QUALITY & CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MANAGER

Socket.dev; Irondale (AL); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Tricon Wear Solutions is seeking a Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager to mature the quality function across fabrication, welding, hardfacing, and machining sites. The role leads continuous improvement using Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen to reduce defects and cost of quality, while ensuring consistent inspection and release standards.

The incumbent will serve as the independent quality authority, own corrective actions, and drive floor-level engagement with a strong focus on supplier quality

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a quality role within manufacturing.
• Hands-on welding, fabrication, or machining experience with shop floor language.
• Proven track record with Lean, Six Sigma or Kaizen delivering measurable results.
• ISO 9001 knowledge and audits; independent quality authority with release power.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent hands-on experience.

Responsibilities

• Own the ISO 9001 QMS and mature the quality function across sites.
• Hold release authority on quality holds and ship/no-ship decisions.
• Lead continuous improvement to reduce defects, rework, lead time, and cost of quality.
• Drive consistent final inspection and release standards across sites.
• Audit sites and qualify inspection personnel to ensure reliable decisions.
• Manage supplier and incoming quality; support critical customer accounts.

Skills

Lean

Six Sigma

Kaizen

Root-cause analysis

Reading drawings

GD&T

Customer communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field

Job description

Description

The Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager leads and matures the quality function and owns continuous improvement for Tricon Wear Solutions, with responsibility spanning its manufacturing sites (fabrication, welding and hardfacing, and machining). Building on Tricon’s existing ISO 9001 certification, the role drives measurable process improvement and raises first-pass quality across engineering and the shop floor. A key objective is consistent quality standards across sites — reducing plant-to-plant variation in how work is inspected, documented, and released. The role reports on a solid line to the Opco COO and operate independently of Engineering and site Operations, so quality oversight and hold / release authority are not subordinated to production or schedule pressure. It is expected to be floor-present — as comfortable running a root-cause investigation and a management review as walking the floor and discussing a weld or machining setup with the team.

Requirements

• Own and mature the ISO 9001 Quality Management System, building on the existing certification rather than starting over.
• Serve as the independent quality authority — hold release authority on quality holds and make the ship / no-ship decision when standards are at risk, without being overridden by schedule pressure.
• Own all continuous improvement — using Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen — to deliver measurable reductions in defects, rework, lead time, and cost of quality.
• Set the improvement agenda and drive it at pace, holding functions accountable to committed actions and timelines.
• Drive consistent quality standards and acceptance criteria across Tricon sites, reducing plant-to-plant variation in how work is inspected, documented, and released.
• Own a consistent final inspection and release standard so conformance and product presentation are reliable regardless of which site produced the work.
• Improve promise-date reliability so production and engineering can prioritize against accurate, dependable dates.
• Drive root-cause problem solving on internal and escaped nonconformances, closing corrective actions to true root cause.
• Verify adherence to the common standard through periodic site audits, and qualify inspection personnel to consistent criteria so acceptance decisions are reliable.
• Manage supplier and incoming quality, including supplier corrective actions and conformance to specification.
• Own customer quality communication and resolution; support key customer accounts.
• Partner with Engineering to improve first-pass drawing and design accuracy and the drawing-to-production handoff; work with Operations on throughput and prioritization.
• Track cost of quality and report improvement results to leadership on a regular cadence.
• Manage, mentor, and develop the quality team, fostering a culture where quality is owned on the floor.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 5 years of experience in a quality role within a manufacturing environment, with progression into quality leadership.
• Hands-on background in welding, fabrication, or machining — able to walk the floor, read drawings, and speak the language of the shop.
• Demonstrated continuous-improvement track record with specific, measurable results from Lean, Six Sigma, or Kaizen.
• Demonstrated ability to drive change at pace across functions without direct authority.
• Strong knowledge and hands-on experience with ISO 9001 standards and audits.
• Strong root-cause and corrective-action discipline (8D, 5-Why, PFMEA, control plans).
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, GD&T, and material / weld specifications.
• Certifications such as Six Sigma Green/Black Belt, CQE, or CMQ/OE are a plus.
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training is a plus.
• Experience with wear steel, hardfacing / overlay, heavy fabrication, or metallurgical / wear applications is a plus.
• Experience standardizing quality practice across multiple manufacturing sites is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
• Willingness to travel periodically to other Tricon manufacturing sites, with meaningful floor presence at each.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and adapt to changing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

AAP/EEO Statement

Tricon Wear Solutions is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice.