Quality Manager

About the role

This role involves establishing and leading comprehensive quality management systems, policies, procedures, and standards across manufacturing operations. You will oversee quality assurance and quality control activities, manage customer quality requirements and complaints, drive continuous improvement initiatives, lead and develop a quality team, ensure compliance with ISO standards and regulatory requirements, manage supplier quality, support new product and project launches, monitor quality KPIs and performance, collaborate across departments, manage quality risks, and report on quality performance to senior management.

Key responsibilities

1. Quality Strategy & Quality Management System

• Establish quality policies, procedures, standards, specifications, inspection criteria, and quality control methodologies, ensure quality objectives are clearly communicated and understood across all departments. Set clear quality goals and provide leadership, coaching, and motivation to the Quality team, promote a strong quality culture, accountability, discipline, and continuous improvement throughout the organization. Ensure quality requirements are integrated into new products, new projects, and manufacturing processes.

1. Quality Assurance & Quality Control

• Lead and oversee Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) activities across manufacturing operations. Establish and maintain incoming, in-process, and final inspection standards and procedures.

• Ensure raw materials, components, semi-finished products, and finished products meet established quality specifications. Monitor product quality and process performance to identify potential quality risks at an early stage.Establish appropriate sampling plans, inspection methods, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria. Ensure proper control and traceability of inspection records, quality data, samples, and testing results. Review and approve quality standards, inspection specifications, work instructions, and quality-related documentation.

• Ensure non-conforming products are properly identified, segregated, controlled, and dispositioned. Work closely with Production to prevent recurring defects and improve first-pass yield and overall product quality.

1. Customer Quality, Complaint Management, Continous Improvement

• Establish and maintain strong professional relationships with customers regarding quality matters. Analyze customer complaints and coordinate timely investigation, containment, root cause analysis, and corrective actions. Lead the preparation and submission of customer quality reports, corrective action reports, 8D reports, CAPA, and other required documentation.

• Monitor customer complaint trends and develop preventive actions to reduce recurring issues. Coordinate with Sales and Project Management teams to understand customer expectations, technical requirements, and project-specific quality requirements. Participate in customer meetings, quality reviews, audits, and technical discussions when required. Ensure customer-specific quality requirements are properly communicated and implemented internally. Lead continuous quality improvement initiatives to reduce defects, scrap, rework, customer complaints, and quality-related costs.

• Conduct Root Cause Analysis (RCA) using appropriate problem-solving methodologies such as 5 Why, Fishbone/ Ishikawa, Pareto Analysis, and other relevant tools. Establish and monitor Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) programs. Drive continuous improvement projects across Production and supporting functions.Analyze quality trends and identify recurring problems, process weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement. Develop action plans to improve First Pass Yield (FPY), defect rates, rejection rates, customer complaint rates, and overall quality performance. Ensure corrective and preventive actions are effectively implemented and their effectiveness is verified. Promote preventive quality management rather than relying solely on final inspection.

1. Quality Audit & Compliance Management

• Plan, coordinate, and lead internal, external, customer, and certification audits related to Quality. Ensure compliance with applicable ISO standards, customer-specific requirements, company policies, and relevant regulatory requirements. Prepare the organization for external certification and customer audits. Manage audit findings, observations, non-conformities, corrective actions, and follow-up activities. Ensure all quality documentation and records are properly maintained and controlled.

• Monitor compliance with established quality procedures and work instructions. Identify potential compliance risks and implement preventive measures. Coordinate with relevant departments to ensure timely closure of audit findings.
  

1. Supplier Quality Management

• Work closely with Procurement and suppliers to establish and maintain incoming material quality standards. Develop supplier quality requirements, specifications, inspection criteria, and quality performance indicators. Monitor supplier quality performance, including defect rates, rejection rates, delivery quality, and corrective action effectiveness. Lead or participate in supplier quality audits and improvement programs when required. Coordinate supplier corrective actions for quality problems involving raw materials or components. Support Procurement in supplier evaluation and selection from a quality perspective. Ensure critical suppliers maintain consistent quality standards and meet company requirements.

1. New Product & Project Quality Management

• Support new product development, new customer projects, and production launches from a quality perspective. Review customer specifications, drawings, samples, technical requirements, and quality standards. Establish quality control plans, inspection standards, testing requirements, and acceptance criteria for new products and projects.

• Participate in trial production, sample approval, First Article Inspection (FAI), and product validation activities where applicable. Identify potential quality risks during product and process development. Coordinate with Project, Production, Engineering, and other relevant departments to ensure quality requirements are implemented before mass production. Ensure quality lessons learned from previous projects are incorporated into new projects.

1. Quality Data, KPI & Performance Management

• Establish and monitor Quality KPIs, including but not limited to: Defect Rate,  rejection Rate, Scrap Rate, Rework Rate, First Pass Yield (FPY), Customer Complaint Rate, Customer Return Rate, Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), Supplier Defect Rate, CAPA Closure Rate, Audit Finding Closure Rate

• Monitor quality performance through regular reports, dashboards, and data analysis, identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities based on quality data, establish effective quality reporting systems and ensure data accuracy and integrity, provide timely quality performance reports to senior management, develop action plans when quality performance does not meet established targets.

1. Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Production to improve manufacturing processes and prevent quality issues. Collaborate with Project Management Department and Sales Department, Production Department , Engineering Department to understand customer requirements and quality expectations. Coordinate with Engineering regarding process capability, machine conditions, technical specifications, and process improvements. Work with Procurement to address supplier quality issues and improve incoming material quality.

• Collaborate with Warehouse and Logistics teams to ensure proper handling, storage, identification, and protection of products. Work with HR to develop quality-related training and competency programs. upport Management in quality-related business decisions, risk assessment, and improvement initiatives. Ensure effective communication of quality requirements and quality issues across all relevant departments.

1. Quality Risk Management

• Identify and assess potential product, process, supplier, and customer quality risks. Develop preventive controls and mitigation plans for identified quality risks. Establish appropriate escalation procedures for critical quality issues. Ensure serious quality issues are immediately communicated to relevant management and departments.

• Lead cross-functional investigations for major quality incidents. Evaluate the potential impact of quality issues on customers, production, delivery schedules, costs, and company reputation. Ensure appropriate containment actions are implemented before permanent corrective actions are completed.

1. Reporting & Executive Communication

• Prepare and present regular Quality Management reports to senior management. Report quality performance, major defects, customer complaints, audit findings, CAPA status, supplier quality issues, and improvement projects. Provide recommendations to senior management regarding quality improvement, process optimization, manpower, equipment, and resource requirements.

• Communicate significant quality risks and business impacts clearly and promptly. Provide data-driven recommendations for reducing quality costs and improving customer satisfaction. Ensure all quality activities comply with company policies, ethical standards, and applicable regulatory requirements.

About you

1. Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Quality Management, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical field. Professional certification in Quality Management, Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, or relevant quality standards is preferred.

• Experience, Minimum of 5–10 years of progressive experience in Quality Management, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, or related functions, preferably within a Manufacturing environment, preferable from Packaging Manufacture Company. At least 4 - 6 years of experience leading and managing a Quality team with demonstrated success in improving product and process quality.

• Proven experience in developing and implementing Quality Management Systems and quality improvement programs. Proven track record of reducing defects, customer complaints, rejection, scrap, rework, and other quality-related losses.

• Experience managing customer quality requirements, customer complaints, corrective actions, and quality audits, handling internal, external, customer, and certification audits. Experience in Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, 8D, and other structured problem-solving methodologies. Experience working with manufacturing processes, production environments, and quality inspection systems. Experience working with suppliers and managing supplier quality issues. Experience with quality reporting, KPI monitoring, and data analysis.

1. Knowledge

• Strong understanding of Quality Management Systems and quality assurance/control principles. Knowledge of ISO 9001, and fair knowledge of ISO 140001 and ISO 45001 and relevant quality management standards. Knowledge of manufacturing processes, inspection methods, measurement systems, and product quality requirements.

• Strong understanding of Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone Analysis, Pareto Analysis, and other quality improvement tools. Knowledge of statistical quality control and basic statistical analysis.

•  Knowledge of customer complaint management and corrective action processes. Understanding of quality risk management, process control, and continuous improvement. Familiarity with Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other continuous improvement methodologies. Understanding of quality-related costs, including scrap, rework, rejection, returns, and Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). Knowledge of quality documentation, inspection standards, work instructions, and quality records. Familiarity with ERP, QMS.

1. Skills

• Strong leadership and people management skills with the ability to build, coach, and develop a high-performing Quality team. Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills with a strong data-driven approach. Strong understanding of manufacturing quality processes and practical quality control implementation.

• Excellent Root Cause Analysis and corrective action skills. Strong customer communication and complaint management skills. Excellent audit planning, execution, and follow-up skills. Strong decision-making and risk assessment capabilities. Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. Strong attention to detail with the ability to identify potential quality risks before they become major problems. Strong planning, organizational, and project management skills.

• Ability to work effectively across multiple departments and levels of management. Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple quality issues simultaneously. High proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel and PowerPoint. Familiarity with ERP, QMS, CRM, or other quality/data management systems. Ability to communicate in English is preferred. Ability to communicate in Mandarin/Chinese is an advantage, particularly in a manufacturing environment with Chinese management or customers.