Quality Manager

Quality Manager

Location: Remote

Reports to: Senior Director of Quality

About ZBiotics

At ZBiotics, we make genetically engineered probiotics that improve daily life. As a group of motivated, yet down-to-earth people, we are fueled by two things: a love for science and a commitment to being people-first. GMO products like ours, built to create benefits for people in their daily lives, are the future. As the first to market, we believe it's our duty to set a high bar for product quality, safety, and transparency for others to follow.

In 2019, ZBiotics launched Pre-Alcohol, the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic designed to break down the alcohol byproduct that leads to rough mornings after drinking. In 2024, we launched a genetically engineered probiotic drink mix, Sugar-to-Fiber, that creates fiber from the food you eat. This revolutionary product helps to improve the diversity of gut bacteria and overall gut health.

With a full line of genetically engineered probiotics in development, our team is growing. We’re looking for people as excited as we are to build this new category of consumer products. ZBiotics is headquartered in San Francisco, and backed by venture investors including Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, and Social+Capital, among others.

About the Role

We set the bar high for product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance. As a Quality Manager, you’ll ensure our suppliers, contract manufacturers, and internal processes meet these rigorous standards. But we’re not just looking for someone to maintain quality—we want someone who will elevate it. This role is about continuous improvement, bringing fresh insights, refining processes, and strengthening our quality systems to set new benchmarks for excellence.

This role focuses on managing supplier management, documentation control, and supporting ZBiotics’ comprehensive Quality Management System.

Your Responsibilities

Supplier & Contract Manufacturer Quality Management

• Manage supplier onboarding and compliance, ensuring all partners meet ZBiotics’ quality and safety standards.
• Monitor supplier performance, track nonconformances, and follow up on investigations as needed.
• Contribute to the design and optimization of ZBiotics’ Quality Management System, with potential to take ownership of specialized quality domains (e.g., packaging, labeling compliance, international market entry) as the business scales.

Quality Systems, Auditing & Documentation Control

• Assist in maintaining an audit-ready Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring adherence to industry regulations and internal quality standards.
• Support internal and external audits, strengthening audit processes and ensuring regulatory readiness.
• Oversee document control, ensuring SOPs, policies, and compliance records are accurate, up-to-date, and properly managed.
• Support traceability programs and participate in traceability exercises.
• Participate in, and at times lead, CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Actions) processes, identifying non-conformances and implementing improvements.
• Regularly update and review QMS documentation, ensuring it reflects current processes, regulations, and best practices.
• Maintain and report on quality metrics, identifying trends in deviations, complaints, and supplier performance to drive data-informed improvements.

Consumer Complaints

• Investigate and manage consumer complaints, identifying root causes and driving corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve issues and ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining compliance with company standards.

Product Quality

• Review production records and in-process checks to verify compliance before product release.
• Analyze quality metrics, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to improve product consistency.
• Maintain and update product specifications, ensuring they align with regulatory requirements, company standards, and customer expectations, while working cross-functionally to address any changes in formulation or production processes.
• Coordinate product release review, escalating any quality or compliance issues to the Senior Director for final disposition.
• Support quality aspects of new product development and commercialization, including validation protocols, specification development, and co-manufacturer readiness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Support the implementation of evolving food safety and regulatory compliance requirements in collaboration with the Senior Director, especially as ZBiotics expands internationally.
• Work closely with R&D, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure food safety and quality are integrated into all processes.
• Provide training and guidance on food safety best practices and compliance requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, optimizing quality and efficiency across the company.

By your first year…

• You own supplier management and ensure adherence to our high-quality standards
• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Quality you own the traceability program and associated processes
• You maintain and refine our documentation system to ensure all SOPs and controlled documents are up to date and compliant
• You are a key part of supporting product specifications, ensuring all our products meet our quality standards from start to finish
• Your work helps elevate our internal processes, freeing up leadership to focus on high-level initiatives
• By the end of your first year, you have streamlined our supplier management and traceability, identifying areas for continuous improvement

Experience must-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, related field, or the necessary scientific background gained through experience working in the industry.
• Demonstrated experience (minimum of 3-5 years of experience) in Quality Assurance or Food Safety, preferably in a manufacturing or direct-to-consumer (DTC) environment
• Experience with Supplier Quality Management, including audits, agreements, and communication
• Knowledge of food safety regulations and industry standards (e.g., FDA, GMP, HACCP)
• Experience with product specifications and maintaining accurate documentation, including SOPs and controlled documents

Experience nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with quality management systems (QMS) and continuous improvement frameworks
• Prior experience working in a startup or high-growth environment
• Exposure to packaging quality and consumer complaints management
• Experience in the food and beverage sector, particularly with probiotics or dietary supplements

This Role Is For You If …

• You are passionate about improving quality standards and driving continuous improvement
• You thrive in an environment where you can take ownership and make a direct impact on processes
• You enjoy working cross-functionally and find satisfaction in seeing your efforts lead to tangible improvements
• You believe in maintaining the highest standards of quality while always looking for ways to make things better
• You’re excited about being part of a team that values transparency, collaboration, and doing things right

Benefits

We believe in a life well-lived. ZBiotics offers competitive benefits for a life outside of work, including: health / dental, 401(k) matching, a minimum PTO policy (with unlimited time off), 16 weeks fully paid parental leave, a home office stipend, transit benefits for those in the San Francisco Bay Area, full-time work-from-home policy (if desired), and access to co-working office space if located in or visiting San Francisco.

This position may be required to travel to attend occasional ZBioneers or external events.

The base salary for this position is $130,000 annually, with additional equity. A presented offer may be higher, depending on qualifications and experience.

We Encourage You to Apply

At ZBiotics, we value our differences, and we encourage all—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech organizations—to apply.

Quality Manager

Location: Remote

Reports to: Senior Director of Quality

About ZBiotics

At ZBiotics, we make genetically engineered probiotics that improve daily life. As a group of motivated, yet down-to-earth people, we are fueled by two things: a love for science and a commitment to being people-first. GMO products like ours, built to create benefits for people in their daily lives, are the future. As the first to market, we believe it's our duty to set a high bar for product quality, safety, and transparency for others to follow.

In 2019, ZBiotics launched Pre-Alcohol, the world’s first genetically engineered probiotic designed to break down the alcohol byproduct that leads to rough mornings after drinking. In 2024, we launched a genetically engineered probiotic drink mix, Sugar-to-Fiber, that creates fiber from the food you eat. This revolutionary product helps to improve the diversity of gut bacteria and overall gut health.

With a full line of genetically engineered probiotics in development, our team is growing. We’re looking for people as excited as we are to build this new category of consumer products. ZBiotics is headquartered in San Francisco, and backed by venture investors including Y Combinator, Khosla Ventures, and Social+Capital, among others.

About the Role

We set the bar high for product quality, food safety, and regulatory compliance. As a Quality Manager, you’ll ensure our suppliers, contract manufacturers, and internal processes meet these rigorous standards. But we’re not just looking for someone to maintain quality—we want someone who will elevate it. This role is about continuous improvement, bringing fresh insights, refining processes, and strengthening our quality systems to set new benchmarks for excellence.

This role focuses on managing supplier management, documentation control, and supporting ZBiotics’ comprehensive Quality Management System.

Your Responsibilities

Supplier & Contract Manufacturer Quality Management

• Manage supplier onboarding and compliance, ensuring all partners meet ZBiotics’ quality and safety standards.
• Monitor supplier performance, track nonconformances, and follow up on investigations as needed.
• Contribute to the design and optimization of ZBiotics’ Quality Management System, with potential to take ownership of specialized quality domains (e.g., packaging, labeling compliance, international market entry) as the business scales.

Quality Systems, Auditing & Documentation Control

• Assist in maintaining an audit-ready Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring adherence to industry regulations and internal quality standards.
• Support internal and external audits, strengthening audit processes and ensuring regulatory readiness.
• Oversee document control, ensuring SOPs, policies, and compliance records are accurate, up-to-date, and properly managed.
• Support traceability programs and participate in traceability exercises.
• Participate in, and at times lead, CAPA (Corrective and Preventive Actions) processes, identifying non-conformances and implementing improvements.
• Regularly update and review QMS documentation, ensuring it reflects current processes, regulations, and best practices.
• Maintain and report on quality metrics, identifying trends in deviations, complaints, and supplier performance to drive data-informed improvements.

Consumer Complaints

• Investigate and manage consumer complaints, identifying root causes and driving corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to resolve issues and ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining compliance with company standards.

Product Quality

• Review production records and in-process checks to verify compliance before product release.
• Analyze quality metrics, identify trends, and implement corrective actions to improve product consistency.
• Maintain and update product specifications, ensuring they align with regulatory requirements, company standards, and customer expectations, while working cross-functionally to address any changes in formulation or production processes.
• Coordinate product release review, escalating any quality or compliance issues to the Senior Director for final disposition.
• Support quality aspects of new product development and commercialization, including validation protocols, specification development, and co-manufacturer readiness.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Support the implementation of evolving food safety and regulatory compliance requirements in collaboration with the Senior Director, especially as ZBiotics expands internationally.
• Work closely with R&D, Supply Chain, and Operations to ensure food safety and quality are integrated into all processes.
• Provide training and guidance on food safety best practices and compliance requirements.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, optimizing quality and efficiency across the company.

By your first year…

• You own supplier management and ensure adherence to our high-quality standards
• In collaboration with the Senior Director of Quality you own the traceability program and associated processes
• You maintain and refine our documentation system to ensure all SOPs and controlled documents are up to date and compliant
• You are a key part of supporting product specifications, ensuring all our products meet our quality standards from start to finish
• Your work helps elevate our internal processes, freeing up leadership to focus on high-level initiatives
• By the end of your first year, you have streamlined our supplier management and traceability, identifying areas for continuous improvement

Experience must-haves

• Bachelor's degree in Food Science, Microbiology, related field, or the necessary scientific background gained through experience working in the industry.
• Demonstrated experience (minimum of 3-5 years of experience) in Quality Assurance or Food Safety, preferably in a manufacturing or direct-to-consumer (DTC) environment
• Experience with Supplier Quality Management, including audits, agreements, and communication
• Knowledge of food safety regulations and industry standards (e.g., FDA, GMP, HACCP)
• Experience with product specifications and maintaining accurate documentation, including SOPs and controlled documents

Experience nice-to-haves

• Familiarity with quality management systems (QMS) and continuous improvement frameworks
• Prior experience working in a startup or high-growth environment
• Exposure to packaging quality and consumer complaints management
• Experience in the food and beverage sector, particularly with probiotics or dietary supplements

This Role Is For You If …

• You are passionate about improving quality standards and driving continuous improvement
• You thrive in an environment where you can take ownership and make a direct impact on processes
• You enjoy working cross-functionally and find satisfaction in seeing your efforts lead to tangible improvements
• You believe in maintaining the highest standards of quality while always looking for ways to make things better
• You’re excited about being part of a team that values transparency, collaboration, and doing things right

Benefits

We believe in a life well-lived. ZBiotics offers competitive benefits for a life outside of work, including: health / dental, 401(k) matching, a minimum PTO policy (with unlimited time off), 16 weeks fully paid parental leave, a home office stipend, transit benefits for those in the San Francisco Bay Area, full-time work-from-home policy (if desired), and access to co-working office space if located in or visiting San Francisco.

This position may be required to travel to attend occasional ZBioneers or external events.

The base salary for this position is $130,000 annually, with additional equity. A presented offer may be higher, depending on qualifications and experience.

We Encourage You to Apply

At ZBiotics, we value our differences, and we encourage all—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech organizations—to apply.