Quality Manager

Job Description

Job Description

About American Polymer Company:

American Polymer Company (APC) is a leading provider and manufacturer of underground vaults and products supporting utility infrastructure. Our products serve many industries and applications including water utility, irrigation, telecommunications, electrical, gas, and other industrial applications. Our unwavering commitment to service, performance, and adding value have quickly made us a trusted partner in the industry. We continue to innovate, manufacturing products in several methods such as traditional open pour precast, thermoplastic, thermoset, and other processes.

Position Overview:

The Group Quality Manager will be directly responsible for designing, building, and deploying a comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS) from the ground up across multiple production sites within American Polymer Company. This role provides strategic leadership to architect standardized quality frameworks, drive best practices, and embed a true culture of quality across all operations—including thermoplastic molding, thermoset molding, and precast molding processes.

Partnering closely with plant leadership, engineering, and operations teams, the Group Quality Manager will take full ownership of establishing initial quality benchmarks, ensuring regulatory compliance, and driving continuous improvement to ensure all products consistently meet customer expectations and company performance objectives.

Key Responsibilities and Duties:

• QMS Development & Implementation: Design, architect, and roll out a brand-new, comprehensive Quality Management System (QMS) across all production facilities.
• Standards & Procedure Creation: Establish, document, and enforce baseline quality standards, operating procedures, and best practices for thermoplastic, thermoset, and precast molding operations.
• Quality Infrastructure & Metrics: Define and institute key quality metrics (e.g., scrap, rework, customer complaints, OEE impact) and establish foundational tracking systems to measure continuous improvement.
• Audit Program Setup: Build and lead internal and external audit programs from scratch to ensure compliance with applicable industry standards, targeted certifications, and regulatory requirements.
• CAPA & Root Cause Framework: Develop and execute cross-site root cause analysis and Corrective/Preventive Action (CAPA) framework protocols.
• Process Standardization: Standardize inspection, testing, calibration, and documentation procedures across all current and future facilities.
• Cross-Site Alignment: Lead cross-site initiatives to introduce consistency, eliminate operational variability, and elevate overall product performance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Engineering and Operations to integrate quality system requirements into new product development, process validation, and scale-up phases.
• Supplier & Customer Quality: Work directly with customers on quality expectations and build vendor quality management protocols, including initial supplier qualification and performance monitoring.
• Training & Culture Building: Develop and deliver training programs to build organization-wide QMS awareness, technical quality capabilities, and continuous improvement methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma).
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Qualifications & Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related field.
• Experience: 3–5+ years of quality leadership experience in a manufacturing environment (preferably plastics, polymers, or precast products).
• QMS Expertise: Proven track record of designing, building, and implementing a QMS from scratch (e.g., ISO 9001 or similar).
• Multi-Site Leadership: Experience supporting or implementing quality systems across multi-site manufacturing operations.
• Process Knowledge: Strong understanding of thermoplastic, thermoset, and/or precast molding manufacturing processes.
• Quality Methodologies: Expertise with core quality tools and methodologies, including Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, FMEA, SPC, and statistical analysis.
• Change Management: Demonstrated success in leading cross-functional teams and driving organizational change during system rollouts.
• Skills: Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills. Highly organized, detail-oriented, and results-driven with the ability to manage competing priorities during a system buildout.