Quality Manager

Scope of Position

Our client is seeking an experienced Quality Manager to lead and manage all aspects of the plant's quality program within a fast-paced manufacturing environment. This position is responsible for ensuring products, processes, and quality systems consistently meet customer expectations, company standards, regulatory requirements, and applicable certifications.

The Quality Manager will oversee plant quality personnel, internal quality control systems, inspection processes, critical control points, customer complaints, supplier quality, audits, and continuous quality improvement initiatives. This role will work closely with Production, Engineering, Sales, Customer Service, Logistics, suppliers, and customers to identify quality issues, implement corrective actions, and drive defect reduction.

As a member of the plant leadership team, the Quality Manager will also contribute to overall plant performance, with a strong focus on safety, quality, operational efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Quality Management & Compliance

• Lead and administer the plant's quality management program, ensuring compliance with company policies, customer requirements, GMPs, regulatory standards, certifications, and audit requirements.
• Understand, follow, and enforce all established safety, health, quality, GMP, and company policies, procedures, and recognized practices.
• Interpret customer quality requirements and translate them into effective manufacturing standards, inspection requirements, critical process control points, and testing methodologies.
• Develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve plant quality systems, procedures, standards, and controls.
• Define and monitor critical process control points and implement improvements focused on defect prevention and elimination.
• Evaluate quality procedures and processes to identify opportunities to improve safety, quality, consistency, and operational efficiency.

Customer & Supplier Quality

• Manage customer complaints, including investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action development, response, and ongoing tracking.
• Monitor complaint trends and frequency to evaluate the effectiveness of corrective and preventive actions.
• Communicate customer quality concerns and overall plant quality performance to plant leadership, staff, and production personnel.
• Partner with suppliers to establish quality expectations, communicate plant and customer requirements, and ensure ongoing conformance.
• Build and maintain effective working relationships with customers, suppliers, and other external partners regarding quality matters.

Process & Inspection Controls

• Develop and maintain operating procedures and controls for automatic inspection equipment and quality systems.
• Establish appropriate inspection points, testing requirements, process controls, and methodologies throughout manufacturing operations.
• Analyze quality performance and process data to identify trends, recurring defects, and opportunities for improvement.
• Lead corrective and preventive actions designed to improve product quality and manufacturing performance.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Production, Engineering, Sales, Customer Service, Logistics, and other departments to resolve quality concerns and support customer requirements.
• Participate as an active member of the plant leadership team and contribute to overall plant safety, efficiency, and operational performance.
• Support customer, regulatory, certification, and internal quality audits, including development and implementation of corrective action plans.
• Lead or participate in special projects and continuous improvement initiatives involving quality or other functional areas.

Team Leadership

• Hire, train, develop, and lead plant quality personnel.
• Direct the daily activities and priorities of the quality team.
• Provide coaching, technical guidance, and performance feedback to quality staff.
• Promote quality awareness and accountability throughout the plant.
• Foster collaboration across departments to achieve plant quality and operational objectives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and/or relevant quality experience required; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Minimum of 5 years of quality supervisory or management experience within a manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing quality systems, process controls, inspections, corrective actions, customer complaints, and continuous improvement activities.
• Experience working with GMPs, audits, regulatory requirements, customer quality standards, and manufacturing quality systems.
• Demonstrated leadership and team development capabilities.
• Strong problem-solving, root cause analysis, and corrective action skills.
• Proficiency with computers and business applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with employees, leadership, customers, vendors, and suppliers.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and complete assignments within established procedures and standards.
• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to contribute effectively to cross-functional teams.
• Ability to maintain regular, predictable, and punctual attendance.
• Ability to travel up to 25%, as required.

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