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Manager, Quality Planning, NPI & Supplier Development


Precision manufacturer serving regulated life-sciences markets

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This search has been filled. ETHOSLINK completed this retained search and it is no longer accepting applications. The brief stays here as a record of the work.

Quality leadership across the full product lifecycle for a manufacturer operating in regulated life-sciences markets. This seat owns quality strategy from new product introduction through supplier development and QMS integration — building the supplier capability and validation discipline that lets the business scale into regulated markets without trading away compliance.

What the seat owned

  • Establish and lead Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) frameworks tailored for regulated industries, and define quality strategy aligned to business growth and new market expansion
  • Drive risk-based methodologies — FMEA, CTQs, and control plans — across product and process development
  • Own quality execution across the full NPI lifecycle: concept, design, validation, launch, and post-launch monitoring
  • Oversee design controls, technical reviews, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), ensuring robust design transfer into manufacturing and the supply chain
  • Drive First Article Inspection (FAI) and PPAP development, and improve Right First Time (RFT) and First Pass Yield (FPY) on new product launches
  • Build and execute a strategic supplier development program, engaging suppliers early in NPI for design for manufacturability, process capability, and risk mitigation on critical components
  • Own supplier qualification and onboarding — audits, capability assessments, and validation alignment — with segmentation across strategic, critical, and transactional suppliers
  • Deploy supplier quality tools: supplier APQP, PPAP/FAI, supplier FMEA, and supplier control plans
  • Manage supplier performance against PPM, on-time delivery, and Cost of Poor Quality, driving corrective action through structured methodologies (8D, DMAIC)
  • Integrate NPI and supplier development into the QMS in alignment with ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and FDA 21 CFR Part 820 — standardizing design control, change management, and CAPA procedures
  • Maintain audit readiness across internal operations and the full supplier base
  • Partner with Regulatory Compliance on product and material compliance (RoHS, REACH, CMRT, PFAS) and monitor evolving requirements affecting products and suppliers
  • Lead cross-functional collaboration across Engineering, Manufacturing & Operations, Supply Chain & Procurement, and Regulatory Compliance, including co-development with key suppliers and customers
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