Skip Hop, Senior Director Quality & Safety, Baby Products

Serving the needs of all families with young children, Carter’s Inc. is the largest North American apparel retailer exclusively for babies and young children, encompassing Carter’s, OshKosh B’gosh, Skip*Hop and Little Planet brands. Meaningful work, constant learning, genuine people, and a community guided by core values that promote inclusion and innovation is in everything we do. There are many reasons to build your career at Carter's.

How you’ll make an impact:

Skip Hop, the maker of must-haves made better, is seeking a Senior Director of Product Quality and Safety.

As the Senior Director of Product Quality and Safety, you will manage the quality function for an established International Brand across multiple categories, including baby gear and toys (infant & toddler, age 0 to 3 years). This role is responsible for directing high and consistent quality, safety and compliance standards.

Quality Assurance, Safety & Compliance - Baby Gear/Toys/Kids Bags (35%)

• Lead the internal protocol to ensure industry-leading safety and quality standards
• Develop process for consistent and up-to-date quality and safety guidance through the entire product development lifecycle from initial concept to delivery, across offices in New York and China.
• Oversee all product testing, inspections, certification processes, and factory audits to ensure compliance with national and international standards and regulations.
• Develops QA teams in both New York and China, ensuring the delivery and execution of best-in-class quality standards and team development.
• Serves as the Skip Hop authority on QA, leading conversation in executive meetings and fostering collaboration with internal and external teams.
• Establishes close-knit partnerships with our Design & Product Development teams, infusing QA principles into initial ideation and concepts.
• Manage and negotiate budgets, while fostering productive relationships with labs and other stakeholders.

Program Management/Technical Direction (35%)

• Exercise deep expertise in testing and safety requirements, inclusive of age 0+ infant toys and baby gear.
  • This includes thorough hazard analysis, identifying critical control points and implementing preventive measures, defining clear critical limits, inventory monitoring, corrective actions, and verification procedures.
• Subject Matter Expert for reliability, safety, life-testing, sustainability, CAPA, and global compliance requirements across various regions like the US, Canada, UK, Europe, China, and Japan.
• Lead labeling requirements and successful implementation across multiple geographies.

Reporting, Documentation & Analysis: (30%)

• Provide recommendations on tools and processes for internal and external reporting, documentation, and continuous improvement, including addressing unique testing and certification requirements.
• Coordinate the collection and analysis of data from customer service, sales, reviews, and quality control to drive ongoing improvement efforts and ensure optimal vendor quality performance.
• Collaborate with the broader Carter’s enterprise to effectively manage programs related to vendors and subcontractors, ensuring transparency and traceability.

We’d Love to hear from you if:

• 10 or more years of experience in quality assurance, handling both juvenile soft and hard lines.
• Experienced in safety & compliance requirements, age 0+ infant toys and baby gear.
• Managed Quality Assurance teams on documentation, regulations, and compliance needs for product development
• Develop compliance requirements across various regions like the US, Canada, UK, Europe, China, and Japan
• Process and documentation - develop compliance and documentation for standards and validations
• Leading teams in offices and factories (onshore and Asia)
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines and requirements across a broad portfolio of products.
• Experience working with, or for, accredited third-party testing labs
• Subject matter expertise with Chinese testing standards (GB, CCC, CIQ), and CA Prop 65 and CHCC state reporting
• High-level Microsoft Excel skills required.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Preferred:

• Engineering degree preferred

Compensation for this position ranges from $180,000 - $220,000 a year based on experience

Carters is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law.