Quality Manager

Airtech Vacuum; Linthicum (MD); On-site; USD 124,000 - 186,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) retirement savings program with company match

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Job summary

Airtech Vacuum in Linthicum, Maryland is seeking a Quality Manager responsible for ensuring product quality and driving operational efficiency. You will collaborate with various departments, establish KPIs, and lead quality initiatives to enhance product offerings.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in the manufacturing sector, keen insight into quality systems, and strong leadership skills. This role requires hands-on problem solving and the ability to foster team development in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in an industrial manufacturing environment.
• Experience leading a team with increasing responsibilities.
• Track record of developing high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with established standards and drive efficiency.
• Lead and maintain the Quality Management System that complies with ISO9001.
• Develop and execute quality training in the organization.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Data-driven problem solving

Quality tools and techniques

Operational discipline

Team development

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

ISO9001 certification

ERP systems (JD Edwards preferred)

MS Office

Job description

Position Summary

The Quality Manager is responsible for ensuring our products are manufactured according to established standards and for driving efficiency within the business by reducing cost of poor quality. The Quality Manager will work closely with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, and Continuous Improvement to ensure best in class quality for new product introduction, manufacturing, and testing by establishing necessary Key Performance Metrics (KPIs), root cause & reliability assessments, corrective & preventative actions. The ideal candidate will have experience interacting with customers, leading transformational change through cross‑functional leadership, demonstrating learning agility and have a history of leading teams and a history of leading robust quality management systems. The qualified candidate must be passionate about developing talent and bench strength, leading a team, and driving continuous improvement. This is an individual contributor leadership role with the expectation that the leader will build a team within the US Valve Quality function within 6‑12 months. This role will require the leader to have hands‑on experience with strong problem‑solving capabilities, operational discipline, and a bias for action in a fast‑paced manufacturing environment.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Establish a process to track the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) and metric trends for leading projects to drive improvement, including defining and measuring all inputs contributing to COPQ.
• Drive the adoption of 80/20 and continuous improvement to improve the Cost of Quality, first pass yield, and operating costs.
• Support and drive the use of critical tools such as DFMEA, PFMEA, MSA, CPK, and SPC in new product introduction and existing product quality improvement.
• Establish, lead and maintain the Quality Management System (QMS) that complies with and is certifiable to the latest ISO9001 standards, including maintaining ISO9001 certification, leading quality management reviews and leading surveillance and recertification audits.
• Lead quality inspectors to measure and improve supplier, in‑process, and manufacturing quality.
• Develop and lead Supplier Quality Assurance through proactive management of supplier quality data and corrective actions, including first article qualifications, Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCAR), and scorecards.
• Lead and coordinate Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Measures (RCCMs) for containment, corrective and preventative actions, including permanent fixes for customer complaints and internal quality defects.
• Lead material review board (MRB) process for the effective disposition of non‑conforming material, including collaboration with supply chain, production, engineering, and finance on scrap, re‑work, etc.
• Lead customer‑requested site or virtual audits on US Valve QMS and business processes.
• Define and manage equipment and process for incoming components, machining, assembly line, and testing inspection requirements.
• Lead investigation for customer‑related quality issues to promptly maintain effective communication and resolution.
• Develop and maintain the Customer Complaint system ensuring effective resolution of Customer Quality issues, including process, tracking, and reducing RMA and warranty claims.
• Responsible for defining the plant quality objectives: monitor and measure internal quality performance such as internal defects, scrap, sorting activities, suspect material review and disposition, first piece approval, and floor audits.
• Responsible for quality training and awareness in the organization by ensuring the right application of Quality Tools and Quality Expertise.
• Responsible for optimizing and standardizing plant quality documentation including utilization of standard document control systems.
• Formal and informal Quality KPI report‑outs to the senior leadership team are an expectation for the role.

Qualifications

• Acts with a high level of personal integrity and personally leads an inclusive & diverse team environment.
• Track record of hiring and developing “A” players, developing high‑performing teams, and building trust, credibility & followership, and bench strength.
• Ability to drive cross‑functional alignment to achieve quality and business commitments and goals.
• Must have a bias for action and the ability to drive focus on the critical few holding self and others accountable for achieving quality targets.
• Articulates need for changes and connects required change to success in an organization and creates followership to the desired state; demonstrated experience in manufacturing environment driving quality system transformation/optimization.
• Learning agility and ability to thrive in a complex business by prioritizing daily activity.
• Organizing work, determining which potential and existing projects are the most urgent and important, and allocating resources effectively.
• Ability to drive a culture of process discipline.
• Data‑driven problem solving with expert knowledge in the use of quality tools and techniques such as D/PFMEA, SPC, CPK, MSA, 8D, DMAIC; operating with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Humble, authentic leader who seeks to remove barriers and enable people and the business; puts service, customers and team before self.
• Ability to develop and articulate future team, equipment, and process needs to support growth.
• Experience with ERP systems (JD Edwards preferred) and MS Office.
• Experience working with site certifications such as ISO9001 and ISO14001.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills and facilitation of groups toward deliverables.

Education & Experience

• 10+ yrs of relevant experience in an industrial manufacturing environment; preferably medium to high‑volume manufacturing equipment with increasing levels of responsibility and experience in leading a team.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or technical degree (Mechanical or Electrical preferred).
• Formal training or certification in Lean, Root Cause Analysis or Six Sigma preferred.
• Proficiency in gaining or maintaining ISO9001 certification through the creation of or maintenance of an organization’s QMS.
• ASQ certification, or similar accreditation, a plus.

Physical Demands

• While performing duties of the job, employee is required to move around and be still; use hands to handle objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; talk and hear.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

• Noise level is minimal with intervals of spikes.
• Office working environment with occasional visits to the factory floor.
• Required to wear safety glasses and utilize other safety equipment as required while present on shop floor.

Total Rewards

The compensation range for this position is $124,000.00 - $186,000.00, depending on experience. This position may be eligible for a performance‑based bonus plan.

Benefits Package

Our comprehensive U.S. benefit offerings include health benefits, 401(k) retirement savings program with company match, PTO, and more. More information on our benefits and rewards can be found on our career page: https://www.idexcorp.com/careers/our-benefits-and-rewards/

Equal Opportunity Employer

IDEX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. IDEX gives consideration for employment to qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, genetic information, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, age, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other consideration or protected category made unlawful by federal, state or local laws.