Quality Manager

Company Overview

Solecta is an exciting early-stage, high-tech company focused on solving real customer issues and commercializing polymeric industrial filtration products. Solecta has manufacturing facilities in Oceanside, CA. The company is backed by True North Venture Partners, an investing firm that specializes in commercializing and scaling disruptive innovations.

Position Summary

The Quality Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of Quality Assurance (QA), Quality Control (QC), and continuous quality improvement within a discrete manufacturing environment. This position provides direct leadership to Quality Engineers, Quality Technicians, and Inspection personnel, ensuring product conformity, process capability, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence.

The successful candidate will be a hands-on, technically strong leader capable of driving measurable improvements in product quality, manufacturing yield, cost of poor quality, and overall process performance.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and/or ability required. Other duties as assigned.

1. Quality Leadership & Management

• Lead, develop, and manage Quality Engineering, Quality Technicians, and Inspection personnel.
• Establish quality objectives, performance metrics, accountability, and improvement plans.
• Maintain effective quality management systems, procedures, documentation, and controls.
• Promote a culture of quality ownership, problem-solving, and continuous improvement throughout manufacturing.
• Foster highly collaborative working relationships across Manufacturing, Engineering, R&D, and other departments, promoting shared accountability, effective communication, and cross-functional problem-solving.

2. Quality Assurance & Quality Control

• Oversee incoming, in-process, and final inspection activities, including acceptance criteria and product release.
• Ensure compliance with engineering drawings, specifications, customer requirements, and applicable quality standards.
• Manage nonconforming materials, corrective and preventive actions, and product traceability.
• Lead the Material Review Board (MRB), including disposition of nonconforming materials, rework, scrap, and concessions.
• Administer the Change Control Board (CCB), ensuring disciplined evaluation, approval, implementation, and documentation of engineering and process changes.
• Ensure effective calibration, measurement systems, inspection methods, and quality records.

3. Customer Quality & Supplier Quality

• Serve as the primary point of contact for customer quality concerns, technical investigations, and corrective actions.
• Manage customer complaints, Return Goods Authorizations (RGAs), failure analysis, and warranty-related quality issues.
• Lead structured root-cause investigations and timely implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Oversee supplier quality performance, incoming material issues, and supplier corrective action requests.
• Prepare and communicate professional quality reports, investigation findings, and corrective action responses in English and Spanish.

4. Yield Improvement & Continuous Improvement

• Lead initiatives to improve first-pass yield, reduce scrap and rework, eliminate defects, and lower cost of poor quality.
• Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DMAIC, and statistical problem-solving methodologies.
• Facilitate Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA), control plans, and process capability studies.
• Utilize statistical process control (SPC), measurement system analysis (MSA), Pareto analysis, 5-Why, fishbone diagrams, and 8D problem-solving.
• Collaborate closely with Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Product Engineering, and R&D to improve process stability, reliability, manufacturability, and product quality through highly collaborative, cross-functional problem-solving.
• Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, and R&D to support new product development, process improvements, and successful introduction of new products and manufacturing processes.
• Identify systemic quality risks and implement sustainable process and control improvements.

5. Quality Performance & Reporting

• Establish and maintain key quality performance indicators, including:
  • First-pass yield (FPY) and rolled throughput yield
  • Scrap, rework, and cost of poor quality (COPQ)
  • Customer complaints, returns, and defect rates
  • Supplier quality and incoming acceptance performance
  • Corrective action effectiveness and closure timeliness
• Present quality performance, trends, risks, and improvement priorities to senior management.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Hires and trains employees.
• Organizes, directs, and oversees the work of quality department employees.
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations.
• Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.
• Conducts interviews of potential candidates, tracks / reviews existing staff’s skill set.

Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent analytical and technical problem-solving skills.
• Organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Understanding of safety and health laws, regulations, and policies.
• Understanding of raw materials, production processes, quality control, cost management, and other effective manufacturing and distribution techniques.
• Advanced Excel proficiency, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, and data analysis.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Word & Email and related software.
• Basic Mathematical Skills.
• Strong interpersonal and cross-functional collaboration skills, with demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships across Manufacturing, Engineering, R&D, and other departments to achieve shared operational and quality objectives.

Abilities

• Ability to work effectively on the manufacturing floor as well as with customers and senior leadership.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment.
• Ability to communicate information and ideas clearly. This includes the ability to speak, read and write clearly and accurately in English.
• Ability to work in a team environment.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Self-starter with a drive to achieve personal mastery and successfully deliver on commitments
• Ability to wear protective equipment such as safety glasses, hair net, and hearing protection
• Ability to work extended hours as needed.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required, preferably Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or Mechanical Engineering.
• Fluent bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish, both written and spoken, required.
• Minimum 10 years of professional experience in quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, or related technical functions within discrete manufacturing.
• Minimum 3 years of direct people-management experience, including responsibility for quality engineering, technicians, inspection, or comparable manufacturing quality teams.
• Strong working knowledge of quality management systems, MRB, CCB, RGA, CAPA, FMEA, and structured root-cause analysis.
• Demonstrated success improving manufacturing yields, reducing defects, and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
• Proficiency in engineering drawings, GD&T, inspection methodologies, statistical analysis, and manufacturing process controls.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Six Sigma certification required; Black Belt certification preferred.
• Knowledge of FDA regulations and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) preferred.
• Experience with ISO 9001 or comparable quality management systems.
• Familiarity with ERP, QMS, and manufacturing data analysis systems.
• Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI), process validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
• Experience leading customer audits, supplier quality initiatives, and complex corrective action investigations.

Physical Requirements & Work Environment
The work environment described here is representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.

• On-Site Requirement: This position requires full-time, on-site presence at our Oceanside, California manufacturing facility.
• Work is performed in both office and active manufacturing environments.
• Must be able to sit, stand, walk, bend, reach, and move throughout manufacturing and inspection areas for prolonged periods.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 25 pounds occasionally, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Must be able to use computers, inspection instruments, and manufacturing-related equipment as required.
• Must follow all applicable Cal/OSHA regulations, company safety procedures, and required personal protective equipment (PPE) practices.
• Approximately 5% travel to customer and supplier facilities, including occasional domestic or international travel.
• Visual acuity to inspect products and machinery.
• Hearing and speaking to exchange information
• Dexterity of hands and fingers to demonstrate activities

Solecta, 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.