Senior Product Quality Manager - Root Cause & CAPA Leader

Sterling Engineering; Vernon Hills (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Sterling Engineering is seeking an experienced Product Quality Manager to lead customer quality investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective actions across a diverse portfolio of commercial-grade manufactured products. You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development, and external suppliers to resolve issues and improve reliability.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical problem solver who can interpret engineering documentation, drive issues to

Qualifications

• 8–10+ years in product quality, quality engineering, supplier quality, or related fields.
• Experience managing customer complaints and driving corrective actions.
• Strong technical understanding of manufactured products, materials, specs, and quality requirements.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings and engineering documentation.
• Experience partnering with suppliers and manufacturing facilities to resolve quality issues.
• Proven ability to independently manage complex quality investigations.
• Strong organizational, project management, analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and cross-functional influence.
• Experience with RCA, CAPA, and continuous improvement methodologies.
• Bachelor's degree in a related technical discipline preferred.
• Experience with plastics, molded products preferred.
• Experience in regulated industries is a plus.
• Leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead investigations of customer quality concerns from initial report to resolution.
• Determine root causes and develop corrective actions.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development, and suppliers.
• Review drawings, specs, materials to assess product issues.
• Manage complaints, document findings, track timelines, provide updates.
• Analyze quality data to identify recurring issues and drive improvements.
• Develop quality metrics and reporting processes.
• Work with suppliers and external partners to implement corrective actions.
• Support testing, inspection standards, and customer/industry requirements.
• Lead one direct report and travel up to 15%.

Skills

Quality engineering

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional teamwork

Problem solving

Supplier quality

Project management

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Quality/Mechanical/Product Development

Job description

Sterling Engineering is seeking an experienced Product Quality Manager to lead customer quality investigations, root cause analyses, and corrective actions across a diverse portfolio of commercial-grade manufactured products. You will partner with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Product Development, and external suppliers to resolve issues and improve reliability.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical problem solver who can interpret engineering documentation, drive issues to