------------------------------------- Position: Director of Quality
Industry: B2B Health Ingredients / Consumer Healthcare / Life Sciences Function: Site Quality Leadership, Global Collaboration, Regulatory Compliance Employment Type: Full-time Workplace: Hybrid (onsite presence required, details shared during process) Language Requirements: Fluent Japanese & Business-level English
Overview A leading global organization in the health ingredients and consumer healthcare manufacturing sector is seeking an experienced Director of Quality to lead quality assurance and compliance operations at its Japan-based production site. This is a senior-level role critical to ensuring regulatory readiness, product excellence, and global alignment across the company’s network. You will be the primary point of contact for internal and external audits, drive site-wide Quality Management System (QMS) initiatives, and work closely with global teams across EMEA, APAC, and North America. This position plays a vital role in embedding a strong quality culture, managing certifications, and ensuring adherence to GMP, ISO, and other global standards. Key Responsibilities • Serve as Site Quality Lead, overseeing all quality-related activities including GMP compliance, internal/external audits, regulatory inspections, and QMS governance. • Directly manage a team of quality professionals across QA, QC, and quality systems. • Lead, prepare, and manage external audits by regulatory bodies and customers; act as the site’s primary audit representative. • Maintain and improve site readiness for certifications including ISO9001, HACCP, GMP (including Health Supplements GMP), and other relevant standards. • Drive quality performance by developing and maintaining the QMS, handling deviations, CAPAs, and change controls. • Lead investigations into quality-related incidents and support product release decisions based on scientific and regulatory rationale. • Collaborate closely with global quality teams to ensure standardization and alignment of processes. • Oversee document control systems, training systems, and overall GxP documentation compliance. • Partner with internal functions such as Production, Engineering, Regulatory Affairs, and Supply Chain to drive continuous improvement. • Promote a quality-focused culture throughout the organization; coach and train local staff to increase awareness and ownership. • Monitor KPIs related to quality operations and lead the site’s Quality Council meetings. • Lead responses to customer complaints or product quality issues in coordination with commercial teams. • Ensure full compliance with corporate policies and external regulatory requirements across product categories (e.g. dietary ingredients, supplement capsules, consumer health products). • Support technology transfer and new product introductions from a quality and compliance standpoint.
Requirements
Must-Have: • Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biotechnology, or related life science field. • Extensive and progressive experience in quality assurance within regulated manufacturing environments (e.g. consumer health, food ingredients, pharmaceuticals, or life sciences). • Understanding of GMP, ISO9001, HACCP, and relevant health product regulations. • Experience preparing for and managing audits by global health authorities or certification bodies. • Fluent in Japanese • Demonstrated leadership in managing QA/QC teams and site-level quality strategy.
Nice-to-Have (a bonus, but not essential): • Prior experience with B2B manufacturing or global supply chain settings. • Familiarity with export/import quality processes, including documentation and customer audits. • Experience working with international matrix organizations and regional/global stakeholders.
Ideal Candidate Profile • Leadership and people management capabilities. • Able to manage complex quality issues across functions. • Good communicator with strong cross-functional collaboration skills. • Strategic thinker with a hands-on mindset for operational excellence. • Able to work with ambiguity and handle decision-making with integrity and transparency.
Confidentiality Notice Due to the sensitive nature of this role, additional details will be shared only with shortlisted candidates under Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).