Quality Assurance Manager
About the Role
The Quality Assurance Manager leads the day-to-day quality assurance operations for the Malibu brand's manufacturing facility, managing the plant's Quality Engineers, Supplier Quality resources, Quality Supervisors, and Inspectors. This role owns in-plant quality systems, process audits, defect containment, and quality gate discipline, ensuring a proactive, prevention-focused quality organization that protects the Malibu brand and customer experience.
Responsibilities
- Team & Operations Leadership: Manage and develop the plant Quality Assurance team, including Quality Engineers, Quality Supervisors, and Quality Inspectors. Own staffing, training, performance management, and succession planning for the plant quality organization.
- In-Plant Quality Assurance: Own in-plant quality systems, including process audits, layered process audits, and product inspection programs. Lead nonconforming material disposition, containment, and corrective action for in-process and finished goods issues. Monitor and drive plant quality KPIs (FPY, DPU, scrap, rework, warranty cost per unit).
- Quality Gate & Process Discipline: Ensure quality checkpoints and quality gates are embedded and enforced throughout the production process. Partner with Production leadership on line-side quality issues and root cause resolution.
- Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with the CI Site Lead, Advanced Quality Engineer, and Supplier Quality Engineer to align quality priorities and resources at the plant. Represent plant quality assurance performance to brand and enterprise Quality leadership. Support new product introduction and engineering change quality readiness.
- Reporting & Governance: Ensure plant quality records, documentation, and reporting meet enterprise QMS and applicable regulatory requirements (ISO 9001, USCG/NMMA). Facilitate the plant's monthly quality review with brand and enterprise leadership.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- 7-10+ years of progressive quality experience in manufacturing, including 3+ years in a supervisory/management capacity
- Proven experience leading quality teams and driving defect prevention in a manufacturing setting
Preferred
- Experience in marine, automotive, RV, or other high-mix/custom manufacturing
- Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification
- Experience with ISO 9001 quality management systems
Key Competencies
- People leadership and development
- Accountability
- Prevention-oriented mindset
- Data-driven decision making
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Ethics, integrity, honesty
- Change management
- Teamwork: Balances team and individual responsibilities; Exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; Gives and welcomes feedback; contributes to building a positive team spirit; Puts success of team above own interests; Supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.
- Motivation: Measures self against standard of excellence.
- Quality: Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.
- Attendance/Punctuality: Is consistently at work and on time.
- Dependability: Takes responsibility for own actions.
Physical Demands
Continuous/C = 67-100%, Frequent/F = 33-66%, Occasional/O = 33%, None/N
- Sits ___ hours
- Stands ___ hours
- Walks ___ hours
- Drives ___ hours
- Employee Lifts and/or Carries: type amount of weight in each area. Maximum: 50 (lbs.) Frequently: 20 (lbs.) Occasionally: 35 (lbs.)
- Employee Uses Hands For Repetitive Activities Simple Grasping: Right, Left, Pushing/Pulling: Right, Left, Fine Manipulation: Right, Left
- Employee Uses Feet For Repetitive Activities Right: Left:
- Bending At Waist
- Employee is required to perform these activities: Squatting Climbing Ladders, Stairs: Kneeling On Ground Reaching Above Shoulder
Work Environment
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job (i.e., heat/cold, dust/dampness, height; chemical; noise) PPE requirements are included. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
- Hands-on role with significant presence on the manufacturing floor.
- Exposure to various settings - fiberglass, finishing, and assembly operations.