Director of Quality

Director - Quality

The Director of Quality is responsible for leading the quality strategy, systems, and continuous improvement practices for Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack. This is a highly hands-on role that requires direct involvement on the shop floor, in the weeds with production teams, suppliers, process issues, customer concerns, and day-to-day quality performance.

This position ensures that commercial vehicle equipment, van interiors, shelving systems, storage products, and upfit solutions meet customer expectations, regulatory requirements, internal standards, and business performance goals. The Director provides leadership across manufacturing, assembly, installation, inspection, supplier quality, customer response, warranty-related quality improvement, and process capability assessments while driving a culture of quality, prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead the Quality Operations function across Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack.
• Establish quality goals, metrics, accountabilities, and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute quality strategies aligned with business objectives, customer expectations, and operational priorities.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to quality managers, supervisors, inspectors, technicians, and hourly team members.
• Maintain a strong hands-on presence in manufacturing, assembly, installation, and upfit areas to identify issues, coach teams, and drive timely resolution.
• Develop, maintain, and improve quality systems, policies, procedures, standards, and inspection methods.
• Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing improvement of a quality APP to strengthen quality visibility, data capture, reporting, corrective action tracking, and operational accountability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable customer, regulatory, company, and quality management requirements.
• Oversee quality documentation, audit readiness, inspection records, corrective actions, and quality reporting.
• Improve the use of data, systems, and technology to support faster decision-making and stronger quality execution.
• Oversee incoming, in-process, and final inspection activities for commercial vehicle equipment, van interiors, shelving systems, storage solutions, and upfit products.
• Approve and support manufacturing quality plans, control plans, inspection criteria, and product verification processes.
• Partner directly with Operations, Engineering, Product Management, and Supply Chain to support new product introductions, process changes, and product improvements.
• Monitor and improve key quality measures, including defects, rework, scrap, first-pass yield, supplier performance, warranty trends, and process capability.
• Lead hands-on process reviews and capability assessments to identify variation, production risks, and opportunities to improve repeatability and quality performance.
• Support supplier quality performance through issue resolution, specification alignment, corrective action follow-up, and supplier performance reviews.
• Work with Supply Chain, Engineering, and Operations to identify supplier-related quality risks and drive containment, root cause, and long-term corrective action.
• Help establish and improve supplier quality expectations, incoming quality standards, and supplier scorecard measures.
• Lead or support process capability assessments for critical manufacturing, assembly, installation, and supplier processes.
• Use process data and quality results to identify gaps in capability, control, training, equipment, material, or workmanship standards.
• Use quality data, statistical analysis, customer feedback, warranty information, supplier performance, and operational metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action activities for internal defects, supplier issues, customer complaints, warranty concerns, and field issues.
• Promote Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement practices to reduce variation, improve process capability, and strengthen operational performance.
• Develop training programs that improve workmanship standards, process discipline, and quality awareness.
• Drive practical, shop-floor-focused problem solving that addresses both immediate containment and sustainable long-term improvement.
• Serve as a primary quality contact for customer complaints, escalations, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Customer Service, Warranty, Sales, Legal, and business leadership on quality-related customer or regulatory matters.
• Build strong working relationships across departments, brands, product lines, suppliers, and locations.
• Provide hands-on support during quality escalations, supplier issues, production disruptions, field concerns, and customer-impacting events.
• No cost center responsibility; no profit & loss responsibility.
• Provides input on cost of poor quality, scrap, rework, warranty exposure, inspection resources, supplier quality issues, and quality improvement investments.

Position Qualifications & Requirements:

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations Management, or related field required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in manufacturing, production, assembly, or commercial vehicle upfit environment.
• Minimum of 5 years of quality leadership experience required.
• Experience in commercial vehicle equipment, automotive, transportation, fabrication, metal manufacturing, van interiors, storage systems, or related industrial manufacturing preferred.
• Experience with supplier quality, process capability, Lean, continuous improvement, and structured problem-solving preferred.
• Experience implementing quality systems, digital quality tools, quality applications, or operational reporting platforms preferred.

Certification /License:

• Six Sigma certification preferred.
• Certified Quality Engineer, Certified Quality Manager, or other American Society for Quality certification preferred.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong knowledge of quality systems, quality planning, inspection controls, corrective action, supplier quality, process capability, and manufacturing quality standards.
• Ability to work hands-on in a fast-paced manufacturing environment and stay closely connected to shop-floor quality issues.
• Ability to use quality data, customer feedback, supplier performance, and operational metrics to identify trends and drive improvement.
• Strong leadership, coaching, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and organizational skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office required, including Excel.
• Experience with ERP systems, quality management software, quality applications, reporting tools, and recordkeeping preferred.
• Ability to balance customer expectations, regulatory requirements, operational needs, and business objectives.

Supervisory responsibilities:

• Leads quality managers, supervisors, inspectors, technicians, specialists, and/or hourly team members.
• Responsible for team development, training, performance management, staffing input, and accountability within the Quality function.

Work environment:

• Professional office environment with frequent work in warehouse, manufacturing, assembly, installation, and upfit production areas.
• This role requires a regular hands-on presence in production and operational areas.
• Regular exposure to plant conditions, production equipment, vehicles, fabricated components, and inspection activities.
• Extended periods of computer use may be required.
• Must be able to wear required personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, hearing protection, safety shoes, and other PPE as required.

Travel:

• Travel required, approximately 25% to 40%.
• Travel may include visits to company locations, suppliers, customers, dealers, or field locations.

J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.