Vice President, Quality

Oatey Fr; Cleveland (OH); Hybrid; USD 173,000 - 285,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

Company holidays

Profit sharing

401(k) with match

Health insurance

Dental & Vision

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Maternity leave

Parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

Oatey seeks a Vice President, Quality to lead corporate quality, quality systems, and quality engineering across Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing, and Distribution. This role reports to the COO and is accountable for strengthening the quality management framework, improving product and process quality, and developing quality talent.

The position drives problem-solving discipline, governance, and escalation while building a culture of proactive risk management and

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Chemistry or a related technical field required or relevant equivalent experience in lieu of degree required
• ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence or equivalent
• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt
• Master's degree or MBA preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the Quality Management System (QMS) and drive continuous improvement.
• Represent Quality in strategic initiatives and major decisions.
• Establish corporate standards for nonconformance, CAPA, and change control.
• Lead Corporate Quality Engineering to resolve complex quality issues.
• Provide quality support to Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing.
• Define critical-to-quality requirements and acceptance criteria for new products.
• Ensure supplier qualification and corrective actions address root causes.
• Escalate significant quality events with clear risk communication.
• Foster a culture of technical rigor, partnership, and proactive problem prevention.

Skills

Quality leadership

Quality systems

Cross-functional collaboration

Auditing

FMEA & root-cause

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Quality/Manufacturing/Operations/Supply Chain/Chemistry

ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt

Master's degree or MBA

Job description

20600 Emerald Parkway, Cleveland, Ohio 44135 United States of America

Why Oatey?

Since 1916, Oatey has provided reliable, high-quality products for the residential and commercial plumbing industries, with a commitment to delivering quality, building trust and improving lives. Today, Oatey operates a comprehensive manufacturing and distribution network comprised of industry leading family of companies: Oatey, Cherne, Keeney, Quick Drain, Hercules, Dearborn, Oatey Canada, William H. Harvey, Masters, Contact, Belanger, Lansas, and Durgo.

At Oatey, we're doing big things — and by joining us, you'll have the chance to do big things too. You can build a strong career in an innovative, inclusive, high-performance environment, with the confidence that your company cares — about you, our customers and our world.Ready to make an impact in a place where you matter?

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Position Summary:

The Vice President, Quality is the senior leader for Oatey's Corporate Quality management. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, this leader provides strategic direction for corporate quality, quality systems, quality engineering, and serves as the senior quality partner to Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing, Distribution, Sales and other functions.

The role is accountable for strengthening Oatey's quality management system, improving product and process quality, developing quality talent, driving disciplined problem solving and ensuring reliable quality data and governance. This position leads through enterprise standards, corporate quality expertise, cross-functional governance and escalation.

Position Responsibilities:

• Lead the Quality Management System (QMS), including corporate quality policies, procedures, document-control expectations, audit governance, management review and continuous improvement of the system.

• Represent Quality in strategic initiatives, product decisions, major issue reviews, supplier transitions and other business changes where quality risk or capability is material.

• Establish practical, consistent corporate standards for nonconformance, quality holds, corrective and preventive action, root-cause analysis, change control, product/process approval, calibration, traceability and quality records.

• Lead the Corporate Quality Engineering team in resolving complex product, manufacturing, supplier, field and customer quality issues using disciplined technical problem solving.

• Provide quality engineering support to Operations, Engineering, Product Management, Sourcing and Distribution for product changes, supplier changes, process changes, validation and launch readiness.

• Partner with Product Management and Engineering to define critical-to-quality requirements, validation expectations, acceptance criteria and quality risks for new products and product changes.

• Partner with Sourcing and Operations on supplier qualification, supplier quality issues, technical acceptance and supplier corrective actions.

• Ensure corrective actions address systemic causes, are verified for effectiveness and are translated into updated standards, controls, training or design/process requirements when appropriate.

• Provide enterprise-level escalation and technical guidance for significant quality events without assuming direct reporting ownership of plant, distribution or sourcing teams.

• Build a culture of constructive challenge, technical rigor, customer focus and partnership in which Quality helps the business prevent problems rather than only inspect or react to them.

• Manage the function’s budget, consultants, quality technology and other resources within the current organizational scope.

Knowledge & Experience:

• 12+ years of progressive quality, engineering, manufacturing or operations experience, including significant leadership responsibility in a multi-site, product-based organization.

• Strong experience with customer quality, product quality, manufacturing quality, corrective action, audit programs and cross-functional issue resolution.

• Deep knowledge of Quality Management Systems, auditing, management review, document control, nonconformance and corrective action.

• Experience supporting supplier quality, new product development, product/process changes and regulated or standards-driven products preferred.

• Proven ability to develop technical talent, improve quality-system maturity and translate quality performance into business priorities.

• Strong command of FMEA, control plans, MSA, SPC, process capability, calibration, metrology, traceability, FAI, PPAP, 8D and root-cause in a manufacturing environment.

• Strong technical judgment and the ability to distinguish design intent, process execution, conformity, compliance and customer-risk decisions.

• Exceptional communication and influence, with the ability to challenge constructively, align cross-functional leaders and escalat material risk clearly.

Education & Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations, Supply Chain, Chemistry or a related technical field required or relevant equivalent experience in lieu of degree required

• • American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, Certified Quality Engineer or equivalent.

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Master Black Belt.

  • Master's degree or MBA.

Physical Activities and Other Working Conditions:

• Associates working at Corporate sites are required to work in-person according to the Hybrid & Remote Workplace Policy.

• This role is primarily sedentary and involves prolonged periods of sitting and working on a computer. Regular use of hands for typing and operating office equipment is required, along with visual focus on screens and documents. Occasional standing, walking, and lifting up to 10–15 pounds may be required. Work is performed in a climate-controlled office or remote environment with moderate noise levels.

• 20% travel is required.

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Compensation Range for the Position:

$172,886.00 - $229,073.50 - $285,261.00 USD

Target Cash Profit Sharing for the Position:

25.00%

Offer amount determined by experience and review of internal talent.

Oatey Total Rewards

• Generous paid time off programs and paid company holidays to support flexibility and work-life balance

• Annual Discretionary Cash Profit Sharing

• Immediate eligibility and vesting in 401(k), including 100% company match, up to 5% of eligible compensation

• Market leading health insurance including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance offerings for associates and qualified dependents

• Significant company contribution to Health Savings Account with a High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP)

• Short-Term and Long-Term Disability income protection coverage at no cost to associates

• Paid Maternity and Paid Parental Leave

• Tuition reimbursement

• A strong set of complementary resources to support associate well-being, including resource groups, EAP, and dedicated mental health support.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Oatey family of companies are an equal opportunity employer committed to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We recruit, employ, promote, and offer competitive pay for all jobs without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.