Director of Quality

Job Title: Director of Quality

Location: Livermore, CA (onsite)

Reports to: President, CEO

Salary: $100k - $130k

About Us:

With nearly 50 years in the business, Custom Label is a trusted leader in pressure-sensitive labels and custom printed packaging serving the food & beverage, wine & spirits, and consumer goods industries. Based in Livermore, CA, we are known for fast turnaround, technical precision, and high-touch customer service in a demanding B2B environment where quality and brand standards are non-negotiable.

Our customers rely on us to deliver compliant and visually flawless labels, and our quality team is central to that promise.

About the Role:

This is not a “sit behind a desk” quality leadership role. This is a highly visible, hands-on position at the center of our operation.

We are looking for a calm-in-the-chaos leader, someone who thrives in fast-paced environments, brings structure where there is ambiguity, and builds systems that make quality consistent, scalable, and clear.

This role is intentionally balanced across three key areas:

• 50% Floor Leadership: Leading, coaching, and developing our QC team while staying deeply connected to daily production and inspection activity
• 25% Customer Quality & Complaints: Owning the full lifecycle of customer complaints—from documentation to investigation to resolution and continuous improvement
• 25% Strategic Quality Leadership: Serving on the Leadership Team and driving company-wide quality systems, ISO compliance, and documentation rigor

You’ll play a critical role in transforming and strengthening our quality function, bringing clarity, discipline, and consistency to how we work.

What You’ll Do:

Lead on the Floor (50%)

• Be a visible, hands-on leader within production, partnering closely with operations on a daily basis
• Manage and develop a team of QC technicians, including direct leadership of three specialists and coaching across the broader team
• Ensure accurate, consistent, and timely quality inspections
• Train, mentor, and elevate team performance through clear expectations and accountability
• Identify gaps in execution and implement practical, scalable solutions

Own Customer Complaints & Quality Feedback Loop (25%)

• Lead the end-to-end customer complaint process: intake, documentation, investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action, and closure
• Ensure a closed-loop system that drives accountability and continuous improvement
• Partner cross-functionally to resolve issues quickly while strengthening long-term processes
• Track, analyze, and report on trends to proactively reduce recurring issues

Drive Quality Systems & Leadership (25%)

• Serve as a key member of the Leadership Team, representing quality across the organization
• Own and evolve the Quality Management System, including SOPs, documentation, and process standardization
• Lead all ISO (9001:2015) efforts, audits, and ongoing compliance
• Oversee third-party certifications and internal audit readiness
• Bring structure and clarity to systems, creating order, consistency, and scalability across the business

What We’re Looking For:

• 10+ years of quality control management experience
• Qualified candidates will have a thorough knowledge of quality control management in a “made-to-order” or “job-shop” manufacturing organization.
• Experience in B2B label, packaging, or print manufacturing (pressure-sensitive labels strongly preferred)
• Understanding of flexographic and/or digital printing processes, materials, and finishing is preferred
• Proven leadership experience managing QC teams in a fast-paced production environment
• Expertise in ISO/QMS systems and audit processes
• Demonstrated success in handling customer complaints in a client-facing manufacturing setting
• A leader who thrives in dynamic environments and brings structure, process, and calm to complexity
• Equally comfortable on the production floor, troubleshooting issues, and in leadership discussions driving strategy
• Skill level in Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel) must be Intermediate to Advanced. The ability to quickly learn and master business software is critical.
• Team player with a positive attitude, comfortable working across organizational boundaries
• Ability to pass a pre-employment drug screening and criminal background check

Why This Role:

This is an opportunity to own and elevate quality in a highly specialized, customer-driven manufacturing environment. You’ll shape how quality shows up from press checks to client satisfaction while building systems that support growth in food & beverage, wine & spirits, and premium consumer packaging.

If you understand the difference between “good enough” and “press-perfect”, and you take pride in building teams and systems that deliver it every time, this role is for you.

Why Join?

• Competitive compensation
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer-matched 401(k)
• A collaborative culture that values excellence *and* fun

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $100,000.00 - $130,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• Please add your cover letter here. Your application will not be considered without it. We are interesting in reading about your experience leading the QC function in a custom/made-to-order manufacturing environment (not assembly line or tech QC). We want to read your words NOT a generic AI-generated word salad.

Experience:

• team leadership: 5 years (Required)
• made to order manufacturing: 5 years (Required)
• owning the customer complaint process: 3 years (Required)
• Quality Control Management: 8 years (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Livermore, CA 94550 (Required)

Work Location: In person