Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager

 Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager

The Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager is a builder role focused on establishing the operational foundation the warehouse currently lacks — documented processes, a performance measurement system, and a disciplined continuous improvement framework. In parallel, this role will launch the warehouse’s first outbound quality control function, starting lean and maturing into a repeatable inspection standard. The position also owns customer escalation management, serving as the operational point of contact when order quality issues reach the customer. This is a cross-functional role reporting directly to senior leadership and influencing through expertise, consistency, and operational credibility.

Role & Responsibilities

Continuous Process Improvement

• Lead structured improvement initiatives across outbound and inbound operations.
• Conduct root cause analysis on recurring errors and quality failures; drive corrective actions to completion and ensure sustainability.
• Build a cadence of improvement through regular reviews, prioritized problem lists, and visible progress tracking.
• Partner with operational managers to surface floor-level issues and translate them into solvable process problems.

SOP Ownership

• Build the warehouse SOP library from the ground up — documenting actual workflows, standardizing them, and improving them over time.
• Maintain current procedures as processes evolve; ensure SOPs are accessible and consistently followed.
• Own onboarding and training documentation to support consistent execution across team leads and individual contributors.

Data Analytics & KPI Ownership

• Design and maintain dashboards, scorecards, and shift reports that provide reliable operational visibility.
• Partner with managers to define meaningful targets and embed accountability into weekly performance rhythms.
• Produce accurate performance data; identify trends, anomalies, and leading indicators before they escalate.
• Own the weekly performance review cadence — preparation, facilitation, and follow-up.

Outbound QC Build-Out

• Establish the warehouse’s first outbound QC function — define inspection criteria, build processes, and hire/develop 1–2 QC staff.
• Focus initial QC on outbound order accuracy, ensuring orders are correct, complete, and meet shipment standards.
• Track defect rates and accuracy metrics; use data to prioritize QC efforts.
• Build toward a scalable, repeatable QC standard as the team grows.

Customer Escalation Management

• Serve as the operational point of contact for escalations related to order quality, shipment accuracy, or fulfillment errors.
• Investigate issues, identify root causes, and coordinate resolution across inbound and outbound teams.
• Close the loop with customer-facing teams through clear findings and corrective actions.
• Track escalation patterns to identify systemic issues and feed them into the improvement roadmap.

Key Metrics

• Outbound order accuracy
• Escalation volume and resolution time
• SOP coverage (documented and current)
• KPI scorecard cadence and accuracy
• Continuous improvement project completion rate
• Error recurrence rate after corrective action

Desired Qualifications

• 3+ years in warehouse operations, supply chain, or logistics, with experience in process improvement, quality, or analytics.
• Proven ability to build operational infrastructure from scratch — SOPs, KPI systems, or QC functions.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort presenting operational data to leadership.
• Experience handling customer escalations in a fulfillment or operations environment.
• Hands-on experience writing SOPs in a fast-paced warehouse setting.
• Continuous improvement methodology experience (Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• Ability to operate with minimal direction and set priorities based on operational gaps.

Competencies

• Builder mindset — energized by creating structure where little exists.
• Analytical rigor — builds systems and data that withstand scrutiny.
• Influence without authority — earns credibility through expertise and consistency.
• Customer orientation — treats quality failures as signals to improve.
• Operational credibility — understands how warehouse work is done and why processes break.

Liza Klein -NextTA