Quality Manager

Hydra-Power Systems (HPS) designs and manufactures integrated hydraulic circuit manifolds, custom power unit systems, and packaged power unit solutions, and distributes hydraulic and pneumatic components. Operations span two ISO 9001-certified facilities in Portland, Oregon and Birmingham, Alabama, with recertification completed in 2026. The company operates on EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System), utilizing quarterly Rocks, weekly Level 10 meetings, scorecard measurables, and a live issues list resolved through IDS.

About the role

The Quality Manager is accountable for the design, integrity, and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS) across Manifold Manufacturing, Solutions, Systems Manufacturing, and Distribution at both facilities. This role serves as Management Representative, leads the quarterly Quality Management Review, and acts as custodian of the company's documented core processes. The position focuses on advancing an ongoing quality transformation, with near-term priorities including transferring corrective action ownership to departments, updating controlled documentation, building internal audit capacity, and consolidating supplier quality and customer compliance requests.

Responsibilities

• Quality management system: Develop, implement, manage, audit, and maintain the QMS against stated Quality Objectives and ISO 9001 standards. Maintain document control for procedures, work instructions, forms, and records. Update controlled documentation following the ERP migration, complete the transition of core processes to a new documentation platform, and establish a recurring review cycle.
• Corrective action: Oversee investigations and participate in the Material Review Board. Drive root cause analysis using structured methods and verify effectiveness before closure. Transfer corrective action ownership from Quality to the departments responsible for affected processes, train department leaders, and sustain the model.
• Customer quality: Serve as the primary contact for customer quality failures, owning the response, containment, and corrective action commitments. Handle quality-related complaints and returns, and lead customer and third-party quality audits.
• Management representation: Prepare and lead the quarterly Quality Management Review. Communicate quality issues, risks, and performance at audit debriefs and departmental meetings. Exercise independent judgment on product disposition, including authority to hold non-conforming product.
• Quality systems and data: Advance the Zendesk quality ticketing system and Domo reporting to include routing, categorization, response targets, and reporting of recurring failure modes. Support departments in establishing quality measurables on their scorecards and consolidate company-wide performance reporting in Domo.
• Internal audit: Plan, schedule, and execute the internal audit program at both facilities. Recruit, train, and qualify internal auditors from across the business to ensure audit capacity is distributed. Deliver the schedule on time and issue formal, standardized findings reports.
• Supplier quality: Manage supplier qualification, performance monitoring, scorecards, and corrective action requests, including supplier audits. Establish systematic supplier quality tracking through Zendesk and Domo to replace email-based issue management and drive measurable improvements in supplier defect rates.
• Customer compliance requests: Own new-vendor qualification packets and recurring customer questionnaires on ITAR, export control, quality, code of conduct, cybersecurity, and related topics. Log, triage, and route requests to subject matter experts, track internal due dates, assemble responses, and ensure on-time delivery.
• Cross-functional accountability: Define, socialize, and enforce ownership for multi-department handoffs, including defects, Systems RMAs, machine shop evaluations, receiving disposition, and sales-to-quality escalations.
• Compliance and supporting programs: Maintain currency with quality regulations and standards, leading resulting change management. Manage RoHS, REACH, and Proposition 65 compliance. Oversee calibration scheduling, records, and equipment status at both facilities, and manage quality onboarding and the company training matrix.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a technical discipline, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Seven or more years of progressive quality experience in manufacturing, including at least three years with primary ownership of a quality management system.
• Hands-on experience maintaining ISO 9001 certification, including leading surveillance and recertification audits.
• Demonstrated experience implementing a quality system or platform change and driving adoption, including addressing non-adoption.
• Experience transferring quality ownership to process owners and sustaining it.
• Documented record of closing corrective actions to verified effectiveness, with examples of root cause analysis, actions taken, and proof of effectiveness.
• Experience recruiting, training, and qualifying internal auditors from outside the quality function.
• Experience owning a multi-department response process end-to-end (e.g., customer compliance questionnaires, vendor qualification packets, or audit responses) with accountability for on-time, complete delivery.
• Working proficiency with statistical process control, process capability analysis, sampling plans, and measurement system analysis (gage R&R).
• Ability to build and maintain quality reporting and dashboards independently.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T), and technical specifications.
• Certification such as CMQ/OE (ASQ); CQA, CQE, or CSSBB also valued.
• Experience in an EOS or Traction organization, or a comparable structured operating system.
• Experience in hydraulics, fluid power, machining, or assembled mechanical and industrial products.
• Experience supporting manufacturing and distribution operations under a single QMS.
• Experience remediating controlled documentation following an ERP migration.
• Familiarity with customer compliance questionnaires covering export control (ITAR/EAR), cybersecurity frameworks (NIST SP 800-171, CMMC), conflict minerals, and code of conduct/ESG, sufficient to route questions to experts.
• Familiarity with Zendesk, Domo, Whale or SharePoint, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, or close equivalents.
• Multi-site quality experience.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid time off.

Pay

Base salary of $130,000 to $150,000 depending on experience and certification, plus a target annual bonus of 10% of base salary. Placement within the range is determined by demonstrated experience, education, and certification.

Physical requirements and work environment

The position regularly requires sitting, talking, and hearing; frequently requires walking; and occasionally requires standing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting or moving up to 50 pounds. Noise level is usually moderate, with occasional exposure to chemicals, odors, loud noise, and mechanical moving parts on the production and warehouse floor. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.