Position Purpose

The Plant Quality Manager is responsible for leading all aspects of plant quality performance, ensuring compliance with JCB standards and exceeding customer expectations. This role serves as the voice of quality within the facility, driving a culture of zero defects, accountability, and continuous improvement.

This position provides leadership to the plant quality organization, owns product and process quality through all manufacturing stages, and partners cross-functionally with Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Supply Chain, and Leadership to deliver world-class quality performance.

Major Tasks, Responsibilities & Key Accountabilities

Leadership & Strategy
• Lead, coach, and develop the plant quality team (inspectors, engineers, and supervisors).
• Act as the plant's quality authority and business partner to Operations and Engineering.
• Define and deploy plant quality strategy aligned with JCB Production System (JPS) principles.
• Establish quality objectives and KPIs that drive customer satisfaction and operational excellence.

Product & Process Quality
• Own and manage quality gates across the entire manufacturing process.
• Ensure robust inspection plans, control plans, and standard work are in place and followed.
• Monitor and improve key metrics including DPU, scrap, rework, warranty claims, and FPY.
• Drive containment, corrective actions, and error-proofing (poka-yoke) implementation.

Problem Solving & Continuous Improvement
• Lead root cause analysis using structured methodologies (8D, A3, 5 Whys).
• Drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) for internal and external quality issues.
• Facilitate Kaizen events and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Promote Lean, Six Sigma, and data-driven decision-making across the plant.

Supplier & Customer Quality
• Partner with Supply Chain to define and enforce supplier quality requirements.
• Support supplier development and issue resolution impacting plant performance.
• Ensure effective response and resolution of customer complaints and field issues.
• Participate in customer audits and drive corrective actions to closure.

Quality Systems & Compliance
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001 and JCB quality management systems.
• Maintain audit readiness and lead internal/external audit activities.
• Oversee documentation, procedures, and quality records integrity.
• Drive standardization and sustainment of improvements.

Reporting & Communication
• Provide regular quality performance updates to plant leadership and corporate teams.
• Use dashboards and visual management to communicate progress and drive accountability.
• Influence and engage all levels of the organization to prioritize quality.

Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or related field.
• 5-10+ years of experience in manufacturing quality, including leadership responsibilities.
• Proven experience managing teams in a production environment.
• Strong knowledge of quality systems, tools, and methodologies (8D, FMEA, SPC, RCA).
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement systems.
• Proficiency in interpreting engineering drawings and GD&T.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities & Competencies
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and SAP
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Effective time management and organizational skills
• Detail oriented
• Ability to multi-task while maintaining a sense of urgency
• Work with minimal supervision
• Effective problem-solving skills
• Authority to make changes happen across functions and departments.
• Ability to communicate with all levels of personnel.
• Excellent understanding of analytical tools and proficiency in root cause analysis, probability and statistics.
• Strong leadership abilities, including the ability to drive improvement projects throughout the organization and ensure strict adherence to policies from management to line level in the face of resistance to change
• Excellent project management skills
• Self-motivated and resilient, with a high energy level and strong work ethic

Job Conditions
• Both office environment and occasionally manufacturing/factory environment
• Subject to noise and temperature changes

Physical Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to:
• Sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; and talk or hear.
• The employee is occasionally required to stand and walk.
• The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Disclaimer: This job description is general in nature and is not designed to contain or to be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to the job.