Program Manager - Ingredient Supplier Quality Assurance

About Abbott

Abbott is a global healthcare leader, creating breakthrough science to improve people’s health. We’re always looking towards the future, anticipating changes in medical science and technology.

Our nutrition business develops science-based nutrition products for people of all ages, from helping babies and children grow, to keeping adult bodies strong and active. Millions of people around the world count on our leading brands – including Similac®, PediaSure®, Pedialyte®, Ensure®, and Glucerna® – to help get the nutrients they need to live their healthiest life.

The Opportunity

Abbott Nutrition (AN) Global Supplier Quality Assurance (GSQA) group, International Region (Europe and Asia), has an opportunity for a Program Manager – Ingredient Supplier Quality Assurance. The position will be based at in EU (Netherlands, Ireland or Spain)

The primary function of the GSQA group is to ensure a high-quality supply of incoming materials through evaluation, monitoring and development of Abbott Nutrition ingredient and packaging suppliers worldwide.  GSQA is responsible for working and communicating with suppliers as part of an ongoing supplier management process.  GSQA core activities include: supplier qualification, supplier development, supplier monitoring and supplier event management.  In addition, GSQA collaborates with plant quality assurance teams, operations and purchasing groups globally to ensure that incoming materials and associated activities, documentation involving acceptance, testing/release, and CAPA are compliant to Corporate and regulatory requirements.

Travel: 30%-40%

Key Success Attributes

The Program Manager – Ingredient Supplier Quality Assurance will exhibit:

• Excellent communication and leadership skills, ability to work autonomously with internal and external stakeholder groups on supplier development and/or issue resolution
• Strong ability to plan and implement strategic projects
• Proficiency in designing, developing and implementing methodologies and tools to support exceptional management of global programs of varying complexity within the Ingredient Supplier Quality Assurance space.

This role will report to the Regional Manager- Ingredient Supplier Quality Assurance (EU&ASIA).  The position will not have direct budgetary responsibilities.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Key Areas of responsibility:

Team & Talent Development

• Manage a team of Project Leaders with varying levels of experience and expertise within the Regional Supplier Quality team
• Support team development and growth initiatives to deliver exceptional performance
• Optimize ways of working to support delivery of key departmental and business objectives

Program Management, Compliance and Continuous Improvement Activities

• Develop tactical plans and implement actions to support global program strategies, management methodologies and tools
• Oversee opportunities for continuous improvement in the global ingredient landscape and support the shaping of the short and long-term strategic direction
• Support overall compliance to established procedures and/or global regulations where applicable

• Lead programs that assist in the identification, formalization, implementation and management of key global strategic initiatives
• Oversee development and execution of organizational reporting capabilities of key strategies and harmonization of Ingredient QA operational activity drivers and core responsibilities

GSQA Core Activities

• Provide support to manufacturing plants by resolving incoming material issues in a timely manner and the approval of exception reports where required.

• Support in developing or strengthening ingredient suppliers’ systems and processes to improve process capability in complex situations

• Manage the CAPA system for incoming materials.  Monitor suppliers on a weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis by evaluating exception report data and reporting information to appropriate areas of the business (i.e. Purchasing and Operations), as well as the suppliers.   

• Provide support to global operations by resolving incoming material issues in a timely manner with adequate CAPAs to support sustainability.

• Qualification of new and existing suppliers to achieve sustainable supply relationships
• Utilize supplier development tools to assess, create action plans, and work with suppliers and AN plants to improve performance.
• Responsible for maintaining/controlling the status of suppliers on the global supplier list. 
• Perform risk assessments of supplier performance/tiered status to develop the annual audit schedule.
• Perform supplier audits including qualification, supplier excellence, and for-cause audits. 
• Initiate, write and support issuance of deviations to assist the plants in utilizing materials, as necessary.

• Support in maintaining GSQA policies and procedures, ingredient specifications and acceptance plans, and ensure that these documents are current and compliant to internal policies and regulations

• Oversee the function of the qualification and certification programs to assure that suppliers comply to policies and any risks to the company are minimized. 

• Assure that proposed changes made to supplier processes are approved and compliant to specifications or established contractual obligations.

Education and Experience You’ll Bring

Required:

Education:

• Bachelor of Science degree in technical or science field required.  Preferably within the food industry.

• 8-10 years or more of experience in supplier quality assurance programs or related experience in operations, purchasing or quality assurance in a regulated (preferably food) industry w/ experience in project or program management

Preferred 

• Thorough knowledge of food manufacturing processes and quality assurance principles
• Technical understanding of different technologies, product quality systems and supplier programs, and be able to provide consultation and recommendations to help suppliers improve their performance
• Experience in performing/leading supplier audits and working independently through troubleshooting supplier issues
• Experience leading cross-functional project teams to develop and execute strategies
• Ability to successfully interact and communicate with all organizational levels internally/externally and with leadership.
• Demonstrate the ability to manage several activities / projects at once, to organize / prioritize work, to meet deadlines and to prepare plans and reports.