SMS Manager - Product Safety & Quality Leader

Woodward, Inc.; Rockford (IL); Hybrid; USD 108,000 - 173,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Stock contribution

Tuition reimbursement

12 paid holidays

Medical, dental, vision Insurance

Vacation and sick time

Job summary

Woodward, Inc. is seeking an on-site Safety Management Systems (SMS) Manager at the Rockford campuses.

The role leads the implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of the product SMS for Fuel Systems & Controls, partnering with engineering, operations, quality, and customer-facing teams to embed safety across design and production. The role emphasizes proactive hazard identification, risk-based decisions, governance, and leadership engagement to sustain a safe, compliant environment

Qualifications

• Leadership and cross-functional collaboration required.
• SMS governance, safety risk management, and product safety knowledge.
• Quality assurance, corrective action, and continuous improvement focus.
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills.
• Ability to use data, audits and performance metrics to support decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead the deployment and sustainment of the SMS in alignment with policy and site manuals.
• Support governance, meeting prep, issue reviews, and action tracking for the Safety Program Management Team.
• Oversee QA teams to meet quality and safety objectives and manage corrective actions.
• Identify and mitigate product safety hazards across the lifecycle with a proactive approach.
• Promote a safe, just reporting culture and continuous improvement across sites.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Safety management

Quality assurance

Root cause analysis

Data-driven decisions

Communication

Financial awareness

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Woodward, Inc. is seeking an on-site Safety Management Systems (SMS) Manager at the Rockford campuses.

The role leads the implementation, maintenance, and continual improvement of the product SMS for Fuel Systems & Controls, partnering with engineering, operations, quality, and customer-facing teams to embed safety across design and production. The role emphasizes proactive hazard identification, risk-based decisions, governance, and leadership engagement to sustain a safe, compliant environment