Quality Manager
A well-established industrial manufacturer is seeking an experienced Quality Manager to lead its plant-level quality organization and strengthen quality performance across a complex, high-volume manufacturing operation.
This is a highly visible leadership role reporting directly to the site’s senior executive and serving as a member of the plant leadership team. The Quality Manager will oversee the facility’s quality systems, customer quality performance, regulatory and industry compliance, continuous improvement initiatives, and the development of a sizeable quality organization.
The successful candidate will combine strong technical quality expertise with the communication skills, judgment, and leadership presence required to influence employees at every level of the organization. This position is well suited for a hands-on quality leader who enjoys developing teams, improving systems, partnering with customers, and driving measurable operational improvement.
Responsibilities
- Lead the development, implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the facility’s Quality Management System.
- Ensure compliance with applicable customer, internal, ISO 9001, IATF 16949, VDA, regulatory, and legal requirements.
- Establish quality objectives, performance metrics, and reporting processes aligned with plant and corporate goals.
- Monitor and evaluate manufacturing processes that affect product quality, customer satisfaction, and operational performance.
- Lead internal, customer, and third-party audits, including the preparation, execution, follow-up, and closure of corrective actions.
- Manage customer quality concerns, complaints, scorecards, corrective-action requests, and root-cause investigations.
- Drive structured problem-solving through tools such as 8D, 5 Why, fishbone analysis, statistical process control, and corrective and preventive action.
- Partner with operations, engineering, maintenance, supply chain, and corporate quality leadership to address systemic quality issues.
- Support new product introductions, process changes, customer launches, and production readiness activities.
- Oversee supplier quality concerns and collaborate with procurement and suppliers to improve incoming material performance.
- Identify opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, defects, customer claims, and overall cost of poor quality.
- Develop, coach, and hold accountable a team of quality engineers, quality specialists, analysts, supervisors, and inspection personnel.
- Build a proactive quality culture based on accountability, collaboration, transparency, and continuous improvement.
- Serve as a trusted quality representative when interacting with customers, suppliers, auditors, and internal stakeholders.
- Maintain appropriate documentation, procedures, work instructions, records, and employee training programs.
Desired Skills and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, operations, or a related technical discipline preferred.
- Progressive experience in quality engineering, quality systems, or quality leadership within an industrial manufacturing environment.
- Previous experience leading employees and building an accountable, collaborative team.
- Demonstrated ownership of a formal Quality Management System.
- Working knowledge of ISO 9001 or comparable quality-system standards.
Submit Your Resume
ABOUT SKYWATER SEARCH
Start with your Short List
Led by a group of seasoned search industry professionals, SkyWater Search Partners brings new focus to a novel concept, “Short List Search.” Our purpose is to leave a lasting impression on the clients we serve by providing individuals who will make a measurable difference in their business. We strive to consistently deliver great results to our clients in a very timely manner.
Practice Areas
Our practice areas are led by highly experienced executive recruiters who take great care in fully understanding client requirements and candidate qualifications.
• Accounting and Finance
• Information Technology
• Operations
• Engineering
• Sales
• Marketing
• Human Resources
• Legal
• Construction
• Supply Chain
• Consumer Package Goods (CPG)
Founded on long-standing relationships and hundreds of successful placements throughout the Twin Cities business community, SkyWater Search Partners is a proven resource for clients and candidates looking to quickly and confidently explore their “short list” of best choices. Count on us to find the best people – and the best fit.
