydroJug's third‑party QC team. You are the person who ensures that what we pay for is what we receive, and that suppliers know exactly what is expected of them.

This role reports to the Director of Supply & Sourcing (Ally Montoya) and works across all three HydroJug brands. It is a senior IC / manager‑level seat — not entry‑level, and not a step toward building a full quality department. This is the function; you own it.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supplier qualification + onboarding — build and maintain the process for evaluating and onboarding new suppliers across drinkware, apparel, and supplements; own qualification documentation, capability assessments, and new supplier sign‑off
• Supplier performance scorecards — design and run the scorecard program: OTIF tracking, defect rate monitoring, response‑time SLAs, corrective‑action responsiveness; hold quarterly business reviews with key suppliers
• Corrective‑action programs — own the formal corrective‑action process; work directly with suppliers to identify root cause, document corrective actions, and verify closure. Escalate or exit relationships when suppliers fail to perform

Quality Side

• AQL inspection standards + sampling plans — set AQL thresholds appropriate to each product category (drinkware, apparel, supplements); ensure sampling plans are implemented consistently across the supplier base
• QC documentation with 3P QC team — serve as the primary HydroJug contact for third‑party QC partners; align on inspection protocols, QC checklists, defect classification standards, and reporting cadence
• Defect tracking + quality scorecards — own the defect data: track defect rates by supplier, by product category, and over time; use the data to drive supplier improvement and inform sourcing decisions

SUCCESS CRITERIA

30 Days

• Mapped current supplier roster across all three brands; identified gaps in qualification documentation
• Reviewed existing QC protocols with the 3P QC team and identified inconsistencies or gaps
• Built working relationships with Ally Montoya, Supply Planners (Acta and Puressentials), and Sourcing Analyst (Catherine Iverson)
• Assessed current state of supplier scorecards and corrective‑action processes

90 Days

• Supplier scorecard program live across top‑tier suppliers (top 80% of spend); QBR cadence established
• AQL inspection standards documented and aligned with 3P QC team across all product categories
• At least one corrective‑action cycle completed end‑to‑end — root cause identified, action plan issued, follow‑up scheduled

180 Days

• Supplier OTIF tracked and visible to the supply chain team; scorecard compliance at 100% of tier‑1 suppliers
• Defect rate trending down from baseline; AQL pass rate tracked and reported
• Corrective‑action program operating with defined SLAs and escalation path; no open CAPAs aging past 60 days without documented status
• Zero recall events; quality issues caught at origin or inspection, not in the field
• Supplier OTIF — on‑time, in‑full performance by supplier and category
• Defect rate — incoming defect rate by supplier, trending down over time
• AQL pass rate — percentage of shipments passing AQL inspection at first pass
• Corrective‑action closure rate — open CAPAs closed within defined SLA; no aging backlog
• Zero recall events — the ultimate quality metric

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience and background

• 4–8 years in supplier development, quality management, or a combined supplier/quality function in a consumer products environment — you have owned both sides of this before
• Deep familiarity with AQL inspection standards, sampling plans, and how to apply them appropriately across different product categories
• Experience running corrective‑action programs with suppliers — not just issuing CARs, but following through to root cause and verified closure
• Experience with supplier scorecards and supplier performance management — you have run QBRs and had hard conversations with underperforming suppliers
• Experience working with third‑party QC teams or inspection agencies (e.g., QIMA, Bureau Veritas, SGS, or similar)
• Comfortable with quality across multiple product categories — ideally at least two of: hard goods/drinkware, apparel/soft goods, supplements/consumables

Traits that fit

• You are process‑disciplined: you build the SOP, train to it, and hold it
• You are direct with suppliers — diplomatic but not soft; you can hold a supplier accountable without damaging the relationship
• You do not build empires; you own your function cleanly and partner well with supply planners and sourcing colleagues
• You are data‑driven: defect rates, pass rates, OTIF, closure rates — you manage through metrics, not anecdotes

ABOUT HYDROJUG, INC.

HydroJug, Inc. is a consumer brand headquartered in Ogden, Utah, designing and selling premium hydration and lifestyle products through direct‑to‑consumer and major retail channels.