COMPANY
Our client is a well-known retail apparel and footwear distributer specializing in women’s fashion. Their focus includes big box retail, ecommerce, and wholesale distribution across the United States. Out client is a conglomerate of multiple well-known brands that continue to grow in size and visibility.
LOCATION
Southern California
SUMMARY
The Quality Assurance Director is responsible for leading and overseeing all quality assurance and quality control functions across product development, manufacturing, and final delivery. This role ensures that all apparel products meet company standards, customer requirements, construction, fabric performance, and appearance.
The Director works closely with Design, Technical Design, Production, Sourcing, and overseas factories to drive continuous quality improvement and minimize defects, returns, and claims.
Role you will play:
Quality Strategy & Leadership
- Develop and implement company-wide quality assurance strategies.
- Lead domestic QA teams
- Set KPIs for quality performance (AQL, defect rate, returns, rework, claims).
- Drive a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.
Manufacturing & In-Process Quality Control
- Establish inline and end-line inspection protocols.
- Define 2.5 AQL standards.
- Monitor factory performance and corrective actions.
- Implement shading control procedures for knit and woven garments.
- Ensure measurement consistency across size ranges.
Vendor & Factory Quality Management
- Conduct regular quality audits.
- Develop vendor scorecards.
- Lead root cause analysis for recurring issues.
- Implement corrective and preventive action (CAPA) programs
Continuous Improvement
- Analyze data trends to reduce:
- Shading issues
- Measurement deviations
- Construction defects
- Fabric performance failures
- Implement training programs for factories and internal teams.
- Standardize SOPs and quality manuals.
Key Competencies
- Strong leadership and team-building skills
- Deep technical knowledge of garment construction
- Analytical and problem-solving mindset
- Detail-oriented with strategic thinking ability
Performance Metrics (KPIs)
- Reduction in defect rate (%)
- Reduction in returns/claims
- Factory scorecard improvements
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Textile Engineering, Fashion Merchandising, Industrial Engineering, or related field.
- 10+ years of experience in apparel quality control.
- 5+ years in senior leadership role.
- Strong knowledge of:
- Knit, woven and sweater production
- AQL systems
- Fabric testing standards
