Quality Manager

Job Summary:

The Quality Manager is a key operations leader responsible for setting purpose, direction, and expectations for the Quality team, including Quality Control, Quality Assurance, Quality Technicians, and Quality Engineers. This role defines and executes the strategic quality roadmap for Daniels Manufacturing Corporation, ensuring consistent delivery of high-quality products by mitigating corporate and customer risk and eliminating defects and waste in manufacturing processes. Operating effectively in a fast-paced, high-mix environment with changing priorities, the Quality Manager leads with clarity, operates well in ambiguity, and takes extreme ownership of departmental results and key metrics. As a strong people leader, this role develops talent, builds a high-performance culture, and models the DMC mission, vision, and core values. The Quality Manager also aligns robust, scalable processes and technology integration to strengthen inspection capability, and is expected to be hands-on and highly proficient in inspection methods and metrology, including precision hand tools, CMM, and optical measurement systems.

Essential Job Functions:

• Set purpose, vision, and strategic direction for the Quality function; translate corporate objectives into an actionable quality roadmap and operating plan.
• Lead, coach, and develop the Quality team through regular feedback, training, and succession planning; build accountability and influence a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Take extreme ownership of Quality department key results; proactively identify risks and drive prioritization and decision-making when operating with incomplete information or ambiguity.
• Define, implement, and track key Quality metrics and consistently meet or exceed them.
• Ensure that the organization’s Quality Management System conforms to customer, internal, AS/ISO, and regulatory/legal requirements.
• Support and perform Quality Internal Auditor program to ensure continual staff of trained auditors.
• Conduct periodic management review meetings along with annual AS9100 audits.
• Professionally represent the Quality department in various business process activities.
• Develop and standardize robust quality processes, and lead technology and data integrations (e.g., inspection data capture, SPC, digital work instructions, dashboards) to improve capability, traceability, and speed of response.
• Maintain Quality Control processes in accordance with Aerospace, Military, and Customer standards maintaining traceability, adherence to customer requirements, internal requirements, and good business judgement.
• Use a systems approach to improve end-to-end quality performance (incoming, in-process, and final inspection), ensuring effective feedback loops, data visibility, and escalation paths.
• Lead Supplier Quality Management and supplier development: qualify suppliers, define quality requirements, monitor performance, and drive effective containment, root cause, and corrective actions to improve capability and reduce risk.
• Maintain strong customer focus by providing excellent, responsive customer service; communicate clearly on quality status, containment actions, and timing, and ensure commitments are met and corrective actions are closed.
• Communicate directly with customers and suppliers regarding first article/approval production runs, performance trends, corrective action reports, quality surveys, and escalations.
• Principal expert in hands-on inspection capability; ensure effective use, calibration, and training for precision hand tools, CMM, and optical measurement equipment; establish measurement strategy aligned with production approaches
• Develop, document and execute detailed quality systems and PPAP documentation
• Lead root cause analysis and implementation of corrective and preventive actions. 

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in an Engineering discipline or similarly technical field required
• Minimum of 5 years of Quality Management experience required
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using data-driven problem solving in partnership with peer managers across Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Customer Service.
• Superior verbal, written, and face-to-face communication skills.
• Proven ability to build and lead effective cross-functional teams
• Demonstrated ability to project a professional and knowledgeable personal image 
• Experience in working with senior management to align strategic vision with tactical execution
• Proven ability to analyze, explain, and solve problems with minimal or no direction
• Expert level of Inspection / Quality Control knowledge in a metal manufacturing environment.
• Ability to collect, analyze, and interpret quality data to make decisions, solve problems, develop forecasts and perform risk analysis.
• Proven ability to develop, document and execute detailed quality plans.
• Demonstrated ability to interpret blueprints including Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerance (GD&T).
• Strong root cause analysis techniques and implementation of corrective and preventive actions. 
• Expert knowledge of ISO 9001-2015 and AS9100D standards.
• MBA or Advanced Degree preferred
• ASQ Certifications preferred                                                                                                 

Management reserves the right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

EOE, including disability/vets