Senior Regional Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager

Cornerstone Building Brands, headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, is the largest manufacturer of external building products in North America with over $6 billion in annual revenue and an expansive North American footprint that includes almost 20,000 employees, operating in +70 manufacturing facilities, supported by a network of +80 distribution and branch office facilities.

About the role

The Senior Regional Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager is responsible for leading quality performance and continuous improvement initiatives across multiple manufacturing facilities within a region. This role integrates end-to-end quality accountability with the deployment of Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen methodologies, and the Cornerstone Production System. The role partners cross-functionally to drive standardization, improve operational performance, reduce cost of poor quality, and build a culture of continuous improvement and quality excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality assurance across multiple facilities aligned to enterprise strategy.
• Own end-to-end quality performance including design, manufacturing, and customer satisfaction.
• Monitor quality metrics and drive improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and quality systems.
• Drive standardization of processes and best practices.
• Lead development of quality documentation such as FMEA and Control Plans.
• Ensure consistent application of standardized work.
• Support underperforming sites to improve operations and partner with plant leaders to execute annual plans.
• Coach and develop local site level Quality Assurance employees.
• Implement digital quality systems and real-time monitoring tools.
• Promote error-proofing and advanced analytics.
• Deploy Lean Manufacturing and Kaizen methodologies across plants.
• Support the Cornerstone Production System across facilities.
• Facilitate Kaizen events and operational improvement initiatives.
• Support new product launches with continuous improvement activities.
• Lead structured problem solving and root cause analysis.
• Promote a quality-first and continuous improvement culture.
• Drive accountability and data-driven decision making.
• Coach and develop continuous improvement mindset/skillset at all levels of the organization.
• Deliver training and capability-building programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree (e.g., MBA, Engineering, Operations, or related discipline) strongly preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in manufacturing within a complex, multi-site environment.
• Minimum 5 years of leadership experience in product quality and 5 years leading Lean and/or Continuous Improvement initiatives in manufacturing settings.
• Deep expertise in Lean principles, Kaizen methodologies, and business process reengineering.
• Demonstrated ability to lead large-scale quality, operational, and cultural transformations across organizations.
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence, challenge, and effectively communicate with senior leadership.
• Proven capability to lead in a matrixed, cross-functional, and geographically dispersed organization.
• Exceptional facilitation, coaching, and change leadership skills; ability to build capability at all organizational levels.
• Advanced analytical skills with the ability to leverage data and statistical methodologies to drive decision-making and root cause problem solving.
• Thorough understanding of quality management systems, standards, and methodologies (ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or similar).
• Experience with third-party quality certifications and regulatory compliance processes preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to train, influence, and align diverse teams.
• Demonstrated ability to balance speed, quality, and risk to drive timely, effective decisions.
• Willingness and ability to travel up to 75%, including international travel as required.

Benefits

Full-time team members receive medical, dental and vision benefits starting day 1. Other benefits include PTO, paid holidays, FSA, life insurance, LTD, STD, 401k, EAP, discount programs, tuition reimbursement, training, and professional development. Union programs may vary depending on the collective bargaining agreement.