Quality Assurance Specialist

Role: Production and Quality Control Associate

Reports to: Senior Director of Supply Chain

Type: Full-Time

Location : New York Preferred

Required Work Authorization: USA

As the Production & Quality Control Associate, you will be responsible for supporting production control, Quality Control (QC) and Quality Assurance (QA) operations, and leading accessory and merch sourcing and production at Crown Affair. You'll partner with internal stakeholders and external partners (QC/QA Consultant, Product Development Manager, packaging suppliers, CMs) to ensure products meet internal standards, troubleshoot quality issues, lead merch development from concept to commercialization, and help improve pass-off flows across the stage-gate process.

The ideal candidate has hands-on experience in quality assurance/control within the cosmetics or CPG space, paired with sourcing and product development experience in that same industry, and thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment where priorities shift quickly and ownership matters.

What you will do—

Quality

Monitor and verify that identified QC/QA specifications are being met during production runs, escalating deviations per established protocol

• Perform QC checks on batch samples, verifying output against defined specifications, before and during production runs
• Review batch/production records for completeness and accuracy prior to release sign-off
• Track and report batch failure rate against spec, with a target of zero critical failures
• Maintain documentation of QC check results, deviations, and escalations
• Develop QC metrics and KPIs to monitor vendor performance and drive continuous improvement
• Partner with 3rd party inspector to conduct audits to ensure CAPAs are implemented when quality issues are identified
• Partner with QA/QC Consultant and PD to investigate quality deviation or issues
• Support supplier/CM quality audits by confirming real-time practices match documented procedures

Production Control

• Document observed deviations and route them into the escalation/CAPA process
• Outline inspection specs by component to ensure comprehensive post production inspections are completed at the component level
• Partner with PD to refine batch review process to ensure alignment with QMS
• Serve as the on-site point of contact for production compliance questions with CMs and suppliers

Sourcing

Own end-to-end development of accessory and merch products briefed by the Brand Marketing team — from vendor sourcing through launch — ensuring products are delivered on spec, on time, and at the right quality and cost.

• Source, evaluate, and select vendors/manufacturers for accessory and merch products based on capability, quality, cost, and lead time
• Manage the product development timeline from initial brief through sample rounds, approvals, PO issuance, production, and launch
• Track and coordinate sample development (proto, pre-production, production samples), routing for internal approvals and revisions
• Own communication with vendors on spec changes, timeline updates, and issue resolution throughout development
• Partner with Brand Marketing to translate creative briefs into vendor-ready specs and ensure design intent is preserved through production
• Negotiate pricing, MOQs, and payment/production terms with vendors
• Issue and track POs, monitoring vendor adherence to costing, quantities, and timelines
• Conduct quality inspections on incoming accessory/merch shipments (or coordinate third-party inspection) prior to distribution/launch
• Maintain a development tracker/status log across all active accessory and merch projects, flagging timeline risks proactively
• Manage vendor relationships and performance over time, including onboarding new vendors as needed
• Serve as the primary point of contact between Brand Marketing and vendors/manufacturers for all accessory and merch development
• Balance and prioritize workload across core production QC/QA responsibilities and accessory/merch development timelines
• Escalate vendor performance issues (quality, cost, timeline) to leadership with recommended corrective actions

Key Requirements—

• 4+ years of quality experience in a fast-paced, CPG environment
• Clear, fast communicator — able to escalate issues same-day without hesitation
• Experience working with or auditing contract manufacturers/suppliers a strong plus
• Strong negotiation skills with experience in sourcing, production and international manufacturing
• Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects in parallel
• Analytical and strategic thinking skills, able to see the impact and scope of a decision
• Experience with ERP systems
• Highly skilled with Excel/Google Sheets
• Open to travel up to 25% of the time
• The candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States
• Location: New York, NY

About Crown Affair—

Crown Affair is a first of its kind haircare brand that empowers people to redefine their relationship with their hair through accessible luxury products, guidance, and community. We believe that loving your hair starts with understanding how to care for it. Each product we make is developed to work together with any (or all) of our other products, so that together they form more than a routine: it’s a ritual. We’ve partnered with dedicated craftsmen and chemists around the world to create thoughtfully sourced products you’ll love using each and every day.

About The Founder—

Dianna Cohen started her career at digital content platform, Into The Gloss, in 2012. She was part of the founding team of e-commerce mobile app, Spring, where she launched and managed their marketing channels from pre-launch through year two. From there, she worked closely with former Jimmy Choo founder, Tamara Mellon, to relaunch her namesake brand as a direct-to- consumer, luxury company. After launching Tamara Mellon in 2016, Dianna joined travel company, Away, as Head of Partnerships until she left to start Levitate at the end of 2017. Under Levitate, Dianna has worked with a number of direct-to- consumer brands including, Harry’s / Flamingo, Outdoor Voices, Yumi, Buck Mason, The Wing, and more. Dianna is part of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for the Class of 2019.