Director Quality

Overview

Pendulum is leading a revolution that is occurring around the world to improve physical and mental health by first understanding, then restoring and enhancing the human microbiome. Pendulum has developed proprietary probiotic pipelines and a discovery platform to identify key bacterial strains and prebiotics, and a world’s first manufacturing technology to produce bacteria in an anaerobic environment at scale. The medical probiotics Pendulum has formulated have transformed the consumer probiotics market into a new category of therapeutic offerings. Pendulum earned a spot on Forbes Magazine’s exclusive “The Next Billion Dollar Startups” list. If you’re interested in improving the lives of people globally and you love working in a cross-functional, collaborative, inspiring environment, please continue reading.

Position Summary

Director Quality lead Pendulum’s end-to-end Quality function with a sharp focus on the end-to-end quality of supply chain. You will own supplier qualification, quality agreements, and external manufacturing oversight, ensuring right-first-time material quality and seamless transfer of methods and processes to CMOs and contract labs. You’ll support a scalable supplier quality management system, build supplier quality metrics, and maintain compliance and certifications while partnering with Supply Chain, Process Development, Regulatory, and Manufacturing to deliver the pipeline and business initiatives.

We’re looking for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, lean and collaborative environment. The role requires the ability to think big while being resourceful in execution. You should be comfortable working with a very young brand in its early stages of growth and energized by the pace and possibility of a fast-growing, mission-driven company. You’ll contribute to shaping a young brand from the ground up and be passionate about building something with purpose.

What You’ll Do

• External Quality Leadership
• Develop, negotiate, and own quality agreements with key contract manufacturing and supply partners
• Ensure seamless handoffs of product quality and data across multiple parties in the supply chain
• Establish supplier quality metrics, governance routines, and audit cadence to maintain alignment and accountability
• Integrated QC / Lead-Time Optimization
• Redesign Pendulum’s QC model to shorten release lead times by moving testing closer to the point of manufacture
• Scope and deploy on-site analytical capabilities at partner facilities (e.g., advanced microbiology, flow cytometry, rapid microbial methods)
• Define ownership models (partner-operated, Pendulum-operated, or hybrid) and certify staff to ensure consistent execution
• Supplier Quality Management System (SQMS)
• Build and maintain a scalable supplier quality management system that integrates seamlessly across multiple third-party sites
• Oversee supplier qualification, change controls, and CAPA governance
• Implement dashboards and KPIs to continuously monitor partner performance and responsiveness
• Regulatory & Compliance Interface
• Partner with Regulatory Affairs to ensure that supplier quality systems fully support filings and global compliance
• Maintain inspection readiness across all partner sites (FDA and third-party audits)
• Lead investigations, root cause analyses, and CAPA implementation for quality deviations or product complaints
• Cross-Functional & Strategic Collaboration
• Work closely with Supply Chain, Process Development, and Commercial teams to balance speed, cost, and compliance
• Collaborate actively with the Finance teams to evaluate QC impact to product cost
• Act as the quality architect in commercial discussions with partners, ensuring scalability and responsiveness without compromising rigor
• Contribute to supply-chain strategy initiatives such as Kanban and lean inventory models
• Team Leadership & Culture
• Build and mentor a lean, high-impact quality team skilled in external supplier oversight
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, and collaboration across Pendulum and partner organizations

Knowledge Requirements

Travel, Physical Demands & Work Environment

Salary & Benefits

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