Hands-On Quality Director: Strategy & Continuous Improvement

Reading Truck; Indianapolis (IN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack seek a Director of Quality to lead the quality strategy and systems, with a hands‑on role on the shop floor. This role drives prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement across manufacturing, assembly, installation, and supplier quality while collaborating with operations, engineering, product management, and supply chain.

The position ensures products meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Quality Assurance, Quality Management, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 8 years in manufacturing/assembly, 5+ years leading quality teams.
• Experience with supplier quality, process capability, and Lean/CI is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Quality Operations function across Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack.
• Develop quality goals, metrics, accountabilities, and performance expectations.
• Develop and execute quality strategies aligned with business objectives, customer expectations, and operational priorities.
• Provide leadership, coaching, and direction to quality managers, supervisors, inspectors, technicians, and hourly team members.
• Maintain a strong hands-on presence in manufacturing, assembly, installation, and upfit areas to identify issues, coach teams, and drive timely resolution.
• Develop, maintain, and improve quality systems, policies, procedures, standards, and inspection methods.
• Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing improvement of a quality APP to strengthen quality visibility, data capture, reporting, corrective action tracking, and operational accountability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable customer, regulatory, company, and quality management requirements.
• Oversee quality documentation, audit readiness, inspection records, corrective actions, and quality reporting.
• Improve the use of data, systems, and technology to support faster decision‑making and stronger quality execution.
• Oversee incoming, in‑process, and final inspection activities for commercial vehicle equipment, van interiors, shelving systems, storage solutions, and upfit products.
• Approve and support manufacturing quality plans, control plans, inspection criteria, and product verification processes.
• Partner directly with Operations, Engineering, Product Management, and Supply Chain to support new product introductions, process changes, and product improvements.
• Monitor and improve key quality measures, including defects, rework, scrap, first‑pass yield, supplier performance, warranty trends, and process capability.
• Lead hands‑on process reviews and capability assessments to identify variation, production risks, and opportunities to improve repeatability and quality performance.
• Support supplier quality performance through issue resolution, specification alignment, corrective action follow‑up, and supplier performance reviews.
• Work with Supply Chain, Engineering, and Operations to identify supplier‑related quality risks and drive containment, root cause, and long‑term corrective action.
• Help establish and improve supplier quality expectations, incoming quality standards, and supplier scorecard measures.
• Lead or support process capability assessments for critical manufacturing, assembly, installation, and supplier processes.
• Use process data and quality results to identify gaps in capability, control, training, equipment, material, or workmanship standards.
• Use quality data, statistical analysis, customer feedback, warranty information, supplier performance, and operational metrics to identify improvement opportunities.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective / preventive action activities for internal defects, supplier issues, customer complaints, warranty concerns, and field issues.
• Promote Lean, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement practices to reduce variation, improve process capability, and strengthen operational performance.
• Develop training programs that improve workmanship standards, process discipline, and quality awareness.
• Drive practical, shop‑floor‑focused problem solving that addresses both immediate containment and sustainable long‑term improvement.
• Serve as a primary quality contact for customer complaints, escalations, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Partner with Customer Service, Warranty, Sales, Legal, and business leadership on quality‑related customer or regulatory matters.
• Build strong working relationships across departments, brands, product lines, suppliers, and locations.
• Provide hands‑on support during quality escalations, supplier issues, production disruptions, field concerns, and customer‑impacting events.
• Travel required, approximately 25% to 40%.

Skills

Quality Leadership

Lean Six Sigma

Cross-functional Collaboration

Data-driven Decision Making

Shop Floor Presence

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Quality Assurance or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Quality management software

Excel

Job description

Reading Truck Equipment and Masterack seek a Director of Quality to lead the quality strategy and systems, with a hands‑on role on the shop floor. This role drives prevention, accountability, and continuous improvement across manufacturing, assembly, installation, and supplier quality while collaborating with operations, engineering, product management, and supply chain.

The position ensures products meet customer expectations and regulatory requirements.