Customer Quality Manager

Customer Quality Manager

On-Site Brattleboro, VT

Leadership Role Overview

The Customer Quality Manager serves as a strategic leader responsible for driving customer-focused quality initiatives across the organization. This role ensures that products, services, and business processes consistently meet or exceed customer expectations while maintaining compliance with applicable industry standards and regulatory requirements. The Customer Quality Manager leads cross-functional efforts to strengthen customer relationships, improve organizational performance, foster a culture of quality excellence, and develop team capabilities that support long-term business objectives.

This position provides leadership to quality personnel and influences teams across Operations, Engineering, Sales, Program Management, Supply Chain, and external partners to proactively identify risks, resolve customer concerns, and implement sustainable improvements.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Quality Leadership

• Develop, establish, and communicate the organization's customer quality vision, objectives, and performance metrics aligned with business goals.
• Lead the Customer Quality function and provide direction, coaching, and development to quality team members.
• Build a culture of accountability, customer focus, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for significant customer quality issues and drive timely resolution.

Customer Relationship Management

• Act as the primary quality representative for customers regarding product performance, quality concerns, audits, and corrective actions.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with customers to understand expectations and proactively address emerging concerns.
• Collaborate with commercial and program teams to enhance customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.

Quality Systems and Compliance

• Ensure products, services, and processes comply with applicable standards and regulatory requirements, including AS9100, Nadcap, customer-specific requirements, and other relevant industry standards.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve policies, procedures, work instructions, and documentation supporting the Quality Management System.
• Lead customer audits, regulatory inspections, and certification activities while ensuring effective closure of findings.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner with Product Development, Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales, Program Management, Supply Chain, and subcontractors to develop and implement robust workflows and quality controls.
• Facilitate cross-functional problem-solving initiatives to address systemic quality issues and prevent recurrence.
• Lead quality planning activities during new product introduction and process changes.

Supplier Quality Oversight

• Monitor supplier performance and compliance to ensure quality requirements are achieved throughout the supply chain.
• Collaborate with suppliers and procurement teams to implement corrective actions and supplier development initiatives.
• Drive continuous improvement efforts with external partners to reduce risk and improve performance.

Customer Feedback and Continuous Improvement

• Implement and maintain systems to collect, analyze, and trend customer feedback, complaints, returns, and performance data.
• Identify recurring issues and lead root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Champion corrective and preventive action processes and verify effectiveness of implemented solutions.
• Utilize customer quality metrics to prioritize improvement initiatives and measure results.

Team Development and Organizational Capability

• Recruit, mentor, coach, and develop quality personnel to build a high-performing team.
• Conduct performance evaluations, establish development plans, and support succession planning initiatives.
• Train employees on customer requirements, complaint handling, quality standards, and quality management tools.
• Promote employee engagement and encourage participation in continuous improvement activities.

Strategic and Operational Management

• Develop departmental objectives, budgets, staffing plans, and resource allocation strategies.
• Monitor key performance indicators and provide regular reporting to executive leadership.
• Present customer quality trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to senior management.
• Support organizational growth initiatives through strategic quality planning and risk management.

Requirements

Qualifications & Skills

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Technical, Science, Business, Operations Management, or a related discipline required.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, Quality Management, or a related field preferred.

Certifications

One or more of the following certifications are preferred:

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE)
• ASQ Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE)
• ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor
• AS9100 Lead Auditor
• Project Management Professional (PMP)
• IATF 16949…