DIRECTOR OF QUALITY, ENGINEERING & COMPLIANCE

DIRECTOR OF QUALITY, ENGINEERING & COMPLIANCE DEPARTMENT PRODUCTION

LOCATION COMPENSATION $150,000-180,000

ABOUT THE ROLE Lawson-Fenning designs and builds furniture in Los Angeles. The largest branch of our business is the LF Collection of handmade furniture. We supplement our own designs with vintage 20th-century works and well-edited home goods we think are missing from the marketplace: limited-release ceramics, tabletop, and gifts. We've built handmade furniture to a high standard for two+ decades. That standard is held by skilled people and long-standing production partners. We're growing quickly, and the technical infrastructure needs to grow with us. Drawings, specifications, tolerances, finish standards, and compliance documentation live across our people and our partners. The knowledge is real. This role structures it, documents it, and builds the system that holds everyone to it. This is a build role. You will be writing the first version of most of what you own. Success is measured by defect rates that are known rather than estimated, production that ships on-quality, specifications that exist in writing before they are enforced, supplier corrective actions that close and stay closed, and a compliance position that holds up under scrutiny. WHAT YOU’LL OWN Technical Standards & Engineering LF's master specifications and technical standards — dimensional, structural, material, hardware, and finish — and the process by which they are written, versioned, and kept current. CAD and the drawing set: shop drawings, custom drawings, line extensions, design-for-approval review, and the CAD archive. Accuracy to design intent of supplier shop drawings before production release. Structural feasibility on new and modified designs; partner with Design and Product Development to resolve buildability early rather than at sampling. Assembly-instruction accuracy and the technical content that reaches customers and installers. Quality & Inspection Build and own LF's quality management system: inspection criteria by collection and construction type, defect taxonomy, defect tracking, and reporting. Define and document the inspection standards our suppliers are held to, and the approval process for supplier-performed inspection. Own supplier corrective action: containment, root-cause investigation, validation, and closure — with the discipline to require evidence rather than assurance before resuming shipments. Establish written finish standards before any measurement tool is used to enforce them. Own material treatment and inbound material quality checks at the supplier level. Hold quality sign-off authority on new product introduction. Product Compliance Own LF's product compliance framework: including flammability, lighting certification, materials and chemical compliance, labeling, and emerging requirements. Maintain testing records and certification documentation to an audit-ready standard. Serve as the compliance gate on launch readiness — required testing and documentation complete before release, with risks and trade-offs named clearly rather than absorbed quietly. Build & Lead the Function Build the quality and technical standards function from its current state, including the inspection resource under this role. Convert established practice into documented standard — this is a stated priority of the role, not a background task. Establish the operating cadence, reporting, and system discipline the function runs on. Develop the team as it grows; add technical and inspection roles as volume warrants. KEY METRICS Where measurable today: Defect rate by supplier and by collection — established, then reduced Supplier corrective actions opened, closed, and recurrence rate Specification and drawing coverage across the active assortment Compliance documentation completeness and audit readiness As reporting infrastructure matures: Cost of quality — rework, replacement, and claims attributable to defect First-pass yield at supplier inspection Field failure and warranty claim trends Launch readiness performance against gate criteria WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR 8+ years in quality, product engineering, technical standards, or manufacturing engineering in a consumer product environment. Experience building a quality or technical function rather than only running an established one — you have written the standard, not just applied it. Working knowledge of furniture construction and materials: wood and casegood construction, upholstery, metal, finishing systems, and hardware. Direct experience with supplier corrective action and root-cause methodology; comfort holding a supplier to evidence. Practical command of product compliance for furniture and lighting — flammability, NRTL listing, materials compliance, labeling, etc. CAD proficiency and the ability to read, produce, and critique shop drawings. Experience translating undocumented practice into written standard. Comfort with ERP and product data systems (we run Cin7 Omni and Airtable); adaptability matters more than any specific platform. Bachelor's degree in engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent applied experience. Made-to-order or custom production experience and domestic workshop supplier experience are both welcome but not required. Love design and want to enable it, and bring an engineering mindset to doing so. Are energized by building a system rather than inheriting one — most of what you own here will be written by you first. Go after root cause instead of treating the symptom, and can tell the difference under time pressure. Can hold a standard with a supplier or a colleague without making it adversarial. Communicate technical information in a way that helps non-technical people make good decisions. Are comfortable naming risk plainly, including when it is inconvenient to the schedule. Bring calm and structure to situations that have neither. Enjoy developing people and shaping a function around them. #J-18808-Ljbffr Lawson-Fenning