Director of Quality Assurance

About Comfrt:
Comfrt is the #1 Hoodie Brand in the U.S. and the #1 apparel and home textile brand on TikTok globally. We design and deliver elevated basics rooted in mental well-being, comfort, and confidence. With over 4 million hoodies sold in just two years, we're expanding rapidly across apparel, home textile, and lifestyle categories — as well as into new international markets and retail channels. We're looking for a visionary Director of Quality Assurance to lead and scale our global quality organization across every product category we touch.


About the Role:
The Director of Quality Assurance is a senior leadership role responsible for building, scaling, and leading Comfrt's global quality function across both apparel and home textile categories. This position sets the strategic direction for quality across all product categories and global markets, ensuring our vendor base — particularly overseas manufacturing partners — meets and exceeds compliance and quality standards across the U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, and all emerging international markets.

The Director will partner closely with executive leadership and cross-functional teams — including Product Development, Technical Design, and Retail Operations — to embed quality at every stage of the product lifecycle, from concept through final delivery. This role is critical to Comfrt's continued global growth and its commitment to delivering products that reflect our brand promise of comfort, quality, and confidence.


Key Responsibilities:
Strategic QA Leadership & Organizational Development

• Own and drive the global QA strategy, frameworks, SOPs, and compliance standards across all vendors, categories, and countries of production — spanning both apparel and home textile product lines
• Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing QA team — both internal staff and external partners — to support Comfrt's rapid global expansion
• Establish scalable QA infrastructure and systems capable of supporting significant growth across new product categories and international markets
• Influence senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to maintain quality as a core pillar of Comfrt's brand promise
• Define and track KPIs for quality performance across the global supply chain, with regular executive reporting

Global Compliance & International Market Standards

• Serve as Comfrt's subject-matter expert on apparel and home textile quality, safety, and regulatory compliance across all key international markets, including:
  • United States: CPSC, ASTM, CPSIA, FLSA, CA Prop 65, 16 CFR flammability standards for home textiles
  • European Union: REACH, GPSD, Textile Labeling Regulation, EN safety standards, EU Ecodesign regulations
  • Canada: CCPSA, Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, bilingual labeling requirements, Hazardous Products Act
  • Australia/New Zealand: ACCC, product safety standards, mandatory labeling laws
  • UK: UKCA marking, UK REACH, retained EU compliance post-Brexit, UK Furniture & Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations
  • Emerging markets as Comfrt continues international expansion
• Proactively monitor and interpret evolving regulatory landscapes across international markets, assessing impact on product development, sourcing, and labeling strategies
• Partner with Legal, Sourcing, and Product Development to ensure compliance is built into every product from inception, not retrofitted at the point of shipment
• Lead international labeling strategy — including care labels, fiber content disclosure, country of origin, flammability warnings, and multilingual requirements — ensuring accuracy and compliance across all target markets for both apparel and home textile products

Retail & Channel Compliance

• Develop and enforce compliance programs aligned with the requirements of major retail partners, including big-box, department store, specialty, and international retail channels
• Own vendor compliance requirements for retail accounts, including routing guides, packaging standards, ticketing and labeling specs, and social compliance requirements
• Partner with Merchandising teams to prepare for retail audits and compliance reviews, ensuring Comfrt consistently meets or exceeds retailer expectations across both apparel and home textile assortments
• Oversee compliance for direct-to-consumer (DTC) and e-commerce channels, ensuring packaging, labeling, and product presentation meet platform and regulatory requirements
• Establish and maintain documentation and reporting structures to support retail partners' vendor compliance programs

Quality Standards & Benchmarking — Apparel & Home Textile

• Establish, document, and continuously evolve Comfrt's quality benchmarks across all product categories:
  • Apparel: Casual, Athleisure, Sleep, Activewear, Kids & Pet Apparel
  • Home Textile: Blankets, Throws, Pillows, Robes, Towels, Bedding, Cushions, and other soft home goods
  • Accessories: Handbags, Luggage, and lifestyle accessories
• Define category-specific quality standards that address the unique performance requirements of home textiles — including pilling resistance, wash durability, shrinkage, fiber shedding, colorfastness, seam strength, and fill power for down/alternative fill products
• Develop and maintain comprehensive quality assurance, testing, and inspection protocols aligned with both brand standards and market-specific regulatory requirements for each product category
• Develop QA standards and protocols for new categories
• Implement a Sealed Sample program and centralized approved sample library to ensure consistent inspection standards across all third-party and in-house inspections

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Lead rapid root cause analysis for quality issues and drive corrective action plan management with vendors and internal teams
• Champion a continuous improvement culture across the global supply chain, leveraging data and field insights to proactively prevent quality failures
• Develop escalation protocols and crisis response frameworks for critical quality events, including potential recalls or market withdrawals
• Analyze defect trends across product categories — including home textile-specific issues such as fiber shedding, delamination, fill migration, and thermal performance failures — and drive systemic fixes

Vendor Compliance & Performance Management

• Own global vendor performance management, including quality scorecards, audits, corrective action plans, and ongoing factory evaluations across both apparel and home textile supply chains
• Enforce adherence to quality standards across overseas vendors and factories in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other sourcing regions
• Lead vendor training programs to build quality capability and compliance knowledge across the supply base, including specialized training for home textile manufacturers on fiber standards, filling materials, and construction requirements
• Evaluate and onboard third-party inspection firms and accredited testing laboratories; define scope, manage relationships, and hold partners accountable to performance standards

Testing & Compliance Operations

• Establish and maintain robust testing protocols ensuring all products meet performance, durability, safety, and regulatory standards across all applicable markets
• Manage relationships with accredited testing laboratories and third-party inspection firms globally
• Ensure all testing is conducted at accredited laboratories compliant with applicable market standards (OEKO-TEX, bluesign, or equivalent certifications where relevant)
• Manage the expectations and schedule of 3rd party Asia QA team

Inspection Management

• Manage the end-to-end inspection lifecycle: pre-production meetings, in-line inspections, size set approvals, and final inspections across all product categories
• Ensure all third-party final inspections are conducted with properly established Sealed Samples and approved tech packs present
• Define inspection criteria, AQL standards, and hold/release protocols appropriate to each product category — with specific criteria for home textile construction, filling, finishing, and packaging requirements
• Oversee inspection of packaging compliance for home textile products, including labeling, care instructions, fiber content declarations, and country of origin accuracy

Documentation, Reporting & Visibility

• Develop and maintain QA SOPs, inspection reports, compliance documentation, and quality dashboards across all product categories
• Provide cross-functional teams — including Merchandising, Sourcing, Finance, and executive leadership — with timely, actionable quality visibility
• Maintain comprehensive records to support retailer compliance audits, regulatory inquiries, and internal reviews

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Training

• Partner with Product Development, Technical Design, Sourcing, and Operations to ensure quality is built in from concept through production to final inspection — for both apparel and home textile development pipelines
• Collaborate with the Design and PD teams during the home textile development process to ensure fiber selection, construction methods, and finishing treatments meet both aesthetic intent and quality/compliance standards
• Lead quality training programs for internal teams and vendor partners to continuously elevate standards and build organizational capability
• Collaborate with international business development and retail teams to ensure QA readiness for new market entries and retail account launches

Skills & Qualifications
Experience

• 10+ years of experience in quality assurance/quality control within apparel and/or home textile manufacturing
• Experience across both soft goods categories strongly preferred — apparel AND home textiles (blankets, bedding, pillows, throws, towels, robes, or similar)
• 10+ years of people management experience, with a demonstrated track record of building and scaling QA teams
• Extensive experience working with overseas vendors across China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and other global sourcing regions
• Proven experience managing quality across multiple international markets simultaneously (US, EU, Canada, Australia, UK)
• Experience supporting major retail accounts and navigating retailer compliance programs
• Background in both DTC/e-commerce and wholesale/retail channels strongly preferred.

Technical Knowledge

• Expert knowledge of U.S., EU, Canada, Australia, and UK quality, safety, and regulatory compliance standards for both apparel and home textile products
• Strong working knowledge of home textile-specific testing standards: AATCC, ASTM home textile methods, flammability standards (16 CFR 1610, 16 CFR 1632/1633 where applicable), and fill material regulations
• Familiarity with sustainable textile certifications (OEKO-TEX Standard 100, GOTS, bluesign, Responsible Down Standard) as they apply to home textile and apparel products
• Deep fluency in international labeling requirements — including care labels, fiber content, country of origin, flammability disclosures, and multilingual compliance across target markets
• Proven ability to conduct vendor audits, factory inspections, and targeted vendor training programs
• Strong understanding of retail routing, packaging, and vendor compliance requirements across major retail channels

Leadership & Communication

• Demonstrated ability to lead, develop, and inspire a QA team while influencing senior stakeholders and driving organizational change
• Exceptional ability to synthesize complex, fast-moving information — connecting signals from vendors, the field, and internal teams into clear, actionable direction
• Proactive in formulating approaches to QA issue resolution and keeping all stakeholders aligned on problem status, remediation trajectory, and resolution
• Superior fluency with digital communication tools (Slack, WhatsApp, Google Meet, Zoom) and analytical tools (MS Excel, Google Sheets), with the ability to coach team members on effective use
• Highly organized and detail-oriented, with strong follow-through and the ability to manage multiple priorities across time zones

Other Requirements

• Ability and willingness to travel internationally for vendor visits, factory audits, inspections, and retail partner meetings
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and leadership skills across vendor, retail, and internal teams
• Solutions-driven mindset with a strong sense of urgency and accountability
• Can operate successfully in Fast pace high sku count business

Why Join Comfrt?

• Be part of a purpose-driven company that’s shaping the future of comfort and mental wellness.
• Work in a supportive, creative environment where your ideas and growth are valued.
• Enjoy Comfrt benefits such as generous paid time off, company-covered health insurance, 5% 401k match, and discounts on all Comfrt products!
• Join a passionate team making an impact on exciting projects, all while enjoying the flexibility and collaborative support of a fully remote environment.

Comfrt is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills.

Originally posted on Himalayas