Role Definition Oversees the administration and continual improvement of quality management systems. Responsibilities Supporting development of quality assurance strategies, processes, guidelines and control plans which assure quality and reliability of manufactured products. Leading the development and implementation of corrective action and preventive measures to achieve quality targets. Investigating and addressing trends with internal and external non-conformance. Leading, managing and developing multiple teams, team leaders, quality specialists and inspectors to assure that quality standards are met. Driving change based on data; reviewing reports to review with quality assurance, production, management, and engineering personnel to solve quality issues. Degree Requirement Degree or equivalent experience desired Skill Descriptors Planning: Tactical, Strategic: Knowledge of effective planning techniques and ability to contribute to operational (short term), tactical (1-2 years) and strategic (3-5 years) planning in support of the overall business plan. Level Working Knowledge: Contributes to short-term operational plans. Anticipates and adapts to plan changes. Monitors progress of work against plan as required to meet objectives. Reports variances and makes agreed-upon corrections. Under guidance, develops tactical plan for own direct responsibility. Quality Management: Knowledge of quality management methods, tools, and techniques and ability to create and support an environment that meets the quality goals of the organization. Level Extensive Experience: Interprets results of quantitative and statistical tools and explains results to others. Communicates key benefits of a quality management process. Conducts and directs quality reviews. Develops expertise in quality assurance tools, techniques, and standards. Develops quality assurance processes based on Six Sigma, ISO 9000 or Baldrige principles. Develops programs for motivating employees to meet or exceed quality goals. Collaborating: Knowledge of collaborative techniques; ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner. Level Extensive Experience: Demonstrates experience engendering collaborative processes that lead to problem solving and the achievement of business goals. Establishes shared goals to foster collaboration. Ensures that everyone can access the same data and provide input into how business is conducted. Redesigns physical areas to allow for collaboration and private time. Deemphasizes divides; focuses on collaboration across generations, functions, regions, and levels. Implements methods for people to come together on the fly to make decisions, solve problems, and develop products/services. Influencing: Knowledge of effective influencing tactics and strategies; ability to impact decisions within and outside own organization. Level Working Knowledge: Develops basic persuasive arguments. Discusses organizational culture around providing input on decisions. Uses active listening skills and probing techniques to surface opportunities to influence. Identifies who the decision makers are and how they receive information. Regularly presents ideas or suggestions to associates in persuasive terms. Problem Solving: Knowledge of approaches, tools, techniques for recognizing, anticipating, and resolving organizational, operational or process problems; ability to apply knowledge of problem solving appropriately to diverse situations. Level Working Knowledge: Identifies and documents specific problems and resolution alternatives. Examines a specific problem and understands the perspective of each involved stakeholder. Develops alternative techniques for assessing accuracy and relevance of information. Helps to analyze risks and benefits of alternative approaches and obtain decision on resolution. Uses fact-finding techniques and diagnostic tools to identify problems. Quality Risk Management: Knowledge of processes, tools, and techniques for Quality Risk Management; ability to implement the quality assurance process of assessment, control, communication, and review of risks to the quality of products. Level Working Knowledge: Documents the key steps of a unit-specific risk management process and associated procedures. Explains and analyzes quality indicators and metrics relevant to own unit or function. Highlights Quality Risk Management issues throughout the product life cycle. Participates in a crisis management team to address quality issues. Understands overall business objectives to effectively mitigate risks associated with quality. Lean Manufacturing: Knowledge of the philosophy, principles and implementation approaches of lean manufacturing; ability to integrate and implement lean manufacturing philosophy into existing production and management processes. Level Basic Understanding: Cites examples of benefits and risks associated with implementing lean principles. Describes basic tools for observing existing processes and identifying waste. Cites industry or company examples of successful and unsuccessful lean implementations. Identifies key lean principles and highlights of the lean manufacturing process. Root Cause Analysis (RCA): Knowledge of the concepts, principles and techniques of root cause analysis (RCA); ability to use a structured approach to identify the causes of undesirable consequences in a manufacturing environment and the changes needed to prevent recurrences.
