Senior Quality Manager - EAST

Job Summary

The Senior Quality Manager is responsible for leading and driving overall regional quality performance across multiple distribution and value-added fabrication sites. This Senior Quality Manager role is:
· A senior operational executive accountable for quality, risk, and customer trust.
· Strategically responsible for quality outcomes across sites.
· Authority-driven, results-focused, and risk-aware.
· Empowered to make stop-ship, deviation, and escalation decisions.
· Accountable for exceeding quality expectations and delivering sustained performance improvement.

Job Description

**PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ROLE CAN BE BASED IN ACWORTH, GA OR WALINGFORD, CT. YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR BOTH LOCATIONS.

Travel is required for this role.

Position Summary

This role serves as the senior operational and strategic quality leader with full accountability for product conformity, supplier performance, regulatory compliance, customer satisfaction, and quality risk governance.

While daily execution is performed by site-level quality teams, the Senior Quality Manager owns consistency, escalation management, systemic improvement, and measurable outcomes across assigned locations. This role ensures that quality enables business growth and operational excellence — not just compliance.

The Senior Quality Manager represents the organization at the executive level in matters of quality performance, risk exposure, and customer trust.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Quality Leadership & Strategy

· Define and execute regional quality strategy aligned with business objectives and growth initiatives.

· Drive accountability for quality outcomes across multiple sites.

· Establish a culture of ownership, prevention, and continuous improvement.

· Influence operational and capital decisions impacting product conformity and risk.

· Ensure quality performance consistently exceeds expectations.

Quality Management System (QMS)

· Own, evolve, and strategically improve a scalable QMS across assigned sites.

· Ensure compliance with ISO 9001, AS9100, customer flow-down requirements, FAIs, traceability, CMMC2 (as applicable), and outsourced processing controls.

· Drive continuous improvement of the QMS beyond audit compliance.

· Ensure consistent execution of QMS standards across all locations.

Standards & Certifications

· Maintain accountability for ISO 9001 / AS9100 certification and surveillance audits.

· Ensure readiness for additional site-specific certifications (e.g., AS13485, as applicable).

· Oversee regulatory compliance across all assigned sites.

Audit Leadership

· Lead registrar, customer, and regulatory audits end-to-end.

· Ensure audit readiness across all sites.

· Provide oversight of internal audits conducted by trained quality personnel.

· Focus on systemic gap closure and sustainable improvement.

· Ensure corrective actions are implemented and verified for effectiveness.

Customer Interface

· Serve as executive-level quality contact for key customers.

· Lead major customer escalations and executive communications.

· Participate in customer audits, performance reviews, and concession approvals.

· Strengthen customer relationships through proactive engagement.

· Ensure appropriate cross-functional resources are mobilized during escalations.

Supplier Quality Oversight

· Provide strategic oversight of supplier qualification and performance.

· Oversee performance of mills and outsourced services (heat treat, plating, NDT, coatings, etc.).

· Ensure effective supplier audit, PPAP, and SCAR processes.

· Monitor supplier performance trends and manage risk escalation.

· Lead supplier performance improvement initiatives.

Corrective & Preventive Action

· Maintain full ownership of 8D, CAR, and SCAR systems across assigned sites.

· Ensure timely closure and verified effectiveness of corrective actions.

· Drive systemic root cause analysis and recurrence prevention.

· Integrate preventive quality tools including PFMEA, Control Plans, and APQP where applicable.

Quality Metrics & Performance

· Own and drive regional quality KPIs including:

o Customer PPM

o Scrap and rework

o Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)

o On-time delivery impact

o Supplier performance metrics

· Conduct trend analysis and implement data-driven improvement strategies.

· Present performance results to executive leadership.

· Drive accountability for performance gaps across sites.

Lean & Continuous Improvement

· Integrate quality leadership into Lean and operational excellence initiatives.

· Drive defect prevention and cost-reduction strategies.

· Champion Six Sigma and structured problem-solving methodologies.

· Align quality improvement with business growth objectives.

People Leadership & Development

· Lead and develop regional quality organization (Quality Managers, Engineers, QA personnel).

· Define performance expectations and conduct evaluations.

· Build succession plans and leadership bench strength.

· Develop quality capability pipeline across sites.

· Ensure audit competency and technical capability within teams.

Decision-Making Authority

· Authority to stop shipment across assigned sites.

· Authority to quarantine product and mandate corrective actions.

· Authority to approve deviations and customer concessions within defined limits.

· Authority to escalate systemic quality and regulatory risks.

· Accountable for regional quality performance outcomes.

Manufacturing Presence

· Maintain regular on-site presence across assigned facilities.

· Engage in high-impact quality issues and systemic investigations.

· Reinforce visible leadership on the manufacturing floor.

Cross-Functional Leadership

· Drive alignment across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Sales, and Finance.

· Influence capital investment decisions affecting quality and risk.

· Ensure quality strategy is integrated into operational planning.

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Risk & Compliance Management

· Manage regulatory, customer, and financial quality risk.

· Ensure preventive risk governance frameworks are in place.

· Protect organizational reputation and customer trust.

External Representation

· Represent the organization to customers, suppliers, registrars, and regulatory bodies.

· Serve as executive quality spokesperson during audits and escalations.

· Support strategic customer and supplier partnerships.

Qualifications Required

· Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or related field OR equivalent combination of education and experience.

· Minimum 8–10 years of progressive quality leadership experience in a manufacturing or fabricated metal environment.

· Multi-site or regional leadership experience.

· Experience with ISO 9001 and/or AS9100 systems.

· Experience leading customer and registrar audits.

· Experience managing corrective and preventive action systems.

· Demonstrated success driving measurable quality improvement.

· Experience managing managers and cross-functional teams.

· Strong executive communication and escalation management skills.

Preferred

· ASQ Certification (CQE, CQM/OE, or equivalent).

· ISO Lead Auditor certification.

· Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.

· Experience in aerospace, defense, medical, or regulated industries.

· Experience with PFMEA, Control Plans, and APQP methodologies.

· Experience influencing capital investment and strategic planning decisions.

· Experience with CMMC2 or regulated compliance environments.

Work Environment & Travel

· Frequent travel between assigned sites.

· Regular presence on manufacturing floors.

· Exposure to shop floor environments including machinery, noise, and material handling equipment.

Job Compensation

$112,500+/year (Based on Experience) plus Annual Performance Bonus Incentive

Benefits Overview

We offer competitive company benefits to eligible positions, such as:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Insurance
• Life Insurance and Disability
• Voluntary Wellness Programs
• 401(k) or RRSP programs with Company Match
• Paid Vacation and Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement
• And more!

Benefits may vary based on job, country, union role, and/or company segment. Please work with your recruiter or tk representative for applicable benefits information.