Quality Manager

Quality ManagerWhat Success Looks LikeMaintains a daily presence on the production floor.Understands the largest sources of scrap, rework, waste, and process variation within the facility.Can explain current quality performance, quality trends, major corrective actions, customer concerns, and improvement priorities.Knows where quality losses are occurring and develops action plans to eliminate them.Uses data to prioritize resources and focus improvement efforts where they generate the greatest business impact.Builds systems that prevent defects rather than relying on inspection to catch defects.Partners directly with Production Managers and Supervisors to improve process capability and first-pass yield.Leads root cause investigations that address systemic causes rather than individual blame.Ensures corrective actions are implemented, sustained, and verified for effectiveness.Maintains visible quality performance metrics throughout the facility.Develops and executes plans to reduce Cost of Poor Quality.Establishes accountability for quality performance across all departments.Ensures customer requirements, industry standards, and regulatory requirements are consistently achieved.Develops Quality personnel into knowledgeable and effective business partners.Uses Qualtrax as a management system, not simply a document storage system.Creates a culture where quality is understood to be everyone's responsibility.Key ResponsibilitiesQuality Management System LeadershipServe as owner and administrator of the facility's Quality Management System within Qualtrax.Maintain all controlled procedures, work instructions, forms, standards, and quality records.Ensure document control processes remain effective and compliant.Lead Management Review processes and ensure actions are completed.Maintain compliance with AS9100, customer requirements, and internal standards.Continuously improve the effectiveness of the Quality Management System.Quality Performance ManagementMonitor and report facility quality performance metrics.Develop and maintain quality dashboards, scorecards, and KPI reporting.Analyze scrap, rework, first-pass yield, customer complaints, and nonconformance trends.Establish measurable improvement plans for quality performance gaps.Track and communicate progress against quality objectives.Provide leadership with accurate assessment of quality risks and opportunities.Scrap, Waste & Cost ReductionIdentify and prioritize the largest drivers of scrap, rework, and Cost of Poor Quality.Lead initiatives focused on waste elimination and defect reduction.Partner with Operations and Engineering to reduce process variation.Develop action plans to achieve annual scrap reduction objectives.Track effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives and validate results.Drive measurable reductions in Cost of Poor Quality.Corrective & Preventive Action LeadershipOwn the Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) process.Facilitate structured root cause analysis investigations.Lead cross-functional corrective action teams.Ensure corrective actions address root causes rather than symptoms.Verify effectiveness of corrective actions.Maintain accountability for closure of corrective actions.Customer Quality ManagementServe as primary contact for customer quality concerns.Lead investigations involving customer complaints, returns, escapes, and corrective actions.Coordinate customer audits and quality reviews.Monitor customer quality scorecards and performance indicators.Ensure customer requirements are effectively communicated and implemented.Develop action plans to improve customer satisfaction and quality performance.Supplier Quality ManagementDevelop and maintain supplier quality programs.Monitor supplier quality performance and incoming quality trends.Coordinate supplier corrective actions.Conduct supplier evaluations and audits as required.Partner with Purchasing to improve supplier performance.Ensure suppliers consistently meet quality requirements.Manufacturing Quality SupportConduct routine process audits, layered audits, and shop floor reviews.Verify adherence to established procedures, process controls, and quality standards.Support first-piece inspections, process validations, and quality planning activities.Work directly with production personnel to identify and eliminate sources of variation.Promote quality-at-the-source principles.Ensure quality requirements are consistently applied across all departments and shifts.Continuous ImprovementLead quality-focused continuous improvement initiatives.Utilize Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, SPC, Pareto Analysis, and statistical tools to improve process performance.Reduce variation, improve process capability, and increase first-pass yield.Participate in Kaizen events and improvement projects.Drive sustainable process improvements through data-driven decision making.Quality Team LeadershipLead, coach, and develop Quality Engineers, Inspectors, and Technicians.Establish departmental goals, expectations, and performance standards.Conduct regular performance reviews and development discussions.Build technical capability within the Quality organization.Develop succession plans for key quality positions.Promote accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement within the department.Key Performance MeasuresThe Quality Manager is accountable for achieving improvements in the following areas:Quality PerformanceScrap PercentageRework PercentageFirst Pass Yield (FPY)Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)Internal Defect RateNon-Conforming Material Reports (NCMR)Customer QualityCustomer ComplaintsCustomer EscapesCustomer PPMCorrective Action ClosureCustomer Scorecard PerformanceQuality System PerformanceAS9100 Audit ResultsInternal Audit PerformanceExternal Audit PerformanceCAPA EffectivenessDocument Control AccuracyManagement Review CompletionQualtrax System EffectivenessSupplier QualitySupplier Defect RateSupplier Corrective Action ClosureIncoming Material Quality PerformanceContinuous ImprovementScrap ReductionRework ReductionCost Reduction Through Quality ImprovementsRepeat Defect EliminationProcess Capability ImprovementsRequired CompetenciesLeadershipTeam DevelopmentCoaching and MentoringAccountability ManagementChange LeadershipCross-Functional CollaborationQuality ManagementAS9100AuditingCorrective Action SystemsRoot Cause AnalysisQuality Management SystemsDocument ControlData AnalysisStatistical Process Control (SPC)Pareto AnalysisProcess Capability AnalysisKPI ManagementTrend Analysis