SQA Manager (Direct Material & Release), North America

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 SQA Manager (Direct Material & Release) North America to join our team. This role will be responsible for ensuring food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance of direct materials used in Oatly products in North America. This role manages supplier quality and food safety for direct materials and serves as release authority, ensuring products produced at Co Manufacturers are risk assessed, approved, released, or blocked in accordance with Oatly requirements, GFSI standards (BRCGS/SQF/ISO 22000), and FDA/FSMA Regulatory requirements. Here are the things we want to hire you to do: Supplier Quality Management – Direct Materials (raw material and packaging material) - Approve and manage direct material suppliers from a quality and food safety perspective in line with applicable regulatory and Oatly requirements - Ensure supplier compliance with Oatly standards, GFSI schemes, and regulatory requirements - Conduct supplier risk assessments, including HACCP and food safety plan reviews - Own supplier audits, deviation management, and CAPA follow-up - Drive supplier performance through KPIs and supplier development plans, in line with global strategy Release & Positive Release Management - Act as SQA release authority for externally produced products - Review and approve analytical results and certificates of analysis (CoAs) - Decide on block, release, or rejection of materials in ERP systems - Ensure accurate track & trace and material status in warehouses - Support scrapping, rework, and disposition activities Incident Management & Issue Resolution - Lead food safety and quality investigations related to direct materials - Coordinate root cause analysis and corrective actions with direct material suppliers handled by Oatly - Support deviations, complaints, and regulatory investigations - Provide risk-based recommendations during supply disruptions Cross-Functional Collaboration - Work closely with Q&RA team, Procurement, Operations, Logistics, Innovation, and Site QA teams - Support product development and specification changes with material risk input - Partner with co-manufacturers and warehouses on quality and release topics Authority & Decision Rights - Authority to block, release products produced by external co-manufacturers - Authorized to approve and recommend the disqualification of suppliers based on quality or food safety risks, in consultation with the Global Director SQA - Escalate and halt material use and product release when a food safety risk is identified Here are the things we think you need: - 5+ years in food safety and quality roles within the food industry - Bachelor’s degree or higher in a food-related discipline such as Food Science, Microbiology, Biological Science, Chemistry, or Food Safety Management - HACCP certification and FSMA PCQI certification required - GFSI auditor training (BRCGS, SQF, or FSSC 22000) is preferred - Continuous improvement or project management training is a plus - Supplier quality management and audit experience - Experience with ERP systems and material rele