Head – Quality Assurance

iSTEEL; Thiruvallur District; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

ISTEEL seeks aSenior Head of Quality Assurance to lead the Rolling Mill quality function for TMT bar manufacturing. You will oversee raw material inspection, in-process control, final product quality, and customer complaint resolution, ensuring ISO and DNV certifications are maintained and expanded.

You will manage a 15–20 person QA team across lab and shop floor, drive continuous improvement, and steer new grade development in line with market needs.

Qualifications

• Strong grounding in steel grades, metallurgy, and TMT bar manufacturing.
• Rolling mill process flow, SOPs, and quality checkpoints from raw material to finished product.
• ISO and DNV procedures, certification requirements, and audit management.
• Root cause analysis, CAPA, and data-driven decision making for quality improvement.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end quality control for the Rolling Mill — from raw material through finished TMT bar dispatch.
• Establish, review, and enforce SOPs and quality control plans across all rolling mill stages.
• Monitor mechanical properties and dimensional tolerances against IS and customer specs.
• Drive CAPA for process deviations and non-conformances.

Skills

Steel & Metallurgy Fundamentals

Process Knowledge

Quality Systems

Spectro Analysis

Analytical Ability

Education

BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering

Tools

Spectro (spectrometer)

Job description

Job Purpose

To head the Quality Assurance function for ISTEEL's Rolling Mill (TMT bar manufacturing for construction, multiple grades), ensuring robust quality control across raw material inspection, in-process and final product quality, customer complaint resolution, new grade development, and management system certifications (ISO & DNV

Key Responsibilities

1. Quality Control & Process Assurance

• Own end-to-end quality control for the Rolling Mill — from raw material (billets/scrap-derived inputs) through in-process rolling stages to finished TMT bar dispatch.
• Establish, review, and enforce Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and quality control plans across all rolling mill process stages.
• Monitor mechanical properties (yield strength, UTS, elongation, bend/re-bend) and dimensional tolerances of TMT bars across all grades against IS and customer specifications.
• Drive root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive action (CAPA) for process deviations and quality non-conformances.

2. Raw Material Inspection

• Institute and monitor incoming raw material inspection protocols (billets, alloys, scrap-related inputs, sponge iron where applicable) to ensure conformance to specification before release to production.
• Coordinate with procurement and stores for sampling, chemical/mechanical testing, and vendor quality feedback.
• Maintain vendor quality scorecards and drive supplier quality improvement where required.
• Own the customer complaint resolution process end-to-end — investigation, root cause analysis, corrective action, and closure communication.
• Track complaint trends and drive systemic improvements to reduce recurrence.
• Liaise with sales/marketing and customers directly where technical clarification or site visits are required.

4. New Grade Development (R&D)

• Lead development and trial rolling of new TMT/steel grades in line with market and customer requirements.
• Work with process/production teams to establish chemistry, rolling parameters, and cooling practices for new grades.
• Document trial results, validate mechanical properties, and finalize SOPs for new grade production.

5. Quality Systems, Certification & Audits

• Own and maintain ISO (9001 and applicable series) and DNV certification and surveillance requirements.
• Plan and conduct internal audits across QA, production, and stores functions; coordinate external/certification body audits.
• Ensure documentation, records, and calibration systems remain audit-ready at all times.
• Drive closure of audit findings (internal & external) within defined timelines.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a QA team of 15–20 members ranging from Deputy Manager to Operator/Helper level.
• Define roles, responsibilities, and shift-wise coverage across the QA lab and shop-floor quality checkpoints.
• Build technical capability within the team through training on testing methods, standards, and equipment.
• As ISTEEL backward-integrates into steel making, this role's scope will expand to cover quality control for the steel making process (furnace metallurgy, casting quality, billet quality) in addition to the Rolling Mill.

Knowledge & Skills Required

• Steel & Metallurgy Fundamentals: Strong grounding in steel grades, metallurgy, and TMT bar manufacturing process flow.
• Process Knowledge: Rolling mill process flow, SOPs, and quality checkpoints from raw material to finished product.
• Quality Systems: ISO and DNV procedures, certification requirements, and both internal and external audit management.
• Preferred Additional Knowledge: Spectro (spectrometer) analysis for chemical composition, steel mechanical properties and testing, different types of steel scrap, and sponge iron characteristics.
• Analytical Ability: Root cause analysis, CAPA, and data-driven decision making for quality improvement.

Candidate Profile

• BE / B.Tech in Metallurgical Engineering (mandatory).
• 10–15 years of experience in a steel making company, forging company, or the broader steel industry; relevant equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Candidates from strong steel industry backgrounds are welcome even without direct TMT bar / rolling mill manufacturing experience — the metallurgy qualification above remains mandatory.
• Demonstrated experience managing a quality team and handling ISO/DNV certification and audits.
• Strong leadership and people management skills to lead a mid-sized, multi-level team.
• High attention to detail with a strong ownership mindset on quality outcomes.
• Strong communication skills for customer-facing complaint handling and cross-functional coordination.
• Ability to work in a growing organization and take on expanded scope (steel making) as the business scales.