Quality Manager, Customers (Remote)

Job Description

Supports the Customer Quality PhS strategy. This key role represents the voice of the customer, in quality and product safety topics, to improve our standing with the customer, advocate for excellent performance, reduce financial risk, and enable optimum business growth. This role is a primary customer quality representative, with accountability to ensure that customer is provided with accurate information, customer requirements are negotiated where necessary, nonstandard commitments made to customer are appropriate, and IFF facilities comply with agreed commitments.

This role advocates for the customer and for a strong quality management system when addressing complaints, issues, and audit findings related to IFF manufacturing facilities and third-party warehouses. The role must achieve and maintain the status of expert within the area of influence in order to successfully communicate and negotiate with customers.

Responsibilities

• Primary quality customer representative represents IFF at customer quality meetings and supports customer satisfaction and product assurance meetings. As required, may travel to customer facilities and/or IFF sites where customers are visiting or auditing.
• Partners with business cross-functional teams in order to understand the customer’s vision, strategies, needs, and quality agenda, and IFF’s management plan for customer.
• Develops customer documents for communicating product/site quality issues (e.g., recalls, corrections). Liaise with R&D, Sales, Regulatory, Legal, Commercial, and AD&I as necessary to optimize documentation and communication flow. Leads customer calls as needed to provide appropriate information and bring back customer concerns/queries to internal team. Works with internal team to address such concerns/queries.
• Coordinates development/routine review of and updates to documentation describing product quality and quality management systems at the various manufacturing sites and for the various product lines and grades (markets). Identifies the need for new documentation based on new types of customer queries and/or changes in quality standards, industry best practices, and trade association recommendations. Liaise with R&D, Sales, Regulatory, Legal, and AD&I as necessary to evaluate and address atypical customer requests and new document development. Liaise with other IFF businesses and corporate partners where appropriate.
• Supports atypical customer queries, working with appropriate roles (e.g., Quality Manager, Tech Info, Pharma Info, Regulatory) as needed.
• Supports Quality Agreement work processes. Negotiates customer quality agreement wording where necessary. Knows when to consult Legal regarding language used. Ensures business and sites can align with negotiated terms. Ensures database is kept up to date with current contracts and contact information. Creates amendments to quality agreements when changes occur (e.g. new products, product discontinuations, site names).
• As needed, assists complaint and other customer issue management by ensuring the optimal communication flow between IFF and the customer that meets their expectations. Partner with appropriate functions (e.g., AD&I, Account Managers, Quality Managers, Regulatory) to optimize results for the customer and to address customer concerns, as they arise. Work with local sites to assist in appropriate Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action determination, and development of appropriate documented responses for customer. Assist sites in becoming independent in responding appropriately to complaints.

• As needed, assist customer audit planning process and audit finding responses. Work with local sites to assist in appropriate Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Action determination, and development of appropriate responses for customer, including responses tailored to customer needs, where applicable. Assist sites in becoming independent in responding appropriately to audit findings.
• Lead customer quality-related projects.
• Propose and lead updates to customer quality work processes.
• Develop, deploy, monitor, and communicate appropriate Customer Satisfaction KPI’s based on the understanding of Key Performance expectations of the customer and IFF account team.

Qualifications

• BS in Microbiology, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Food Technology, related Science field, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated understanding of product safety and regulatory requirements for food, pharmaceutical excipients, cosmetics, and/or API.
• Demonstrated understanding of quality management systems and standards, especially those pertinent to food, pharmaceutical excipients, cosmetics, and/or API.
• Ability to work independently to manage work progression and timelines.
• Ability to share responsibilities and work within teams and across functions and business units.
• Ability to lead new and improvement projects.
• Shows initiative beyond the scope of a project/task.
• Fluent in speaking and writing English.
• Good communication skills – able to handle difficult conversations and remain calm and solution oriented. Creates trust.

Preferred Experience

• 8-10 years’ experience working in a Good Manufacturing Practice environment
• Experience in leading root cause analysis and investigations
• Strong technical writing experience
• Experience in writing legal documents (e.g. contracts, patents)
• Makes difficult decisions in a timely manner, sometimes with incomplete information and under tight deadlines and pressure