Vice President - Quality

Rolls-Royce plc; United States; On-site; USD 138,000 - 224,000; Full time

Job summary

Rolls-Royce plc is seeking a Vice President of Quality to lead the North America Quality organization, spanning Production Quality at Aiken, SC and Mankato, MN, along with Reliability Engineering and Emission Certification. The role defines and drives the region’s quality strategy to meet customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and global standards.

The executive role focuses on delivering operational excellence, strengthening quality performance, and fostering continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Executive leadership experience in quality organizations with structured problem-solving.
• Strong business and operational acumen, including Lean principles and cost management.
• Experience leading cross-functional global initiatives with stakeholder engagement.
• Expertise in regulatory/compliance and emissions requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the North America Quality organization (Aiken & Mankato) and associated teams.
• Define and execute quality strategy aligned to customer and business goals.
• Maintain global quality standards per ISO 9001 and Rolls-Royce requirements.
• Ensure regulatory/compliance, including emissions management across teams.
• Drive improvement using data analytics, root cause analysis, and corrective actions.
• Resolve quality issues, including customer-facing and field performance.
• Represent Rolls-Royce with customers, regulators, and industry bodies.
• Lead organizational effectiveness including talent development and budgets.

Skills

Executive leadership

Quality systems

Continuous improvement

Data analytics

Regulatory awareness

Education

Associate degree

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

PhD

12+ years experience (in lieu of degree)

Tools

SAP

MS Office

Job description

Job Description

Job Title: Vice President Quality Job Category: Quality Job Level: Level B Job Location: Aiken, SC

Why Join Rolls-Royce?

At Rolls-Royce, we take pride in being a business that has played a pivotal role in shaping the modern world and remain dedicated to driving progress forward; powering, safeguarding, and connecting people across the globe. Joining Rolls-Royce means you will work on innovative, world-class engineering solutions, supported by a culture that values inclusion, creativity, and your ongoing professional development.

Role Overview

The Vice President, Quality leads the North America Quality organization, including Production Quality, Reliability Engineering, and Emission Certification. This executive role defines and drives the region’s quality and product compliance strategy, ensuring alignment with customer expectations, regulatory requirements, and global standards. The role is accountable for delivering operational excellence, strengthening quality performance, and advancing a culture of continuous improvement across our U.S. sites of Aiken, SC and Mankato, MN.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the North America Quality organization, including Production Quality (Aiken & Mankato), Reliability Engineering, and Emission Certification.
• Define and execute quality strategy aligned to customer expectations, business goals, and continuous improvement objectives.
• Establish and maintain global quality standards and processes in line with ISO 9001 and Rolls-Royce Power Systems requirements.
• Ensure regulatory and product compliance, including leading emission requirements management across cross-functional teams.
• Drive quality performance and continuous improvement through data analytics, root cause analysis, and corrective action systems.
• Enable rapid and effective resolution of quality issues, including customer-facing concerns and field performance.
• Represent Rolls-Royce externally with customers, regulatory bodies, and industry authorities on quality and compliance matters.
• Lead organizational effectiveness, including talent development, culture (compliance and ethics), and financial stewardship (budgets, forecasts, productivity).

Position Requirements

Associate degree with 10+ years of Engineering, Quality or Manufacturing Operations experience, OR Bachelor’s degree with 8+ years of Engineering, Quality or Manufacturing Operations experience, OR Master’s degree with 6+ years of Engineering, Quality or Manufacturing Operations experience, OR PhD degree with 3+ years of Engineering, Quality or Manufacturing Operations experience, OR 12+ years of Engineering, Quality or Manufacturing Operations experience in lieu of a degree Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S without sponsorship. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven executive leadership in quality organizations, with deep expertise in structured problem-solving and continuous improvement methodologies (e.g., FMEA, PDCA, A3, 8D).
• Strong business and operational acumen, including production systems, cost management, Lean principles, and enterprise performance optimization.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, cross-functional initiatives in a global environment with strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Expertise in regulatory and product compliance, including emissions requirements and certification (e.g., EPA, CARB).
• Advanced capability to translate technical data and engineering concepts into business decisions, including interpretation of specifications and production requirements.
• Experience working within global organizations and cross-cultural environments; familiarity with American-German business practices and German language skills preferred.
• Proficiency in enterprise systems and tools (e.g., SAP, Microsoft ecosystem) to enable data-driven decision-making.
• Advanced degree (Master’s or MBA) preferred.

Our vision

Our vision is to ensure that the excellence and ingenuity that shaped our history continues into our future. Our multi-year transformation program aims to turn Rolls-Royce into a high-performing, competitive, resilient and growing company.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Rolls-Royce is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristics. At Rolls-Royce, we are committed to creating a workplace where all employees feel respected, supported, and empowered to do their best work. We foster a welcoming and innovative work environment that invests in you, giving you access to an incredible breadth and depth of opportunities where you can grow your career and make a difference.

Pay Range

Pay ranges for remote employees are based on the state where the employee resides and may vary from the posted range. $137,840 - $223,990-Annually Location: Aiken, SC

Benefits

Rolls-Royce provides a comprehensive and competitive Total Rewards package that includes base pay and a discretionary bonus plan. Eligible employees may have the opportunity to enroll in other benefits, including health, dental, vision, disability, life and accidental death & dismemberment insurance; a flexible spending account; a health savings account; a 401(k) retirement savings plan with a company match; Employee Assistance Program; Paid Time Off; certain paid holidays; paid parental and family care leave; tuition reimbursement; and a long-term incentive plan. The options available to an employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as date of hire, and employment type.

Business Unit Power Systems

The Business Unit Power Systems of Rolls-Royce provides world-class power solutions and complete life-cycle support under our product and solution brand mtu. Through digitalization and electrification, we strive to develop drive and power generation solutions that are even cleaner and smarter and thus provide answers to the challenges posed by the rapidly growing societal demands for energy and mobility. We deliver and service comprehensive, powerful and reliable systems, based on both gas and diesel engines, as well as electrified hybrid systems. These clean and technologically-advanced solutions serve our customers in the marine and infrastructure sectors worldwide. At the heart of our business is the unrivaled dedication and technical expertise of our people. To support them we provide an environment of caring and belonging where everyone is themselves and supports each other.

Additional Information

Our vacancies are always up to date. Once a vacancy has been filled, the advertisement will be removed from our website. You can find further information regarding your application in our FAQ section.