The Director of Quality Assurance plays a crucial role in ensuring Build-A-Bear delivers high-quality products and services to our guests. This role directly impacts our competitiveness, financial performance, and ability to meet the expectations of guests and regulators.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and communicate quality standards for all Build-A-Bear Workshop locations
- Develop vendor relations
- Interface with laboratory partners
- Quality audits and inspections
- Identify and trouble shoot quality issues
- Risk management
- Data analysis and reporting
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Product release and compliance verification
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in quality management, engineering or a related field
- Minimum 10 years of experience Quality Assurance work within a retail or laboratory environment
- Expert knowledge in test protocols, packaging regulations, and manufacturing processes
- Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- Industry knowledge (best practices, ISO standards, etc)
- Regulatory Compliance knowledge is current and relevant
- Project Management skills
- Auditing skills
- Supervisory experience
Preferred Qualifications:
- 15 + years experience
- Toys or Children’s Retail product experience
Behavioral Traits for Success:
- The ability to deal with abstract concepts, systems, and ideas
- Organized self-disciplined approach to producing timely results that are high quality and accurate
- An analytical, inquiring, and critical mind that solves complex problems
- Can consider all possibly related facts and potential issues
- Intellectual confidence
- Able to weigh all decisions carefully and thoroughly, based on expertise to avoid risk
Working Environment:
- Typical office environment with climate control and sufficient lighting, ergonomic desk/chairs
- Hybrid work schedule
- Domestic and international travel up to 10%
Your Performance will be Measured On:
Your performance will be measured by your ability to achieve annual department objectives and corporate goals which include but are not limited to the following:
- Decision-making, judgement, and execution
- Testing protocols, product inspection, and packaging to ensure compliance in a global manufacturing environment
- Design modification suggestions to ensure safety compliance
- Taking a proactive approach to leading cross-functional teams in swift and effective resolutions
- Stakeholder Feedback
This description is not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all functions, responsibilities, skills and abilities. Additional functions and requirements may be assigned by supervisors as deemed appropriate. This document does not represent an expressed or implied contract of employment, nor does it alter your at-will employment, and Build-A-Bear, Inc. reserves the right to change this job description and/or assign tasks for the employee to perform, as may deem appropriate.
Equal Opportunity EmployerThis employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
Top Skills
What We Do
We're the company with #TheStuffYouLove! Founded in St. Louis in 1997, Build-A-Bear Workshop is a trusted, beloved brand that has been part of countless life moments for more than 20 years. We operate approximately 400 stores worldwide—including company-owned stores in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Paris, Milan, Colombia, and the United Kingdom and franchise stores in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and China—where Guests can make and customize furry friends. The Build-A-Bear Workshop experience is an expression of our commitment to redefine retail and entertainment. Our concept is designed to bring out the creative side of our Guests to spark their imagination. We challenge every associate to contribute wherever possible to our culture, our communities and our business success. Regardless of role, Build-A-Bear associates keep our core values at the heart of everything they do. We cultivate a culture that truly begins with heart. From the passion our associates bring to work each day to our iconic heart ceremony, we deliver the Build-A-Bear spirit and one-of-a-kind experiences to our Guests – one furry friend at a time. It’s one of the reasons Build-A-Bear Workshop has been recognized time and time again as a sought-after employer: • Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE’s 100 Best Companies to Work For® list: 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 • Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces in Retail list: 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014 • Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces for Women list: 2017, 2016 and 2015 • Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces for Millennials list: 2017, 2016 and 2015 • Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE’s Best Workplaces for Diversity list: 2017, 2016 and 2015 • The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list: 2017 and 2016 • 2-Star Accreditation by Best Companies for our ‘outstanding’ workplace engagement standards and commitment






