Senior Manager of Quality

Senior Manager of Quality

The Senior Manager of Quality will drive the strategic development, implementation, and ongoing optimization of the Quality Management System (QMS) across multiple manufacturing plants and/or distribution centers. As a key member of the senior leadership team, this role will shape both short- and long-term quality strategies, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and industry standards. This position will champion continuous improvement initiatives across all aspects of the QMS, fostering a culture of operational excellence.

The Senior Manager will oversee a team of quality professionals, including supervisors and quality associates, across multiple facilities. This role will be accountable to ensure the highest standards of quality are maintained, while proactively identifying and leading process enhancements to drive efficiency, reduce risk, and deliver superior product quality.

Core functions include cultivating strategic relationships with operations management, engineering, sales, and dealer-based customers to understand business, quality, and customer needs. Develop and lead to create short- and long-term goals that are aligned to the strategic direction. Manage the staff of Quality Supervisors and Quality Associates across multiple plants. Provide performance feedback, guide, mentor, and manage workload activities.

Develop and execute quality tools, processes, projects with influencing engineering and manufacturing plants quality teams to improve product quality. Communicate and collaborate with Operations management on the implementation of quality objectives and corporate objectives to maximize product quality and minimize cost. Lead the recertification of the ISO and/or IATF certification for all manufacturing facilities and implement any additional quality related business certifications.

Drive problem solving for key quality issues and identify recurring quality defects. Lead a team to conduct root-cause analysis and implementation of corrective action for process and quality system related concerns. Lead continuous improvement activities to enhance the quality system. Oversee the quality teams audits, including closing out audit findings, creating audit finding reports, and determining proper corrective and preventative actions.

Lead the resolution of customer quality concerns by overseeing the identification of root causes, directing the implementation of corrective actions, and ensuring sustainable solutions. Collaborate with suppliers to strengthen quality systems and ensure continuous improvement in line with organizational standards and customer expectations. Manage, facilitate, and/or implement automotive Quality Core Tools including APQP, Control Plans, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, and MSA as needed. Implement and manage key metrics and report to the leadership team.

Qualifications and requirements include a Bachelor's degree in quality engineering, other engineering, or related field required. Nine or more years of quality system experience required, including three or more years of leadership experience in manufacturing and assembly environment. Experience in the automotive industry preferred. Previous ISO900:2015/IATF 16949 experience is required. CQU or other ASQ certification required. Lean Six Sigma certification is required.

Skills, abilities, and knowledge include the ability to communicate with and interact with production team members. Ability to present and provide data to top management. Ability to identify issues and inefficiencies and to implement and drive changes. Proficient in quality database systems and Microsoft Office suite. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent, and to draw and interpret graphs. Quality System Management Ability to guide in the practice and application of quality management system standards required by international certification bodies, industry-specific regulatory authorities, and customer's contractually specified requirements. Displays original thinking and creativity; Meets challenges with resourcefulness; Generates suggestions for improving work; Develops innovative approaches and ideas.

Frequent local travel is required and travel to Canada.

Competencies include adapting to changes in the work environment; managing competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events. Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs workflows and procedures. Responds promptly to customer needs; responds to requests for service and assistance; meets commitments. Displays willingness to make decisions; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; makes timely decisions. Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness. Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others views; gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone's efforts to succeed. Displays original thinking and creativity; meets challenges with resourcefulness; generates suggestions for improving work; develops innovative approaches and ideas. Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to improve performance; monitors own work to ensure quality. Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates group presentation skills; participates in meetings.

Supervisor responsibilities include planning, staffing, evaluating, and directing work of employees of a work unit.

Physical requirements include sedentary work: exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involved sitting most of the time. Walking and standing are required only occasionally. This position is subject to the following physical activities: talking and hearing. The worker is required to have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; expansive reading; visual inspection involving small defects, small parts and/or operation of machines (including inspection); using measurement devices; and/or assembly of fabrication of parts at distances close to the eyes. This position operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment.