Quality Manager Automotive

The Quality Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of the Quality Management System to ensure compliance with customer requirements, IATF 16949 standards, regulatory requirements, and company quality objectives. This position oversees customer quality, supplier quality, quality systems, and quality engineering activities while driving continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence.

The Quality Manager serves as the quality leader for the facility and works closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Commercial teams to improve performance, reduce the Cost of Quality, and strengthen customer relationships.

This position offers growth potential toward broader regional or corporate quality leadership responsibilities for the right candidate.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Leadership

• Lead all plant quality functions, including Quality Engineers, Quality Technicians, Quality Systems, Customer Quality, Supplier Quality, and laboratory activities.
• Establish quality objectives aligned with business goals and customer requirements.
• Foster a culture of accountability, prevention, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and professional development to quality personnel.

Quality Management System

• Maintain and improve the Quality Management System in compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 14001, customer-specific requirements, and internal standards.
• Manage quality manuals, procedures, work instructions, control plans, PFMEAs, and related documentation.
• Coordinate internal audits, management reviews, certification audits, and customer audits.
• Ensure timely resolution of audit findings and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.

Customer Quality

• Serve as the primary quality contact for customers.
• Lead customer complaint investigations and 8D corrective actions.
• Support customer launches, PPAP submissions, IMDS requirements, and ongoing customer performance initiatives.
• Monitor customer scorecards, PPM performance, warranty issues, and customer satisfaction metrics.

Supplier Quality

• Partner with Supply Chain to improve supplier quality performance.
• Lead supplier corrective actions, supplier audits, and supplier development activities.
• Monitor and drive improvement in supplier quality metrics and incoming material performance.

Operational Quality

• Develop, maintain, and improve quality standards for manufacturing processes and products.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action activities utilizing structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Monitor scrap, yield, rework, internal PPM, external PPM, and Cost of Quality metrics.
• Work closely with Operations and Engineering to improve process capability and product reliability.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead quality improvement initiatives that reduce waste, variation, defects, and customer complaints.
• Use statistical analysis and data-driven decision making to identify opportunities and measure results.
• Support lean manufacturing and operational excellence initiatives.

Business Leadership

• Prepare and communicate quality performance reports to senior leadership.
• Establish annual quality objectives and improvement plans.
• Support strategic initiatives and growth opportunities across the organization.
• Participate in cross-functional leadership activities and business reviews.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or a related technical discipline.
• ASQ certifications (CQE, CMQ/OE, or equivalent) preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive quality experience within automotive manufacturing or similarly demanding manufacturing industries.
• Minimum 3-5 years of quality leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading customer quality, supplier quality, and quality systems activities.
• Experience supporting OEM, Tier 1, or equivalent customer environments preferred.
• Experience leading IATF 16949 certification activities and customer audits.

Technical Skills

Strong working knowledge of:

• IATF 16949
• APQP
• PPAP
• FMEA
• SPC
• MSA
• Control Plans
• Root Cause Analysis
• Corrective and Preventive Action Systems (CAPA)
• Statistical Analysis and Data Trending

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong leadership presence.
• Excellent communication skills with customers and internal teams.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Strong problem-solving skills.
• Sense of urgency and accountability.
• Ability to develop future leaders and build organizational capability.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Customer PPM
• Internal PPM
• Cost of Quality (% of Sales)
• Customer Complaints
• Supplier Quality Performance
• Audit Performance
• Corrective Action Closure
• Customer Scorecard Ratings
• Scrap and Yield Performance
• Continuous Improvement Results

The ideal candidate is not simply a Quality Manager who maintains existing systems. We are seeking a high-potential leader capable of strengthening quality performance, improving customer satisfaction, driving operational excellence, and ultimately growing into broader corporate quality leadership responsibilities.