Vice President of Quality & Operations Excellence - Warren, NJ

VP Quality & Operations Excellence - Warren, NJ

JOB SUMMARY
The Vice President of Quality is a strategic senior leader
responsible for defining, implementing, managing, and continuously improving an
enterprise-wide Quality Management System (QMS), Food Safety Management System(FSMS)
and Laboratory Quality Management System (LQMS) and driving a culture of continuous
improvement/operational excellence across all manufacturing operations and
supporting departments. This role ensures that all NIPPON SANSO MATHESON
products and services meet the highest standards of safety, purity, and
performance required by our manufacturing, food, and electronics customers,
minimizing risk for both our customers and NIPPON SANSO MATHESON. The Vice
President of Quality will directly impact our profitability, brand reputation,
employee development, and business growth by reducing waste, eliminating
non-conformances, and optimizing processes. Preferred location for position is
NIPPON SANSO MATHESON's headquarters in Irving, TX but position may be
performed from other corporate offices located at Warren, NJ, Waverly, NE, or
Montgomeryville, PA.

Essential Functions
1. Strategic Quality Leadership & Compliance
* Quality
Strategy: Develop and lead the corporate quality and food safety vision,
strategy, and roadmap aligned with business goals for industrial, food, and electronic products and services, serving
as the corporate expert on quality and food safety.
* Certification:
Ensure conformance to ISO9001 (Quality), FSSC22000 (Food Safety), and ISO17025
(Laboratory Quality) certification standards through implementation of the QMS,
FSMS and LQMS, respectively, and routine auditing.
* Customers: Provide quality and food safety support for
marketing, sales, and operations interactions with customers, such as new
business opportunities or addressing significant quality or food safety issues.
2. Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
* Process
Improvement: Lead corporate-wide continuous improvement initiative to enhance
process efficiency, reduce waste, and lower operating costs across
manufacturing sites and supporting departments through the use of Lean Six
Sigma and Digitization methodologies.
* Data-Driven
Decisions: Leverage quality analytics, SPC/SQC (Statistical Process/Quality
Control), and real-time dashboards to identify areas for improvement and
monitor product quality performance.
* Root
Cause Analysis: Manage non-conformance (NC Log), corrective actions, and
preventative actions (CAPA) systems to address root causes and prevent
recurrence.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Customer Experience
* Customer
Support: Function as the primary liaison for critical customer quality issues,
providing clear, timely communication on corrective actions.
* Innovation
Support: Support engineering and operations to ensure quality is built into the
product design and new product introduction process.
* Operational
Alignment: Partner with operations to align quality and continuous
improvement/operational excellence initiatives with overall manufacturing
productivity.
4. Leadership & Culture Development
* Team
Leadership: Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing team of quality assurance
and continuous improvement/operational excellence professionals.
* Quality
Culture: Foster a company-wide culture of "Right First Time" (RFT),
safety, and continuous improvement.
Performs other duties as assigned
Complies with all policies and standards

QUALIFICATIONS
Bachelor's Degree Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Food Science, or a related technical field - Required
Master's Degree A Master's degree or MBA is highly preferred - Preferred

Work Experience
10+ years Minimum of 10 years of
progressive experience in quality or continuous improvement/operational
excellence leadership, ideally within the bulk/packaged/specialty gas,
chemical, pharmaceutical, automotive, or
regulated manufacturing industry.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
Certifications: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (Master Blackbelt preferred), ASQ Certified Quality Manager or Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) preferred.
Technical Knowledge: Deep knowledge of Lean Six Sigma , standard quality tools, and overall operational/organizational system design based upon prevention, performance management, root cause analysis and corrective action process, and quality metrics as a basis for continuous improvement. Knowledge of ISO9001, FSSC22000 and ISO17025.
Core Competencies
Strategic Thinking: Ability to link quality improvements to profitability and business strategy
Influence & Leadership: Proven capability to lead change and influence cross-functional teams without direct authority
Analytical Skills:Strong ability to analyze complex data (including use of statistics) to solve problems
Teaching Skills:Comfortable and dynamic teaching ability, especially with regards to Root Cause Analysis and Lean Six Sigma

PHYSICAL DEMANDS/WORKING
CONDITIONS
Stationary Position - Occasionally
Move/Traverse - Occasionally
Stationary Position/Seated -
Frequently
Transport/Lifting - Occasionally
Transport/Carrying - Occasionally
Exerting Force/Pushing -
Occasionally
Exerting Force/Pulling - Rarely
Ascend/Descend - Occasionally
Balancing - Constantly
Position Self/Stooping
Occasionally
Position Self/Kneeling -
Occasionally
Position Self/Crouching -
Occasionally
Position Self/Crawling -
Occasionally
Reaching Occasionally
Handling - Frequently
Grasping -Frequently
Feeling - Occasionally
Communicate/Talking - Constantly
Communicate/Hearing - Constantly
Repetitive Motions - Frequently
Coordination - Occasionally

Travel Requirements
One (1) to two (2) weeks per month
- Required travel to attend Senior Management Meetings, visit Quality team
members, perform quality audits at NIPPON SANSO MATHESON locations, and attend
customer meetings. International travel to Japan approximately 1-2 times per
year.

Nippon Sanso Matheson is an Equal Opportunity Employer that complies with the laws and regulations set forth under EEOC. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, Religion, national origin, sex, protected veteran status, or disability. EOE AA M/F/VET/Disability