Product Quality Leader

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.; Neenah (WI); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc.

is seeking a Product Quality Leader to oversee the product-quality system across manufactured and purchased goods, establishing standards and driving corrective actions. This onsite role partners with Product Management, Supply Chain, and Operations to identify trends and risk, ensuring customer satisfaction. The position requires working onsite at our Neenah, WI corporate office at least four days a week, with options for partial remote work within

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in quality management, engineering, operations management, supply chain, business, or related field.
• In lieu of degree, an additional 4 years of related experience may be considered.
• ASQ certifications such as CQA, CQE, CMQ/OE or equivalent preferred, not required.
• Experience with ISO 9001/14001/45001 standards and quality data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Leads the quality program and ensures cross-functional involvement without direct people management.
• Manages ISO compliance, audits, and documentation.
• Oversees product-quality metrics including complaints, returns, and deficiencies.
• Collaborates with Product Management, Supply Chain, and Operations on corrective actions.

Skills

Risk assessment

Root-cause analysis

CAPA (Corrective & Preventive Action)

Process mapping

Trend analysis

Quality management

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Quality Management, Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, or related field

Job description

Requisition #: 21044

Functional Area: Quality Assurance; Product Management

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Options: In Office / Partial Remote from Neenah/Appleton/Oshkosh area

Work Hours: Standard business hours; onsite at least 4 days per week

Position Summary

J. J. Keller is hiring for a Product Quality Leader who will lead our product quality program and ensure we consistently meet and exceed customer expectations. In this individual contributor leadership role, you will oversee our product-quality system across both manufactured and purchased goods, establishing quality and product-risk standards, ensuring ISO compliance, and analyzing quality data to identify emerging trends and risks. You will also partner closely with Product Management, Supply Chain, and Operations to drive root-cause solutions and effective corrective and preventative actions across the business.

The Product Quality Leader is required to work onsite at our corporate office in Neenah, WI at least 4 days per week.

Job Responsibilities

• Leads the quality program and ensures associate involvement and support of quality initiatives. Provides cross-functional leadership for product quality across manufactured and purchased products without direct people-management responsibility.
• Delivers results in line with the following key metrics/accountabilities:
• Manufacturing, Distribution, and Sourcing Deficiency Cost
• Change Control Process and Documentation in line with ISO Standard 9001, 14001, and 45001 guidelines
• Product-quality performance, including complaints, returns, recurring product issues, supplier deficiencies, inspection findings, corrective actions, and other defined quality measures.
• Leads change control process and content of internal documentation in line with applicable ISO requirements. This includes managing the change process for the Quality Manual, Business Applications Reference, and leading the review of work instruction guidelines (WIGs) to ensure relevance.
• Leads ISO 9001 corporate initiative:
• Ensures that requirements are established, implemented, and maintained in accordance with ISO standards.
• Creates and maintains documentation to include corrective actions and non-conformances.
• Oversees internal and external audits and result reporting.
• Leads root-cause investigations and preventive-action practices through the established quality management system.
• Manages the company-wide quality reporting/recording system. Oversee the design and use of the system. Analyzes product-quality data to identify patterns, emerging risks, and improvement opportunities and brings forward recommendations to business leaders.
• Establishes, approves, and documents product-quality standards for purchased products in partnership with Product Management and Supply Chain, including incoming and international inspection requirements, acceptance criteria, supporting evidence, and corrective-action expectations.
• Leads inspection, testing, and external validation programs, including international inspections, third-party testing providers, quality-check standards, results review, issue escalation, and documentation retention.
• Partners with Product Management, Supply Chain, Customer Service, Sales, Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, and other stakeholders to assess significant quality issues and recommend product disposition, accountability, corrective action, and communication plans.
• Defines and maintains a product liability/risk matrix and supports review process with appropriate business and risk stakeholders. Uses the matrix to assess product risk, document rationale, and determine when additional review is required.
• Completes COC (Certificate of Conformance) forms and CTPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) forms when required/requested by customers, Sales and Product Management. Establishes clear standards for customer quality documentation and supporting evidence.
• Leads the tamper testing and mechanical testing of high security seals. Creates and maintains testing processes and required documents to comply with ISO 17712 Standard.
• Collaborates and provides support on new product ideas and projects with Product Management and product-development partners, including testing new materials, substrates, products, and processes. Participates in the development of product requirements, product-risk review, test planning, compliance testing, fulfillment readiness, and launch readiness.

Experience

• 5+ years of progressively responsible experience in quality assurance, quality control, product quality, supplier quality, product management or related field.
• Experience developing or contributing to manufactured and purchased product specifications, inspection criteria, test plans, product requirements, or quality acceptance standards.
• Experience using customer feedback, product performance complaints, returns, inspection results, deficiencies, and other quality data to identify trends and recommend action.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing decisions without direct authority.
• Experience working with suppliers, product development partners; international suppliers, third party inspection services, or external testing laboratories preferred.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Quality Management, Engineering, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Business, or related field.
• In lieu of degree, an additional 4 years of related experience may be considered.

Certificates & Licenses

• Government Appointment: Must be willing to be trained as an EPA Registrant to Manufacture the Uniform Hazardous Waste Management Forms: 167-BLCS-C 6 and 168-BLS-C 6.
• ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE), or equivalent certification preferred, not required.
• ISO 9001 internal or lead auditor training preferred.

Other Skills/Qualifications

• Must be proficient in the use of a PC and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Strong knowledge of quality management principles and tools, including risk assessment, root-cause analysis, corrective and preventive action, Pareto analysis, process mapping, and trend analysis.
• Ability to interpret technical specifications, quality documentation, inspection results, and test data to assess product and business risk and recommend appropriate action.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, investigations, and external partners simultaneously.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain technical or quality issues to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong organizational, documentation, and time management skills.
• Knowledge of process improvement methodologies and tools, including lean manufacturing theories and practices, is beneficial.

Physical Requirements

Work is performed primarily in a standard office environment but may involve exposure to high-speed printing presses and other machinery. Work involves the operation of personal computer equipment for extended periods of time.

Occasional travel to suppliers, inspection, testing, customer, industry, and training locations may also be required, depending on assignment.

We Protect People & The Businesses They Run

Every associate at J. J. Keller makes a difference by creating safer, more respectful workplaces. Whether serving our customers directly with expertise in safety and regulatory compliance or supporting the business with specialized skills, together we contribute to better workplaces for people across North America.

J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, sex, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a veteran, and basis of disability or any other federal, state or local protected class.

If you experience system-related issues or need assistance with the online application, please call [phone].