Sr. Manager, Quality (Supplier & Copacker)

About the role

Mark Anthony Group is an entrepreneurial drinks company rooted in family values, a bold vision, and relentless determination to continuously raise the bar and make a positive difference in consumers' lives. This role serves as the primary Quality, Food Safety, & Regulatory (QFS) liaison between the organization and external manufacturing partners, driving compliance, continuous improvement, and risk mitigation across the supply chain. The Sr. Manager of Supplier & Copacker Quality ensures all third-party suppliers, copackers, repackers, and storage facilities consistently meet the company’s quality, food safety, and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Supplier and copacker qualification, onboarding, suspension, and reviews
• Manage auditing and compliance to ensure corporate quality standards are met through audit programs and routine data review
• Maintain records of supplier audits, certifications, and quality agreements
• Lead and manage supplier development programs to improve quality, education, and efficiency, enhancing VACCP and FSVP programs
• Drive corrective action management across suppliers and copackers with accountability for acceptable corrective actions within agreed timelines
• Performance monitoring through KPI tracking
• Cross-functional collaboration with critical partners to support risk mitigation and escalation
• Support governance and maintain documentation for supplier expectations and QFS policies
• Support continuous improvement initiatives aligning with corporate strategies that streamline routines
• Consumer complaint investigation and accountability with copackers
• Support release decisions for external copacker hold management
• Track non-conformances (NC) and support non-conformance report (NCR) progress for closure
• Identify and mitigate quality risks in the supply chain
• Report supplier quality performance to senior leadership, effectively communicating expectations and improvement plans internally and externally
• Influence procurement, logistics, and distribution supplier strategies, supporting contract negotiations and sourcing decisions based on quality performance
• Foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement
• Veto onboarding of new suppliers and copackers based on audit findings
• Suspend or eliminate current suppliers or vendors from the approved list due to audit findings

Key Metrics & Financial Targets

• Right the First Time (RFT)
• Copacker and supplier-focused KPIs
• Consumer complaints per 1 million cases (CCs/1M cases)
• Cost of Quality (COQ)
• GFSI Compliance
• Supplier and Copacker Qualifications & Compliance
• Supplier Scorecards – Quality
• Non-Conformance/Corrective Action (NC/CA) Closure
• NCR Closure

Critical Stakeholders & Relationships

• Procurement
• Operations and Brewing Teams
• Supply Chain & Logistics
• Customer Experience/Consumer Affairs
• Copacker & Supplier partners
• Corporate & Site Quality

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Food Science, Packaging, Supply Chain, Engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in QA, Packaging, or Warehousing in the food/beverage industry
• 3+ years of experience in CPG food safety auditing
• Strong knowledge of food safety regulations, GMPs, packaging standards, and warehousing best practices
• PCQI for Human Food, Internal Auditor, and Foreign Supplier Verification Program qualifications

Skills

• Technical and functional skills in quality and food safety
• Leadership and strategic skills
• Highly organized with a continuous improvement mindset
• Ability to be proactive and address risks quickly and effectively
• Strong soft skills for cross-functional collaboration

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary from $114,000 to $143,000 (based in Chicago, IL)
• Bonus plan designed to recognize company performance and individual contributions
• Comprehensive health and welfare benefits
• Company matching 401(k) contributions
• Paid time off including annual leave, paid sick time, and holidays
• Extensive opportunities for training, development, and career growth

About Mark Anthony Group

Founded in 1972, Mark Anthony Group has grown organically from a one-person import wine business into an international drinks company with a portfolio of luxury wineries and iconic beverage brands, including White Claw® Hard Seltzer, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, and Cayman Jack. Our purpose is to unearth the extraordinary, driving us to set the standard in our craft, stay ambitiously curious, act with humility, and dare to disrupt the status quo.

• Best in Our Craft: We set the standard with a pursuit of excellence in our products, processes, plants, and people.
• Ambitiously Curious: We dream big and navigate the unknown with an enduring belief in better.
• Made With Humility: We bring humility, authenticity, fun, and support to every collaboration and celebrate wins as a team.
• Daringly Disruptive: We disrupt the status quo, moving fast to seize opportunities and acting scrappy to stay ahead of industry giants.