Quality Excellence Group Leader

Overview

Bachelor's degree in Quality, Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline. Minimum 8+ years of experience in Quality Management Systems (QMS), Quality Operating Systems (QOS), quality process deployment, and compliance management within automotive or manufacturing environments. This position is focused on leading Client Quality Excellence organization, including ownership of QMS, QOS, PMT, quality systems integration, and continuous improvement initiatives across the business. The role involves managing quality system development, deployment, validation, training, adoption, and ongoing optimization while ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and automotive quality standards. The leader will work closely with Quality, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Operations, IT, Engineering, and external partners to ensure quality systems remain scalable, compliant, effective, and capable of supporting rapid organizational growth. This position requires strong leadership capabilities, deep quality systems knowledge, audit expertise, organizational influence, and the ability to build and lead high-performing teams in a fast-paced startup environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Quality Excellence Leadership
  • Lead and develop teams supporting Q-Excellence, QMS, QOS, and PMT initiatives
  • Define and execute Quality Excellence strategies aligned with business objectives
  • Establish quality governance, standards, processes, and best practices across the organization
  • Drive organizational adoption of quality methodologies and continuous improvement principles
• Quality Systems Management
  • Lead quality systems from startup, deployment, validation, rollout, training, support, and continuous improvement
  • Define long-term strategy and roadmap for QMS and QOS processes
  • Ensure quality systems remain reliable, scalable, secure, and compliant
  • Manage stakeholder requirements, user feedback, and enhancement priorities
• Audit & Certification Leadership
  • Lead ISO and IATF certification efforts across the organization
  • Oversee internal, external, and certification audit activities
  • Support supplier audit activities as required
  • Drive corrective actions and closure of audit findings
  • Maintain compliance with automotive quality standards and customer expectations
• Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence
  • Lead Quality Excellence and Continuous Improvement initiatives
  • Support implementation of corrective and preventive actions
  • Drive process optimization, standardization, and performance improvement projects
  • Lead special projects focused on operational excellence, data analysis, and quality performance
• Quality Data & Performance Management
  • Monitor quality system effectiveness and compliance performance
  • Support quality reporting, analytics, and KPI development
  • Drive data accuracy, integrity, and accessibility
  • Identify trends, risks, and opportunities through data-driven analysis
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Engineering, Operations, Product Development, and IT teams
  • Support integration of quality systems across functional organizations
  • Collaborate with external vendors and technology providers
  • Align quality objectives with broader business priorities
• Training & Organizational Development
  • Provide coaching, guidance, and mentoring to quality systems personnel and users
  • Support organizational training initiatives related to quality systems and standards
  • Promote a culture of quality, accountability, collaboration, and operational excellence
  • Act as a subject matter expert for quality systems, compliance, and quality excellence programs

Profile

• Experienced quality leader with strong expertise in Quality Management Systems and operational excellence
• Proven ability to build, develop, and lead high-performing teams
• Highly autonomous with a strong ownership mindset
• Comfortable operating within startup and high-growth manufacturing environments
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision maker
• Effective communicator capable of influencing stakeholders at all organizational levels
• Strong project management and organizational leadership capabilities
• Passionate about quality, continuous improvement, and long-term operational excellence

Must Have

• 8+ years of experience managing QMS and QOS systems in automotive or manufacturing environments
• Experience leading quality systems deployment, integration, validation, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Strong knowledge of: ISO 9001, IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA
• Experience leading audit and certification activities
• VDA, ISO, or IATF auditor experience
• Experience leading teams and cross-functional initiatives
• Strong project management skills
• Experience driving corrective and preventive actions
• Strong technical and procedural writing capabilities
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to work effectively in fast-paced startup environments

Good to Have

• Lead Auditor Certification (IATF, ISO, or VDA)
• Experience with PLM, MES, and ERP integrations
• Automotive startup or greenfield manufacturing experience
• Experience building enterprise quality systems from the ground up
• Experience supporting Supplier Quality and Manufacturing Quality organizations
• Advanced quality analytics and reporting experience
• Experience driving enterprise-wide Operational Excellence programs
• OEM or Tier 1 automotive experience