Director of Quality
General Summary:
The Director of Quality leads the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Metal Technologies’ corporate quality systems, standards, and improvement initiatives across its manufacturing locations. The position directly manages assigned quality personnel and partners with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Sales, and plant leadership to improve customer satisfaction, reduce the cost of poor quality, and strengthen launch performance. The Director translates business and quality priorities into actionable plans, provides technical guidance and oversight, and develops the capabilities of the quality organization. Plant leadership retains accountability for manufacturing execution, process control, and outgoing product quality.
Principle Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of the enterprise Quality Management System, including applicable IATF 16949, ISO 9001, customer-specific, and regulatory requirements. Maintain the Corporate Quality Manual and ensure policies and procedures are current and effectively deployed.
Translate corporate quality strategy into annual objectives, work plans, common standards, and measurable improvement initiatives aligned with business and customer requirements.
Provide functional leadership and technical support to plant Quality Managers and manufacturing teams. Coordinate resources and escalate significant quality risks while preserving plant management accountability for operational results.
Direct quality planning and launch-readiness support, including APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, process capability, Safe Launch, containment, and lessons learned.
Lead structured problem solving for significant or recurring quality issues. Establish expectations for 8D, root-cause analysis, error proofing, corrective action, verification of effectiveness, and prevention of recurrence.
Partner with plant leadership to resolve customer complaints, escalations, and complex technical problems. Communicate progress, risk, containment, and corrective-action commitments to customers and company leadership.
Maintain common quality scorecards and analyze customer quality, internal defects, scrap and rework, cost of poor quality, supplier performance, launch performance, audit results, and corrective-action effectiveness. Drive follow-up on performance gaps.
Coordinate corporate quality-system and process audits, layered process audit expectations, and applicable customer and industry assessments. Monitor audit findings and timely completion of effective corrective actions.
Partner with Supply Chain and plant teams to implement supplier qualification, performance monitoring, development, escalation, and corrective-action programs.
Standardize quality methods appropriate to foundry and machining operations, including metallurgical and dimensional controls, metrology, calibration, traceability, defect prevention, and applicable AIAG CQI special-process assessments.
Identify systemic trends and recurring failure modes across facilities. Coordinate the deployment of corrective actions, lessons learned, and best practices to other affected locations.
Develop and deliver training in quality systems, automotive core tools, statistical methods, problem solving, customer requirements, and quality leadership.
Provide input into budgets, staffing, capital priorities, laboratory and metrology capabilities, and quality technology investments. Manage assigned resources to support business and customer priorities.
Promote prevention, fact-based decisions, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Directly supervise assigned quality personnel, establish individual goals, delegate responsibilities, set priorities, and monitor completion and effectiveness of assigned work.
Lead recruiting, selection, onboarding, and training of direct reports in partnership with Human Resources and appropriate leadership.
Conduct regular coaching discussions and performance reviews, recognize contributions, address performance concerns, and administer corrective action in accordance with company policies.
Develop individual development plans and succession plans to strengthen technical expertise, leadership capabilities, and organizational continuity.
Balance workloads and deploy team resources to the highest-priority customer, plant, and corporate needs. Reinforce safe work practices and compliance with company policies.
Knowledge, Skill, and Ability Requirements:
Strong knowledge of IATF 16949, ISO 9001, automotive customer-specific requirements, and quality-management-system principles.
Proficiency in APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, 8D, root-cause analysis, error proofing, DOE, and statistical problem solving.
Working knowledge of foundry and machining quality risks, metallurgy, process capability, dimensional control, metrology, traceability, and applicable AIAG CQI requirements; CQI-27 knowledge strongly preferred.
Ability to lead and develop direct reports while influencing plant and cross-functional teams in a decentralized, multi-site manufacturing organization.
Strong customer and supplier relationship skills, including the ability to communicate clearly during significant quality events and maintain accountability for commitments.
Ability to distinguish systemic quality issues from plant-specific execution issues, assess risk, establish priorities, and make timely decisions based on data.
Business and financial understanding of scrap, rework, sorting, containment, premium freight, customer chargebacks, warranty costs where applicable, and total cost of poor quality.
Effective written, verbal, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to communicate from the plant floor through senior leadership and lead organizational change.
Working Conditions:
Work is performed in office and manufacturing environments, with regular presence in foundry and machining facilities and compliance with applicable safety requirements and personal protective equipment requirements.
Travel to MTI manufacturing locations, customers, and suppliers is expected to be approximately 25%, depending on business needs. Travel may involve driving or commercial transportation.
May require response to significant customer, supplier, launch, or manufacturing quality issues outside normal business hours.
Must be able to perform office work using standard computer and communication equipment, communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders, and move safely through manufacturing facilities, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Education and Experience Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Metallurgy, Materials Science, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline required; advanced technical degree or MBA preferred.
Ten or more years of progressive quality, engineering, or manufacturing experience, including at least five years in quality leadership with direct responsibility for managing and developing employees.
Experience leading corporate or multi-site quality initiatives, implementing quality systems, supporting manufacturing locations, and working directly with automotive customers and suppliers.
Foundry, metal casting, and/or machining experience strongly preferred. Automotive or other demanding, process-intensive manufacturing experience is highly desirable.
Demonstrated record of improving customer quality, internal defects, scrap and rework, cost of poor quality, launch performance, supplier performance, and quality-system effectiveness.
ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Certified Quality Engineer, Six Sigma Black Belt, IATF Lead Auditor, VDA 6.3, or equivalent certifications preferred.
Quality Governance: Corporate Quality establishes common systems, standards, methods, training, auditing, and technical support. Plant management remains accountable for manufacturing execution, process control, shipment decisions, plant corrective-action execution, audit readiness, and sustained outgoing product quality.
Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.