Quality Program Manager

Rio Tinto; Bessemer City (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive bonus

Health insurance

401k with company match

Share ownership program

Paid time off

Parental leave

EAP

Job summary

Rio Tinto is seeking a Quality Program Manager to lead the site quality program, drive improvements, and align quality with business goals. You will coordinate audits, root-cause analyses, and corrective actions across manufacturing, R&D, and quality teams.

The role requires a strong background in chemical manufacturing, ISO 9001/IATF 16949, and Six Sigma. This position reports to the Global Quality Director and supports a safety-first, inclusive work environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or related field required.
• Minimum 10 years manufacturing experience with strong product quality focus.
• ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 training; cGMP/Halal/Kosher training a plus.
• Leadership of cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality program at site including best practices and alignment with business goals.
• Implement CTQ metrics and drive KPIs for site quality.
• Lead external, customer and regulatory audits.
• Drive quality improvements and manage product returns.
• Educate production on quality issues and lead root-cause investigations.
• Lead SPC/quality control and coordinate actions for deviations.
• Ensure safety rules are followed and promote plant safety.
• Participate in supplier qualification and process improvement teams.
• Ensure compliance with IATF 16949 2016 and related standards.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical skills

Six Sigma Black Belt

Statistical tools (Minitab)

Matrixed organization

Data-driven

Education

Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or related field

Six Sigma Black Belt certification

Tools

Minitab

Job description

• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion
• Our friendly teams look after each other because your safety and wellbeing are always our priority

• Join a leading global company
• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion
• Our friendly teams look after each other because your safety and wellbeing are always our priority

We’re Finding Better Ways™ to provide materials the world needs, now and in the future. Our values – care, courage and curiosity – guide how we work and how we treat each other.

About The Role

We are looking for a Quality Program Manager as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) responsible for setting, supporting the conformity of the Quality Management System and implementing quality standards at site and ensuring that production is maintained at such standards.

In this role, you will be the change agent who will lead all quality improvement activities working with different departments, i.e. manufacturing, R&D, Quality, Commercial on site and bring an enhanced quality culture.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced quality professional to be part of the site leadership team and to make a meaningful impact on our ongoing operations.

Domestic Relocation assistance may be provided for selected candidates, where applicable.

About The Role

Reporting to the Global Quality Director and working in a collaborative community, a challenging and exciting environment, a diverse team, etc., you will be

• Will be leading and driving quality program at site including all best practices
• Aligns Quality program with the goals of business/customer and supports the development of strategic quality initiatives at the site.
• Implement critical to Quality metrics for the site that ensures customer receives quality product and drives the site quality program to meet the site quality KPIs.
• Lead external audits, customer audits and regulatory audits of the sites.
• Drives quality program at site to improve customer experience of the product. Leads product return process and ensures the effectiveness of action.
• Educate and engage production and maintenance team on quality related issues and work with departmental managers to improve overall company quality culture.
• Lead investigation of customer complaints and waivers to identify root causes and validate the effectiveness of the actions.
• Leads statistical process/quality control charting for all the products manufactured at the site and co-ordinate with site team to trigger actions to deviations
• Leads disposition of products to the customer and if necessary, discuss suspension of production as appropriate based on quality concerns.
• Ensure that all company safety rules and regulations are followed and promote general plant safety.
• Participate in supplier qualification/development activities.
• Works closely with plant leadership team to ensure all necessary controls are enforced to be compliant with IATF 16949 2016.
• Participate in process improvement teams and recommend improvements that align with the quality programs

About You

• Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering or any related field is required.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in a manufacturing environment with strong experience in product quality; chemical manufacturing experience a plus.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 2015 Quality Management System trained. cGMP/Halal/Kosher/IATF 16949 trained is a plus.
• Leadership expertise and ability to lead project teams.
• Strong analytical skills and highly organized with the ability to work in a matrixed organization.
• Experienced professional with developing knowledge of the technical field and working knowledge of business processes, technologies and applications.
• Six Sigma Black Belt certification, preferred.
• Knowledge of statistical tools such as Minitab or equivalent.
• Data based, and results driven with strong action orientation combined with practiced risk management abilities.

What We Offer

• Be recognised for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress.
• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority.
• Competitive base salary is reflective of your skills and experience with an annual incentive bonus.
• Access to top-tier family-friendly health programs including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, and various voluntary benefits.
• Excellent retirement plan including up to 6% defined company contribution; Generous 401k matching program.
• Attractive share ownership plan.
• Comprehensive leave policies which cover all the moments that matter in life PTO (paid time off), paid holidays, and paid bereavement leave.
• A generous parental leave policy, which ensures you’re able to spend quality time with your new family.
• Discount programs for leisure purposes and access to Virgin Pulse with incentives supporting your wellbeing.
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides confidential counselling or expert guidance for you and your family to help get through life’s challenges.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and materials company. We operate in 35 countries where we produce iron ore, copper, aluminium, critical minerals, and other materials needed for the global energy transition and for people, communities, and nations to thrive.

We have been mining for 150 years and operate with knowledge built up across generations and continents. Our purpose is finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs – striving for innovation and continuous improvement to produce materials with low emissions and to the right environmental, social and governance standards. But we can’t do it on our own, so we’re focused on creating partnerships to solve problems, create win-win situations and meet opportunities.

Respect and Inclusion

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQ+ community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.

We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are essential to our success. We treat each other fairly and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or anything else that makes us different.