Quality Manager

Normine Lombard; Central Falls (RI); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Normine Lombard in Rhode Island seeks a Quality Control Manager to lead the quality program on the shop floor and drive continuous improvement across production, engineering, and supply chain.

You will develop procedures, establish inspection requirements, interpret drawings, lead root-cause analyses, and mentor quality inspectors to prevent defects and reduce costs.

Qualifications

• Experience leading quality programs and teams on the shop floor.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and specifications.
• Strong knowledge of inspection techniques, measurement equipment, and quality metrics.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain quality control procedures and standards.
• Establish inspection and testing requirements for incoming materials, in-process production, and finished products.
• Lead investigations into customer complaints, internal defects, and process failures.

Skills

Quality control

Root-cause analysis

Leadership

Reading drawings

Problem solving

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

SPC software

ERP systems

MS Office

Job description

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Quality Control Manager to lead and continuously improve our quality program. The Quality Control Manager will be responsible for ensuring that products manufactured by us consistently meet customer specifications, engineering requirements, internal quality standards, and applicable industry requirements.

This position will work closely with Production, Engineering, Purchasing, Sales, and Management to identify quality issues, determine root causes, implement corrective actions, and develop processes that prevent problems before they occur.

The ideal candidate is a strong manufacturing professional who is comfortable working on the shop floor, understands manufacturing processes, has excellent problem-solving skills, and can hold teams accountable for producing quality products.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Management

• Develop, implement, and maintain quality control procedures and standards.
• Establish inspection and testing requirements for incoming materials, in-process production, and finished products.
• Ensure products conform to customer drawings, specifications, purchase orders, and internal requirements.
• Maintain accurate quality records, inspection reports, and documentation.
• Monitor quality performance and establish measurable quality objectives and KPIs.
• Identify trends and recurring quality problems and develop corrective action plans.

Production & Process Quality

• Work directly with production personnel to identify and resolve quality issues.
• Conduct and oversee first-piece, in-process, and final inspections.
• Establish appropriate inspection methods, sampling plans, and acceptance criteria.
• Partner with Production and Engineering to improve manufacturing processes and reduce defects, scrap, and rework.
• Review nonconforming material and determine appropriate disposition in accordance with company procedures.
• Help establish standardized work and quality checkpoints throughout the manufacturing process.
• Lead investigations into customer complaints, internal defects, scrap, and process failures.
• Utilize structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis techniques.
• Implement and monitor corrective and preventive actions.
• Verify the effectiveness of corrective actions and ensure problems do not recur.
• Communicate significant quality issues and corrective actions to management and affected departments.
• Work with Purchasing and suppliers to resolve incoming-material and supplier-quality issues.
• Assist with supplier qualification and performance monitoring.
• Support customer quality inquiries, complaints, and corrective-action requests.
• Review customer specifications and quality requirements and communicate them internally.
• Participate in customer audits and quality-related meetings as needed.
• Lead, train, and develop quality inspectors and other quality personnel.
• Establish clear expectations for inspection, documentation, and quality standards.
• Promote a culture in which quality is everyone's responsibility.
• Work collaboratively with supervisors and employees to improve quality rather than relying solely on final inspection.
• Provide coaching and accountability when quality procedures are not followed.
• Identify opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, warranty claims, and manufacturing variation.
• Participate in Lean Manufacturing and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Use data and quality metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Develop and implement process controls designed to prevent defects.
• Support the implementation of appropriate quality-management tools, procedures, and systems.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in manufacturing quality, quality control, or a related field.
• Previous experience in a supervisory or management role preferred.
• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and inspection techniques.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and manufacturing documentation.
• Strong knowledge of dimensional inspection and measurement equipment.
• Experience with root-cause analysis and corrective-action processes.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to work effectively with both management and production employees.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality-management/documentation systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ISO 9001 or another formal quality-management system.
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Technician (CQT), or similar certification.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, or continuous-improvement methodologies.
• Experience conducting internal or supplier audits.
• Familiarity with statistical process control (SPC), capability studies, and quality metrics.
• Experience with ERP/MRP systems.
• Experience in the Firearms industry. Experience in the barrel manufacturing process a plus.

Key Performance Indicators

The Quality Control Manager will be evaluated on measurable improvements in areas including:

• Customer complaints and returns
• Scrap and rework
• On-time corrective-action completion
• Cost of poor quality
• Process compliance

The Quality Control Manager is expected to be a visible, hands-on leader who spends meaningful time on the manufacturing floor and works proactively with employees to identify and eliminate sources of defects.

The successful candidate will not view quality as simply an inspection function. They will help build processes that prevent defects, improve productivity, reduce costs, and consistently deliver products that meet or exceed customer expectations.