Head of Product Quality

THE COMPANY PAX is a leading global cannabis brand on a mission to enhance people’s lives, delivering well-being through pure products, unique experiences, and an unparalleled passion for the plant. For more than a decade, PAX has provided products that are simple, enjoyable, and trusted by millions. PAX has been recognized for its brand, culture and products by The New York Times’ Wirecutter, TIME, Fast Company, GQ, Gear Patrol, mg Magazine, High Times, and many more. PAX is committed to making a positive impact through PEACE BY PAX, its purpose-driven platform supporting social reform, safe access and sustainability.  We are incredibly excited about the progress of the movement, the tremendous growth of the industry, and inspired every day by our opportunity to help change lives through cannabis. Our culture is focused on putting people at the center of everything we do, making an impact together, and having fun along the way. Our team has an unparalleled passion for the plant and has helped build business at the forefront of consumer experience and well-being, including Apple, Google, Uber, Fitbit, Constellation, Honest Company, Beauty Counter, Eaze, Curaleaf, Wyld and more. PAX has raised over $430MM in capital from leading consumer and technology investors and is available for sale in some capacity in more than 40 countries around the world. SUMMARY As the Head of Product Quality, you will build, scale, and maintain PAX’s Quality Management System (QMS) while serving as the primary quality authority for our medical device launch in Germany. Balancing fast-paced consumer hardware innovation with strict medtech compliance, you will bridge ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 standards to ensure our physical devices meet the highest quality and safety benchmarks.   Reporting to the CEO, you will hold independent go/no-go release authority, oversee design controls and risk management (ISO 14971), and lead cross-functional alignment across Engineering, Operations, and Regulatory Affairs. Your work will directly ensure audit readiness for notified bodies and position our regulated hardware portfolio for successful Germany expansion.   ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES Quality Management System (QMS) Own, maintain, and continuously improve PAX's QMS, structured around ISO 13485 and ISO 9001 principles and scaled appropriately to each product line's regulatory status. Define the quality policy, quality objectives, and QMS scope, and ensure the system stays current as products, processes, and regulations evolve. Lead management review meetings, reporting quality metrics, risks, and system performance to the CEO and executive team. Determine which QMS elements apply to which product lines (consumer vs. medical-market hardware) and make the call on where to hold the line versus where to right-size process for a growing company. Design & Development Quality (Test Plans, Test Reports, V&V) Review and approve test plans and test reports for new product development and sustaining engineering changes, ensuring test methods, sample sizes, acceptance criteria, and statistical rationale are sound. Own quality's role in design controls: design inputs/outputs, verification and validation planning, design reviews, and design history file (DHF) content and completeness. Partner with Engineering from concept through launch so quality and testability requirements are built in early rather than inspected in at the end. Make independent go/no-go quality calls on design transfer and product release, backed by objective evidence. Risk Management Own the risk management process (aligned to ISO 14971 principles), including hazard identification, risk analysis, risk controls, and residual risk evaluation for hardware and (where applicable) software. Ensure risk files are living documents, updated through the product lifecycle and revisited on complaints, CAPAs, and design changes. Document & Records Control Implement and run a formal document control system: numbering, revision control, approval routing, distribution, and obsolescence for specifications, procedures, work instructions, and forms. Own records retention and traceability — device history records, inspection records, training records, and audit trails — so any product or decision can be reconstructed on demand. Select, implement, and administer the document control / eQMS tooling as the company scales beyond manual processes. Supplier & Manufacturing Quality Establish supplier quality requirements, qualification criteria, and ongoing performance monitoring (incoming inspection, supplier audits, scorecards) for contract manufacturers and component suppliers. Own incoming inspection, in-process, and outgoing quality control specifications and sampling plans in partnership with Operations and contract manufacturers. Drive supplier corrective action for quality escapes and manage first-article and production-readiness reviews for new suppliers or tooling. CAPA, Nonconformance & Complaint Handling Own the CAPA (corrective and preventive action) process end to end: intake, root-cause analysis, effectiveness checks, and closure, across manufacturing, field, and internal findings. Run the nonconformance process for in-process and incoming material issues, including disposition (use-as-is, rework, scrap) decisions. Own product complaint handling and post-market surveillance data, identifying trends that warrant CAPA, design change, or regulatory reporting. Internal Audit & Regulatory Quality Support Plan and execute the internal audit program against QMS procedures and applicable standards; track findings to closure. Serve as the primary quality point of contact for external audits and regulatory inspections (notified bodies, certification bodies, customers). Partner closely with Regulatory Affairs on EU MDR technical documentation and quality-system evidence for medical-market cannabis devices, ensur