Executive Search Success Story: Placing a VP of Quality to Transform Supplier and Contract Manufacturer Quality for an Outsourced-Manufacturing Surgical Device Company

How JRG Partners executed a confidential North American executive search that equipped a private-equity-backed surgical device company that outsourced all manufacturing with the VP of Quality and supplier quality leadership required to reduce nonconformances and lot rejections across a global contract manufacturer and supplier network, establish quality agreements and oversight, and protect launches and margins under the sponsor’s plan.

The Challenge

A private-equity-backed surgical device company had grown rapidly using an asset-light model with all manufacturing outsourced to fourteen contract manufacturers and a large component supplier base. Quality oversight had not scaled with the network: lot rejection rates were rising, nonconformances were resolved slowly, quality agreements were inconsistent or absent, and two product launches had slipped due to contract manufacturer quality issues discovered at lot release. The sponsor’s plan depended on launch cadence and margin, both threatened by quality failures outside the company’s walls. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the plan:

• Lot rejection rates exceeding 7% at incoming inspection and release, driving scrap, rework, and supply gaps
• Fourteen contract manufacturers with inconsistent or missing quality agreements and oversight
• Supplier nonconformances and CAPAs resolved slowly with limited supplier accountability
• Two product launches delayed by contract manufacturer quality issues found at release
• Design transfer to contract manufacturers executed without robust quality planning and validation oversight
• Sponsor expectations for launch cadence and margin dependent on external quality performance

Recognizing that an outsourced model required a supplier-focused quality executive, the CEO and sponsor engaged JRG Partners to recruit a VP of Quality, supported by a Director of Supplier & Contract Manufacturer Quality and a Director of Quality Engineering & Design Transfer. The company required an executive search partner with deep medical device expertise and access to quality leaders who had built supplier and contract manufacturer quality programs for outsourced device businesses.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Medical Device Quality and Supplier Quality Expertise

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across medical device companies with outsourced manufacturing, device contract manufacturers, and regulated supplier quality organizations, including quality, supplier quality, and quality engineering leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of contract manufacturer oversight, quality agreements, design transfer quality, and the accountability structures that make outsourced models work.

Outsourced Quality Model Experience

Our team specializes in identifying quality leaders who have built supplier and contract manufacturer quality programs that reduce rejections and nonconformances, protect launches, and sustain compliance without owning manufacturing.

Private Equity Value-Creation Alignment

JRG Partners has extensive experience serving healthcare-focused private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, with a clear understanding of launch milestones, margin targets, and the urgency of quality leadership placements.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Supplier Quality Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, sponsor operating partners, head of operations, and head of research and development to review rejection and nonconformance data, contract manufacturer performance, quality agreement status, launch delays, and design transfer practices. This review defined a VP of Quality profile combining supplier and contract manufacturer quality leadership, design transfer oversight, and outsourced-model quality system design.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting quality and supplier quality leaders at outsourced medical device companies, device contract manufacturers, and regulated supplier quality organizations who had led documented supplier quality transformations. Over 260 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of reducing lot rejections across contract manufacturer networks, establishing quality agreements and oversight programs, accelerating supplier CAPA resolution, strengthening design transfer quality, and protecting launches in outsourced models. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented a supplier and contract manufacturer quality transformation plan to the CEO and sponsor, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified rejection, supplier, and launch outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 260+ medical device quality and supplier quality leader profiles mapped across North America.
• Placed a VP of Quality with proven outsourced-model supplier quality experience in 46 days.
• Reduced lot rejection rates from over 7% to under 1.5%.
• Established quality agreements and oversight across fourteen contract manufacturers within six months.
• Delivered three product launches on schedule with no release holds.
• Contributed more than 200 basis points of gross margin improvement.