Quality Supervisor

Quality Supervisor

The Quality Supervisor is responsible for supervising and coordinating the day-to-day activities of the Quality Department supporting general fabrication, welded assemblies, machining, cutting, drilling, and powder coating operations. The position ensures that materials, processes, and finished products meet customer requirements, engineering drawings, specifications, and established company quality standards.

The Quality Supervisor provides leadership to Quality Technicians/Inspectors, works closely with Production and Engineering, identifies and resolves quality issues, and drives corrective and preventive actions throughout the manufacturing process.

Daily responsibilities include start-of-day quality review, production floor quality oversight, welded product quality, fabrication quality, powder coating quality, nonconforming material control, corrective action and problem solving, quality documentation, inspection equipment, production and quality communication, customer and supplier quality, and end-of-day quality review.

Supervisory responsibilities include directing the daily activities of Quality Technicians and Inspectors, assigning daily inspection priorities, monitoring employee performance, training Quality personnel, verifying inspection methods are being followed, reviewing inspection results, coaching employees on quality requirements, maintaining adequate Quality Department coverage, addressing performance issues as necessary, developing employee skills and cross-training, and establishing consistent inspection practices throughout the facility.

Key quality responsibilities include first-piece inspection, in-process inspection, final inspection, nonconforming material, rework and repair verification, weld quality, fabrication dimensions, powder coating quality, inspection records, calibration, customer complaints, corrective actions, supplier quality issues, drawing/specification compliance, and quality department personnel.

Performance expectations focus on preventing defects rather than simply finding defects. Key performance indicators may include first-pass yield, internal defect rate, customer returns, repeat defects, nonconformance closure time, corrective action effectiveness, inspection completion, supplier-related defects, on-time completion of required quality documentation, and reduction in recurring manufacturing defects.

The Quality Supervisor has the authority and responsibility to place questionable material on quality hold, stop production when a significant quality risk exists, reject material that does not meet established requirements, require reinspection of questionable or reworked product, request corrective action for recurring problems, escalate unresolved quality issues to management, and prevent shipment of product that does not meet customer requirements unless an authorized deviation or concession has been approved.

The primary objective of the Quality Supervisor is to ensure that material entering the manufacturing process, products being fabricated and welded, powder-coated components, and finished goods consistently meet engineering, customer, and company requirements. The Quality Supervisor should spend a significant portion of each day on the manufacturing floor, working directly with Production to identify problems early, prevent defects, improve processes, and ensure that quality requirements are understood and followed.

Typical daily schedule includes start of shift, morning, midday, afternoon, and end of shift activities.

Qualifications include a bachelor's degree in engineering, quality management, or a related field preferred, minimum of 5 years of experience in quality control or quality assurance, strong leadership and supervisory skills, knowledge of quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001), proficiency in statistical process control (SPC) and other quality tools, strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent attention to detail and accuracy, and ability to work effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.

Preferred qualifications include experience in the aluminum manufacturing industry and certification in quality management or auditing (e.g., Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Manager).