Quality Director

About the Role

The Director of Quality is responsible for developing, implementing, and leading the organization's quality management strategy across product development, supplier quality, manufacturing operations, and customer experience. This role ensures that quality is built into products and processes from concept through production while driving continuous improvement, operational excellence, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction. The Director of Quality partners closely with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, Product Development, and Customer Service to establish robust quality systems, improve manufacturing performance, reduce warranty costs, and support successful product launches.

Responsibilities

• Quality Leadership
  • Develop and execute the company's quality strategy aligned with business objectives.
  • Lead all aspects of the Quality Management System (QMS).
  • Establish quality goals, KPIs, and performance metrics.
  • Promote a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
  • Mentor and develop quality colleagues – team/inspectors/technicians.
• Product Development & Pre-Production Quality
  • Ensure quality requirements are integrated into product design and development processes.
  • Lead Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) activities.
  • Support advanced application into Design and Process FMEA reviews.
  • Approve production quality readiness and manufacturing quality launch criteria.
  • Develop Quality Control Plans and quality targets for new products.
  • Partner with Engineering to ensure Design for Manufacturability (DFM) and Design for Quality (DFQ) principles are applied.
• Manufacturing Quality
  • Establish process controls that ensure consistent product quality and compliance.
  • Drive root cause analysis and corrective action activities.
  • Implement SPC, process capability, and error-proofing methodologies.
  • Significantly reduce scrap, rework, defects, and warranty claims (Cost of Poor Quality).
  • Lead quality containment and escalation activities when required.
• Supplier Quality Management
  • Establish supplier qualification, monitoring, and development programs.
  • Drive supplier quality improvements through audits, corrective actions, and performance reviews.
  • Collaborate with Supply Chain to manage supplier risk and ensure incoming material quality.
  • Monitor supplier quality metrics and corrective action effectiveness.
• Customer & Warranty Quality
  • Lead customer complaint investigations and resolution processes.
  • Analyze warranty data and field quality trends.
  • Develop corrective and preventive action programs to eliminate recurring issues.
  • Support dealer and customer quality initiatives.
• Compliance & Audits
  • Ensure compliance with applicable marine industry standards, customer requirements, and regulatory requirements.
  • Manage internal and external audits.
  • Maintain organizational readiness for certification and compliance reviews.
  • Ensure documentation and quality records are maintained in accordance with standards.
• Continuous Improvement
  • Lead Lean Manufacturing concept creation and deployment.
  • Utilize data analytics to identify opportunities for quality and process improvement.
  • Establish best practices in problem solving and process standardization.
  • Drive cost-of-poor-quality reduction initiatives.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• First Pass Yield
• Internal Defect Rate
• Warranty Cost as % of Sales
• Customer Satisfaction Scores
• Supplier PPM Performance
• Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
• New Product Launch Quality Metrics
• Audit Findings and Closure Rate
• Scrap and Rework Reduction
• Corrective Action Effectiveness

Requirements

• Education
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or related field required.
  • Master's degree preferred.
• Experience
  • 10+ years of progressive quality leadership experience in manufacturing environments.
  • 5+ years leading quality teams at a manager or director level.
  • Experience in marine, automotive, recreational vehicle, aerospace, heavy equipment, or other complex manufacturing environments preferred.
  • Proven success lowering quality costs, launching new products, and establishing manufacturing quality systems.
• Technical Knowledge
  • Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001 preferred).
  • APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans.
  • Root Cause Analysis methodologies (8D, A3, DMAIC).
  • SPC and process capability analysis.
  • Lean Manufacturing methodologies and principles.
  • Supplier Quality Management.
  • Awareness of product validation and testing programs.
• Leadership Competencies
  • Strategic thinking and execution.
  • Cross-functional collaboration and influence.
  • Strong communication and presentation skills.
  • Data-driven decision making.
  • Change management leadership.
  • Ability to lead through ambiguity and growth.

Skills

• Language Skills
  • Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents.
  • Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers, regulatory agencies, or members of the business community.
  • Ability to write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format.
  • Ability to effectively present information to top management, public groups, and/or boards of directors.
• Mathematical Skills
  • Ability to apply advanced mathematical concepts such as exponents, logarithms, quadratic equations, and permutations.
  • Ability to apply mathematical operations to tasks such as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
• Reasoning Ability
  • Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems.
  • Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs, musical notes, etc.) in its most difficult phases.
  • Ability to deal with a variety of abstract and concrete variables.

Physical Demands

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.

• Sits: 3 hours
• Stands: 4 hours
• Walks: 3 hours
• Drives: 0 hours
• Employee Lifts and/or Carries:
  • Maximum: 50 lbs.
  • Frequently: 15 lbs.
  • Occasionally: 30 lbs.
• Employee Uses Hands For Repetitive Activities:
  • Simple Grasping: Right, Constant; Left, Constant
  • Pushing/Pulling: Right, Frequent; Left, Frequent
  • Fine Manipulation: Right, Occasional; Left, Occasional
• Employee Uses Feet For Repetitive Activities:
  • Right: Occasional
  • Left: Occasional
• Employee Is Required To Perform These Activities:
  • Bending at Waist: Frequent
  • Squatting: Frequent
  • Climbing Ladders, Stairs: Frequent
  • Kneeling on Ground: Frequent
  • Reaching Above Shoulder: Occasional

Work Environment

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Wet or humid conditions (non-weather)
• Work near moving mechanical parts
• Work in high, precarious places
• Fumes or airborne particles
• Toxic or caustic chemicals
• Risk of electrical shock
• Vibration
• Outdoor weather conditions

PPE Requirements: Safety glasses, hard hat, cut gloves, dust mask, safety goggles.

Competencies

• 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.