Director of Quality AssuranceSummary:The Director of Quality Assurance is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of quality systems and processes for a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery manufacturing facility. This role ensures that all products meet stringent safety, regulatory, and customer requirements while driving operational excellence and a culture of quality across the organization.
This role is a critical leadership position responsible not only for managing quality, but for building and scaling the quality function from early-stage ramp through full production in a high-growth, next-generation battery manufacturing environment.The Director of Quality Assurance with report to the Chief Operating Officer of Forge Battery.
Essential Functions:Quality Strategy and leadership
- Develop and execute the plant's quality strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
- Lead and mentor the QA/QC teams, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
- Serve as a key member of the plant leadership team, contributing to overall business strategy.
- Own the long-term vision for building and scaling the quality organization, systems, and talent to support multi-GWh production growth.
- Drive enterprise-level quality initiatives across Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain to ensure alignment on product and process excellence.
- Establish, implement, and maintain robust QMS in compliance with industry standards (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 14001).
- Ensure adherence to regulatory and safety requirements specific to Li-ion battery manufacturing.
Quality Management Systems (QMS)
- Oversee document control, change management, and internal audit programs.
- Design and evolve scalable quality systems capable of supporting rapid production ramp, process changes, and product evolution.
- Ensure systems are structured to support data-driven decision-making and real-time performance visibility.
Product & Process Quality
- Drive quality assurance across all stages: incoming materials, in-process production, and final product testing.
- Implement advanced quality tools (e.g., Six Sigma, SPC, FMEA, root cause analysis).
- Lead efforts to reduce defects, scrap, and rework while improving yield and reliability.
- Partner closely with Engineering to influence Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Quality (DFQ) initiatives.
- Support the transition of new products and processes from development into production, ensuring robust quality validation and control plans.
- Operate effectively in non-steady-state manufacturing environments, managing variability, process instability, and yield ramp challenges.
Customer & Supplier Quality
- Act as the primary quality liaison with customers, addressing complaints, audits, and corrective actions
- Oversee supplier quality management, including qualification, audits, and performance monitoring.
- Ensure timely resolution of non-conformances and implementation of corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).
- Lead customer qualification efforts and ongoing quality performance for high-reliability end markets (e.g., defense, aerospace, energy).
- Establish rigorous supplier development and quality assurance processes to support advanced materials and critical components.
- Provide executive-level reporting and insights linking quality performance to overall business outcomes and operational efficiency.
Compliance & Safety
- Ensure compliance with all applicable regulations, including environmental, health, and safety standards.
- Support product certification processes (e.g., UL, IEC standards for battery systems).
- Lead risk assessments and ensure safe manufacturing practices.
- Own product safety, reliability, and risk mitigation strategies for lithium-ion battery systems in safety-critical applications.
- Drive proactive failure analysis and reliability testing methodologies to ensure long-term product performance.
Continuous Improvement
- Champion Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives across the plant.
- Utilize data analytics and KPIs to monitor performance and drive decision-making.
- Lead cross-functional initiatives to improve product quality, process capability, and customer satisfaction.
- Implement advanced analytics, real-time dashboards, and statistical tools to enable predictive quality and performance optimization.
- Drive cost-of-quality reduction initiatives while supporting aggressive production and scaling targets.
Audits & Reporting
- Lead internal and external audits, including customer and regulatory inspections.
- Report on quality metrics, trends, and improvement initiatives to senior leadership.
- Develop and maintain dashboards for real-time quality performance tracking.
Key Performance Indicators- Product defect rates and yield improvement
- Customer complaints and resolution time
- Supplier quality performance
- Audit results and compliance scores
- Cost of poor quality (COPQ)
- On-time corrective action closure
- Production ramp yield stabilization and process capability improvements
- Product reliability performance and field quality metrics
Required Skills & Experience: - Must have experience in managing a battery quality assurance team
- Through understanding of quality control standards and methodologies
- Demonstrated project and budget management skills.
- 10+ years of experience in quality assurance within manufacturing; experience in battery, electronics, or automotive industries strongly preferred.
- 5+ years in a leadership role managing quality teams.
- Ability to solve problems and make decisions, as well as think laterally and offer creative solutions to problems.
- Ability to set overall strategy and drive process improvement.
- Excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal skills with ability to collaborate and build a consensus in a high-pressure environment
- Experience building or scaling quality systems in high-growth or ramp-up manufacturing environments strongly preferred
- Experience operating in complex, technically advanced manufacturing processes with high variability is highly desirable
Education- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or related field
- Master's degree preferred.
Key Competencies- Strategic thinking and execution
- Strong problem-solving and analytical thinking skills.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.
- Ability to operate in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Team leadership and talent development
- Enterprise leadership mindset with the ability to influence beyond direct reporting lines
- Data-driven decision-making and analytical rigor
Working Conditions- On-site presence required at the North Carolina manufacturing facility.
- Occasional travel to suppliers, partners, or corporate locations as needed.
- Availability to support critical manufacturing operations outside normal business hours when required.
Compensation/Benefits- Annual 10% bonus based on the successful completion of individual KPIs and company's performance.
- Medical/dental/vision/disability and life insurance, holidays, PTO, Flexible Spending Account and 401(k) plan with company match and additional voluntary benefits.
OpportunityThis is a unique opportunity to build and scale the quality function for a next-generation battery platform, playing a critical role in shaping product performance, manufacturing excellence, and long-term company success in a high-growth, high-impact environment. 
