Quality Manager

Quality Manager

The Quality Manager owns the overall quality strategy, systems, and performance of Indiana Tube Corporation's precision welded steel tubing operations, which serve automotive, HVAC/refrigeration, coiled tubing, oil & gas, and heavy equipment customers. This role is responsible for building, maintaining, and continuously improving the plant's Quality Management System (QMS) in accordance with ISO 9001, and applicable customer-specific requirements; for driving a zero-defect manufacturing culture; and for serving as the site's primary point of contact with customers, suppliers, and certification bodies on all matters of product and process quality.

The Quality Manager balances two responsibilities that are sometimes in tension: protecting the company from the cost of shipping defective or noncompliant product, and enabling production to run efficiently. This position must have the authority — and the backing of plant leadership — to stop a shipment or a production run when quality is at risk, regardless of schedule pressure.

Essential Functions

Quality Management System

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the plant's QMS in compliance with ISO 9001, and customer-specific requirements; serve as Management Representative for certification purposes.
• Manage the internal audit program and lead preparation for, and hosting of, external registrar surveillance/recertification audits and customer audits.
• Maintain the document control system for quality records, work instructions, control plans, and engineering specifications.

Product & Process Quality Control

• Oversee incoming material, in-process, and final inspection programs; approve control plans, inspection plans, and gauge/measurement system requirements (PFMEA, MSA, SPC).
• Ensure dimensional and metallurgical testing (wall thickness, weld seam integrity, burst/pressure testing, dimensional layout) meets customer print and specification requirements.
• Manage the calibration program for all gauges, fixtures, and measurement equipment plant-wide.
• Administer the Material Review Board (MRB) process: disposition of nonconforming material, scrap and rework tracking, and containment of suspect product.

New Product Launch & Change Management

• Lead the APQP/PPAP process for new product launches, engineering changes, and customer-approved deviations, coordinating with Engineering, Sales, and Operations.
• Support quoting and new-business reviews to assess quality feasibility, process capability, and required capital (gauges, fixtures, test equipment).
• Support new equipment qualification and process validation (Gage R&R, capability studies) prior to production release.

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (8D, 5-Why, fishbone) for internal defects, customer complaints, and supplier nonconformances; verify effectiveness of corrective actions before closure.
• Investigate customer complaints, coordinate containment actions, and manage customer quality scorecards and web portals.
• Develop and report quality KPIs — scrap rate, defect PPM, cost of quality, first-pass yield, and customer returns — to plant and executive leadership.
• Partner with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations on Lean/Six Sigma projects and defect-reduction initiatives.

Supplier Quality

• Approve and audit suppliers, maintain the approved supplier list, and manage supplier corrective action requests (SCARs).
• Work directly with suppliers to resolve incoming material quality issues before they reach the production floor.

People Leadership

• Supervise the Quality department — quality engineers, inspectors, and lab technicians — including hiring, performance management, and development.
• Train and coach production and quality personnel on quality standards, inspection technique, and quality tools (SPC, FMEA, control plans, work instructions).

Additional Responsibilities

• Represent the Quality function on the plant leadership/staff team and support annual budget planning for the department.
• Coordinate with EHS on the intersection of quality and safety/environmental compliance (e.g., material safety data, regulatory testing).
• Travel to customer or supplier locations as needed for audits, product launches, or complaint resolution.

Organizational Relationship

Reports To: President, Indiana Tube Corporation.

Direct Reports: Quality Engineer(s), Quality Inspectors, and QC Lab Technician(s).

Key Internal Relationships

• Manufacturing / Operations — daily collaboration on production quality, line issues, and containment.
• Manufacturing Engineering — control plans, PFMEA, tooling and gauge capability, new equipment qualification.
• Sales / Customer Service — customer complaints, scorecards, and quoting feasibility reviews.
• Purchasing / Supply Chain — supplier approval, audits, and corrective action management.
• EHS — overlap between quality, safety, and regulatory/environmental compliance.
• Plant Manager / Executive Leadership — quality performance reporting, budget, and strategic priorities.

Key External Relationships

• Customers — automotive OEMs/Tier 1s, HVAC/refrigeration OEMs, oil & gas / coiled tubing accounts, and heavy equipment manufacturers.
• Suppliers of raw material (steel coil, etc.) and outside processing services.
• Certification bodies / registrars and, where applicable, regulatory agencies.

Personal Characteristics & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering/technology preferred.
• Minimum five (5) years' experience in a manufacturing environment as a QA Manager or QA Engineer.
• High integrity — willing to hold the line on shipping and production decisions when quality is at risk, even under schedule or customer pressure.
• Hands-on and shop-floor oriented; leads from the production floor rather than the office.
• Data-driven and detail-oriented, with the analytical discipline to separate root cause from symptoms.
• Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence Operations, Engineering, and Sales without relying on positional authority alone.
• Composed under pressure — during customer escalations, audits, and line-down situations.
• Direct, effective communicator, comfortable presenting quality performance to customers and to executive leadership.
• Coaches and develops people rather than dictating; builds a culture of ownership for quality at the operator level, not just in the quality department.
• Continuous-improvement mindset; treats the current state as a floor to improve on, not a standard to defend.