Quality Manager

About the company

Hydra-Power Systems (HPS) designs and manufactures integrated hydraulic circuit manifolds, custom power unit systems, and packaged power unit solutions, and distributes hydraulic and pneumatic components. Operations span two facilities, in Portland, Oregon and Birmingham, Alabama. Both sites are ISO 9001 certified and completed recertification in 2026.

The company operates on EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System): quarterly Rocks, weekly Level 10 meetings, scorecard measurables, and a live issues list worked through IDS. Quality measurables already appear on departmental scorecards.

Position overview

The Quality Management System (QMS) belongs to Hydra-Power Systems as a whole, and the departments own the processes within it. The Quality Manager is accountable for the design, integrity, and continuous improvement of that system across Manifold Manufacturing, Solutions, Systems Manufacturing, and Distribution, at both facilities. The role serves as Management Representative, leads the quarterly Quality Management Review, and acts as custodian of the company's documented core processes.

This position is accountable for advancing a quality transformation already in progress rather than maintaining a system in steady state. The priorities are defined and the groundwork is in place; execution is what remains. Near-term emphasis falls on moving corrective action ownership to the departments that own the affected processes, bringing controlled documentation current and completing its migration to a new platform, building internal audit capacity, and consolidating ownership of supplier quality and customer compliance requests.

Key responsibilities

Quality management system. Develop, implement, manage, audit, and maintain the QMS against stated Quality Objectives and the current revision of ISO 9001. Maintain document control so that procedures, work instructions, forms, and records are current, controlled, accessible, and followed. Bring controlled documentation current following the ERP migration, complete the move of core processes and desktop procedures to the new documentation platform, and hold a recurring review cycle so documents do not go stale.

Corrective action. Oversee investigation of corrective actions and participate in the Material Review Board. Drive root cause analysis to true root cause using structured methods, and verify effectiveness before closure. Lead the transfer of corrective action ownership from Quality to the departments that own the affected processes, train department leaders to run a corrective action to closure, and sustain the model once established.

Customer quality. Serve as the primary contact when a quality failure reaches the customer, owning the response, the containment, and the corrective action commitment made. Handle quality-related complaints and returns referred by Customer Service, and lead customer and third-party quality audits.

Management representation. Prepare and lead the quarterly Quality Management Review. Communicate quality issues, risks, and performance at audit debriefs and departmental meetings, and exercise independent judgment on product disposition, including the authority to hold product when conformance cannot be demonstrated.

Quality systems and data. Advance the Zendesk quality ticketing system and its Domo reporting beyond intake toward routing, categorization, response targets, and reporting that surfaces recurring failure modes. Support each department in establishing the right quality measurables and maintaining them on its own scorecard, then consolidate and report performance company-wide. Build company-level reporting directly in Domo.

Internal audit. Plan, schedule, and execute the internal audit program at both facilities. Recruit, train, and qualify internal auditors from across the business so that audit capacity does not rest with one person. Deliver the schedule on time and issue formal, standardized findings reports that are assigned, dated, and verified.

Supplier quality. Manage supplier qualification, performance monitoring, scorecards, and supplier corrective action requests, including supplier audits. Establish systematic supplier quality tracking through Zendesk and Domo in place of issues held in email threads, and drive measurable improvement in supplier defect rate and corrective action response.

Customer compliance requests. Own new-vendor qualification packets and recurring customer questionnaires spanning ITAR and export control, quality, code of conduct, cybersecurity, and related topics. Log and triage each request, route sections to the appropriate subject matter experts, track internal due dates, assemble and review the response, and deliver it on time. Subject matter experts supply and attest to the content; completeness and timeliness rest with this role.

Cross-functional accountability. Define, socialize, and enforce ownership for handoffs that span multiple departments, including multi-department defects, Systems RMAs, machine shop evaluations, receiving disposition, and sales-to-quality escalation.

Compliance and supporting programs. Maintain currency with changes to quality regulations and standards and lead the resulting change management. Manage RoHS, REACH, and Proposition 65 compliance. Own calibration scheduling, records, and equipment status at both facilities, and manage quality onboarding and the company training matrix.

Priorities within this scope are set and reviewed on a quarterly basis with the hiring manager.

Working relationships and authority

The position has no direct reports. Results depend on securing commitments from departments that do not report to it, and on escalating early when those commitments stall. Performance is measured by whether quality work closes, not by whether it is underway.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Seven or more years of progressive quality experience in manufacturing, including at least three years with primary ownership of a quality management system
• Hands-on experience maintaining ISO 9001 certification, including leading a company through surveillance and recertification audits
• Demonstrated experience implementing a quality system or platform change and driving genuine adoption, including how non-adoption was addressed
• Demonstrated experience transferring quality ownership to process owners and sustaining it
• Documented record of closing corrective actions to verified effectiveness, with specific examples of root cause, action taken, and proof of effectiveness
• Experience recruiting, training, and qualifying internal auditors from outside the quality function
• Experience owning a multi-department response process end to end (customer compliance questionnaires, vendor qualification packets, or audit responses), with personal accountability for on-time, complete delivery
• Working proficiency with statistical process control, process capability analysis, sampling plans, and measurement system analysis including gage R&R
• Ability to build and maintain quality reporting and dashboards independently
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and technical specifications
• CMQ/OE (ASQ); CQA, CQE, or CSSBB also valued
• Experience in an EOS or Traction organization, or a comparable structured operating system
• Hydraulics, fluid power, machining, or assembled mechanical and industrial products
• Experience supporting manufacturing and distribution operations under a single QMS
• Experience remediating controlled documentation following an ERP migration
• Working familiarity with the subject matter appearing in customer compliance questionnaires, including export control (ITAR/EAR), cybersecurity frameworks (NIST SP 800-171, CMMC), conflict minerals, and code of conduct and ESG, sufficient to route questions to the appropriate expert
• Familiarity with Zendesk, Domo, Whale or SharePoint, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, or close equivalents
• Multi-site quality experience

Preferred qualifications

Compensation and benefits

Base salary of $130,000 to $150,000 depending on experience and certification, plus a target annual bonus of 10% of base salary. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) with company match, and paid time off.

Placement within the range is determined by demonstrated experience, education, and certification. Consistent with Oregon law, candidates are not asked for salary history.

Physical requirements and work environment

The position regularly requires sitting, talking, and hearing; frequently requires walking; and occasionally requires standing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, or crawling, and lifting or moving up to 50 pounds. Noise level is usually moderate, with occasional exposure to chemicals, odors, loud noise, and mechanical moving parts on the production and warehouse floor. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Hydra-Power Systems is an equal opportunity employer.