Business Quality Leader

Ascent Industries Co; Cleveland (TN); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascent Industries Co. is seeking a Business Quality Leader to drive Enterprise Quality across its multi-site manufacturing network. You will lead quality improvements, risk management, and proactive performance initiatives, translating issues into enterprise priorities and financial value.

Regular travel across sites, with relocation assistance as needed. The role requires 10+ years of progressive quality leadership in specialty chemicals, strong analytical judgment, and a demonstrated ability

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive Quality leadership experience within specialty chemicals or related manufacturing environments.
• Demonstrated experience leading Quality across multiple chemical sites and driving enterprise-level improvements.
• Proven track record of delivering measurable financial value through enterprise Quality initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001, QMS, statistical quality principles, and ERP/manufacturing systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead and prioritize the Quality Improvement Project Portfolio across sites.
• Provide leadership to Site Quality Managers and QA Manager with enterprise view.
• Drive cross-site Quality performance, benchmark results, and transfer best practices.
• Improve First-Time-In-Spec performance, product consistency, and corrective-action effectiveness.
• Establish expectations for Quality Change Management across materials and processes.

Skills

Quality leadership

Cross-functional influence

Statistical quality

ERP systems

Quality improvement

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemistry or chemical engineering or related technical field

Tools

Quality Management Systems

ISO 9001 knowledge

Job description

Location: On-site at one of our manufacturing facilities in Cleveland, TN; Danville, VA; or Fountain Inn, SC. Relocation assistance is available. Approximately 30% travel is required.

Job Description

The Business Quality Leader will lead Ascent’s Enterprise Quality organization across its manufacturing network and drive a more consistent, proactive approach to product-quality performance, risk management, and continuous improvement. The role will lead the team in converting Quality issues, customer complaints, and manufacturing changes into improvement opportunities and enterprise priorities, while building a culture of analytical excellence and disciplined problem-solving across all our sites. The successful candidate will bring extensive multi-site Quality leadership experience within specialty chemical manufacturing, strong technical judgment, and a demonstrated track record of delivering meaningful financial value through enterprise Quality excellence initiatives.

Ascent Industries Co. is a specialty chemicals platform delivering differentiated, performance-driven chemical solutions to a diverse set of end markets. The Company develops, manufactures, and supplies tailored formulations and intermediates that enhance product performance and optimize industrial processes. The Company's core product portfolio includes surfactants, defoamers, lubricating agents, flame retardants, and specialty intermediates, offered in both petroleum-based and bio-based formulations. Ascent's products are used as critical ingredients and process aids in applications such as cleaning formulations, coatings systems, oilfield production chemicals, agrochemical formulations, metalworking fluids, water treatment solutions, and industrial textiles.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Lead and prioritize the Quality Improvement Project Portfolio, focusing on the highest-value opportunities to improve product quality, reduce recurrence, and deliver measurable financial value by partnering across Manufacturing, R&D, Process Engineering, Commercial, and Supply Chain.

Provide leadership to the Site Quality Managers and Quality Assurance Manager, establishing clear priorities while maintaining an enterprise view of product-quality performance and risk across sites.

Drive cross-site Quality performance by benchmarking results, identifying systemic risks and improvement opportunities, and transferring effective practices and learnings.

Drive measurable improvement in First-Time-In-Spec performance, product consistency, recurring Quality issues, customer complaints, and corrective-action effectiveness.

Build a culture of analytical excellence, strengthening analytical methods, measurement reliability, laboratory practices, and disciplined technical problem-solving across the manufacturing network.

Establish expectations for Quality Change Management, ensuring significant raw-material, supplier, formulation, product, process, and site changes are appropriately assessed, validated, monitored, and successfully implemented in manufacturing.

Ensure significant Quality issues, customer complaints, and root-cause investigations receive appropriate technical rigor, corrective action, and recurrence prevention.

Identify and prioritize enterprise investments in analytical capability, Quality systems, methods, tools, and technical training based on Quality risk and business need across the manufacturing network. Other Duties as Assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

Bachelor’s degree in chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Engineering, Materials Science, or a closely related technical discipline.

10+ years of progressive Quality leadership experience within specialty chemicals, polymers, surfactants, emulsions, lubricants, or related chemical manufacturing environments.

Demonstrated experience leading Quality across multiple chemical manufacturing sites, including leading multiple site Quality teams, driving Quality expectations across product lines, identifying systemic issues, and transferring effective practices and technical learnings.

Demonstrated track record of leading transformational enterprise Quality improvement initiatives that delivered measurable financial results.

Strong technical understanding of chemical manufacturing, product quality, analytical methods, specifications, process variability, and root cause analysis.

Strong working knowledge of ISO 9001, Quality Management Systems, statistical Quality principles, and manufacturing/ERP systems.

Strong ability to influence cross-functional teams and communicate Quality performance, risks, priorities, and recommendations to senior leadership.

Ability to be based in Cleveland, Tennessee; Danville, Virginia; or Fountain Inn, South Carolina, with regular travel across the manufacturing network.

Relocation Assistance provided if applicable.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS: ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), ASQ Certified Six Sigma Green Belt (CSSGB) or higher, ISO 9001 Lead Auditor / Auditor qualification, or equivalent

EEO: Ascent Industries is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws. We are committed to maintaining a workplace that promotes fairness, respect, and inclusion. All employment decisions, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, training, discipline, and termination, are based on legitimate business needs, individual qualifications, merit, and job-related criteria, consistent with applicable laws. Ascent Industries prohibits discrimination and harassment and strives to provide a work environment where all employees are treated with dignity and respect.