SQA Manager (External Manufacturing & Warehouse / Logistics), 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 (External Manufacturing & Warehouse/Logistics) North America to join our team. This role will be responsible for ensuring food safety, quality, and regulatory compliance across external manufacturing partners, warehouses, and logistics providers supporting Oatly products in North America. Reporting to the Global Director, SQA, this role manages supplier quality and food safety for processes and products, ensuring products produced at Co Manufacturers are appropriately 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 – external manufacturing partners, warehouse and logistics

• Approve and manage external manufacturing, warehouse, and logistics partners from a quality and food safety perspective

• Ensure supplier compliance with Oatly standards, GFSI schemes, and regulatory requirements

• Approve new production lines (commissioning/validation) at new and existing external manufacturers

• 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 the defined global strategy

• Support product traceability and planned traceability tests for all Co-Manufacturers (including hybrid partners)

Release & Positive Release Management

• Provide backup support to the Release Manager to secure the release of externally produced products

Incident Management & Issue Resolution

• Lead food safety and quality investigations related to external manufacturing, warehouse, and logistics partners

• Coordinate root cause analysis and corrective actions with 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 process and product risk input

Authority & Decision Rights

• Authority to block, release products produced by external Co-manufacturers

• Lead approval decisions and recommend supplier disqualification based on quality or food safety risks, in consultation with the Global Director SQA

• Escalate and stop material use and product release when food safety risk is identified

Here are the things we think you need:

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Food Science, Microbiology, Chemistry, or related field

• HACCP certification and FSMA PCQI certification required

• 5+ years of experience in food safety and quality roles within the food industry

• Experience with supplier quality management and auditing

• Strong knowledge of food safety systems, regulations, and GFSI standards (BRCGS, SQF, FSSC 22000)

• Experience working with ERP systems (e.g., D365) and product lifecycle management tools

• Strong analytical, structured, and risk-based problem-solving skills

• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment

• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
  

And here’s another list of qualities we think make a good Oatly team member:

• You feel connected to our mission of encouraging health, sustainability, and transparency

• You are a self-starter who doesn’t need direct supervision to motivate you for success – we believe strongly in building a culture of individual accountability and ownership and need partners that can embrace that mentality

• You are ready to make your mark in a smaller, growing brand, leveraging your experience to deliver amazing results and build an outstanding company

• You have an entrepreneurial spirit in that you’re comfortable with ambiguity and are energized by the process of building something lasting from the ground up

• You enjoy sharing your quirkiness and talents with your coworkers

Another bulleted list felt a bit too…bullet-y. So we wrote this long, awkward sentence to let you know all the ways we sweeten the deal when you work with us, like flexible vacation (take it when you need it), really great benefits (yes, pet insurance is in there), paid volunteer days off throughout the year (doing good is fun), free six packs of...(drumroll)…oatmilk, and you’ll also get genuinely great coworkers who are rooting for each other and the company to thrive. Oh, one more short but very important sentence: We are nimble and agile (not chaotic) in how we work, and we’re grounded in a long company history dating way back to the last century.

The salary for this role will be based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to geographic location, internal equity, experience, education, specialty, and training. Actual compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors, including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. Compensation may also include bonus, commission, or equity as applicable. Our good faith estimate for base salary is $115,000.

Our team is available to support you through the hiring process with reasonable accommodations to enable a barrier-free interview experience. We will maintain candidate privacy and confidentiality to enable an unbiased and equitable experience. If you need assistance applying for a role due to a disability or special need, please contact peopleconnect.NA@oatly.com.

Oatly is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.