Quality Operations Manager

Quality Operations Manager Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. The Quality Operations Manager is responsible for leading and sustaining site-wide quality systems and driving overall quality performance within manufacturing operations. This role partners cross-functionally with Operations, Engineering, and Maintenance to ensure products meet customer specifications while proactively improving processes and preventing defects. The manager owns quality KPIs and compliance programs while driving execution of continuous improvement strategy. This position plays a critical role in aligning quality objectives with business goals in a high-volume lithium-ion battery manufacturing environment. Success in this role requires strong leadership, strategic thinking, and the ability to influence outcomes across multiple functions. Essential Duties: Functional Leadership & Operations: Establish and ensure execution of daily quality operating cadence (e.g., GEMBA, tiered accountability, escalation processes) through Quality Supervisors to drive consistent performance and issue resolution Oversee quality operations across assigned areas, ensuring effective execution of inspection, testing, and release processes in alignment with defined standards and KPIs Drive quality performance across assigned production areas, including KPIs such as first pass yield (FPY), scrap, cost of poor quality (COPQ), and customer defects Establish, standardize, and continuously improve quality operating frameworks to ensure consistency across shifts, lines, and departments Ensure scalability and effectiveness of quality control strategies, including inspection, testing, and product release systems Own the Nonconformance Report (NCR) process, ensuring effective identification, escalation, and resolution of quality issues Design and govern CAPA systems to ensure robust root cause resolution and prevention of recurrence Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement: Partner with site leadership to translate quality strategy into execution plans and performance targets for assigned areas Develop and manage a quality improvement roadmap aligned with business goals, ensuring effective execution and measurable impact Lead high-impact, cross-functional continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, and advanced problem-solving methodologies Analyze quality performance data to identify systemic issues and drive sustainable improvements Lead the VDA 6.3 Process Audit program, ensuring audit effectiveness and sustained corrective action closure Advance implementation of digital and data-driven quality solutions, including analytics, automation, and emerging technologies Team Development & Knowledge Sharing: Lead, coach, and develop Quality Supervisors, strengthening leadership capability and technical expertise across the organization Drive succession planning, workforce development, and organizational effectiveness within the quality function Establish and standardize training frameworks to ensure consistency and capability across all quality roles Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement: Partner with Operations, Engineering, Product Development, and Supply Chain to ensure quality is built into processes and product design Influence cross-functional decisions to proactively mitigate quality risks and improve manufacturability Represent Quality in site leadership discussions, escalation forums, and cross-functional governance processes Lead customer quality performance management, including issue resolution, escalation handling, and audit engagement as needed Communicate quality performance, risks, and strategic initiatives to senior leadership and key stakeholders Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management: Own site compliance with quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949) and applicable regulatory standards (e.g., UL, CE, RoHS) Serve as primary owner for audit readiness and execution, including internal, external, and customer audits Establish and maintain risk management frameworks (e.g., FMEA, control plans) to proactively identify and mitigate quality risks Oversee document control systems, internal audit programs, and compliance reporting processes Promote and enforce safety standards, including adherence to PPE requirements and safe work practices Champion a culture of safety, quality, and environmental responsibility across all operations Supervisory Responsibilities: Provide direct leadership to Quality Supervisors and indirectly oversee hourly quality personnel across assigned areas Responsible for performance management, workforce planning, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness within assigned areas Travel Requirement: This position is primarily site-based with no regular travel requirements Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements: To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. Qualifications Requirements - Required and/or Preferred Education, Certifications, and Licenses: Required: Bachelor's degree in Quality Assurance, Engineering, Operations Management, Business Administration, or a related technical field Relevant work experience may be substituted for required education Preferred: Master's degree (MBA or MS) in a related discipline Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or higher (Black Belt preferred) American Society for Quality (ASQ) certifications (e.g., CQE, CQM) Essential Qualifications: 5+ years of progressive quality operations leadership experience, including ownership of quality systems and performance outcomes Demonstrated experience owning and improving key quality KPIs (e.g., FPY, scrap, customer defects, COPQ) Strong knowledge of quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949) and regulatory requirements (e.g., UL, CE, RoHS) Proven ability to lead and deliver site-level or multi-functional quality improvement initiatives Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a data-driven approach to decision-making Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and technical requirements Experience with quality systems and tools (e.g., Palantir Foundry, ERP systems, SPC, Minitab, SQL) Experience leading and developing leaders (e.g., supervisors) and cross-functional teams Strong communication, influencing, and stakeholder management skills across all organizational levels Demonstrated agility, sound judgment, and ability to make decisions in complex, fast-paced environments Collaborative leadership style with strong team-building capability Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English Alignment to Panasonic's seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude) Preferred Qualifications: 7+ years of quality management experience in battery manufacturing, semiconductor, or advanced manufacturing environments Experience leading customer quality performance and external audit engagements Advanced expertise in statistical and quality methodologies (e.g., SPC, MSA, FMEA, 8D) Experience driving digital transformation initiatives in quality, including use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced analytics to optimize product quality and enable proactive defect prevention Familiarity with customer-specific requirements in automotive or high-reliability manufacturing environments Physical Demands: Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to: Sit: 30% Walk: 30% Stand: 40% Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (