Quality Assurance Manager - 1st Shift

Job Description

Job Description

IDEAL Industries, Inc. has built a reputation for over a century by crafting iconic tools and practical technology required in aerospace, data communications, electrical, wire processing and construction. The global family of IDEAL brands includes IDEAL Electrical, Anderson Power, and Enatel. A vibrant and dynamic company, IDEAL is best known for our wire connectors, the gold standard for making electrical connections around the world. Nearly every commercial jet is assembled using IDEAL wire strippers and, as part of the critical equipment on NASA missions, our tools even help NASA astronauts fly to the moon. Most important, our products benefit skilled tradespeople, who reach for IDEAL tools every day.

IDEAL is propelled by the concept of Building an IDEAL World. Our family-run business is committed to building ideal relationships with customers, employees, and communities by crafting some of our industry’s most innovative and trusted tools.

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for leading, developing, and managing the plant's quality management system (QMS), quality engineering, and quality inspection functions. This role ensures that all products — spanning residential and industrial electrical markets — consistently meet or exceed customer expectations, internal standards, and all applicable domestic and international regulatory requirements. The Quality Assurance Manager drives a culture of data-driven decision making, continuous improvement, and operational excellence. This position directly leads a team of Quality Engineers and Quality Technicians and reports to the Plant Manager.

Responsibilities:

Quality Management System (QMS) Leadership

• Own, maintain, and continuously improve the plant's QMS in compliance with ISO 9001:2015 and lead the transition to ISO 9001:2026 upon publication, including gap analysis, updated documentation, internal audits, and staff training aligned with the new standard's emphasis on quality culture, ethical behavior, and enhanced risk-based thinking.
• Plan, schedule, and lead internal audits; manage external/third-party certification audits and customer audits. Ensure audit findings are resolved with robust corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Develop and maintain quality policies, procedures, work instructions, and other controlled documentation in accordance with QMS requirements.

Regulatory & Standards Compliance (Global)

• Serve as the plant's subject matter expert on UL standards, qualification testing, and the UL approval/listing process for electrical products, including managing UL file reviews, follow-up inspections, and new product submissions.
• Ensure product compliance with global regulatory and market-specific requirements including, but not limited to:
  • RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
  • California Proposition 65
  • CE Marking (EU Low Voltage Directive, EMC Directive, etc.)
  • ASME standards
  • DIN standards
  • REACH, WEEE, and other EU environmental directives
  • CSA, ETL/Intertek, and other NRTL certifications
• Country-specific regulatory bodies (e.g., CCC for China, PSE for Japan, SAA for Australia, SASO for Saudi Arabia, etc.)
• Monitor evolving regulatory landscapes across global markets and proactively communicate impacts to engineering, product management, and operations teams.

Data-Driven Quality & Statistical Methods

• Champion a data-driven decision-making culture across the quality organization and plant floor. All quality decisions, dispositions, and improvement initiatives must be supported by quantitative analysis.
• Apply and coach the team in the use of statistical quality methods and tools including:
• Statistical Process Control (SPC) — control charts, process capability indices (Cp, Cpk, Pp, Ppk)
• Measurement System Analysis (MSA) — Gage R&R studies
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Hypothesis testing, regression analysis, ANOVA
• Reliability analysis (Weibull, MTBF, life testing)
• Acceptance sampling plans (ANSI/ASQ Z1.4, Z1.9, LTPD, AQL)
• Pareto analysis, cause-and-effect diagrams, FMEA (Process & Design)
• Develop and maintain quality dashboards and KPIs (PPM, COPQ, first-pass yield, scrap rate, customer complaint rates, audit scores, etc.) and present actionable insights to plant leadership.

Six Sigma & Continuous Improvement

• Apply Six Sigma methodology (DMAIC/DMADV) to lead and facilitate cross-functional improvement projects that reduce variation, eliminate defects, and improve process capability.
• Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing principles (5S, Kaizen, value stream mapping, waste reduction) and their integration with quality systems.
• Drive root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methods (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa, fault tree analysis).
• Lead or sponsor continuous improvement initiatives aligned with plant goals and customer requirements.

Inspection, Metrology & Quality Equipment

• Oversee the selection, calibration, maintenance, and effective use of both legacy and modern quality and inspection equipment including:
• Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) — contact and non-contact
• Vision inspection systems (2D/3D automated optical inspection, machine vision cameras)
• Optical comparators and profile projectors
• Hardness testers, surface roughness testers
• Pin gages, thread gages, ring gages, go/no-go fixtures
• Calipers, micr