Director of Quality Assurance

A rapidly growing advanced manufacturing company is expanding its domestic lithium-ion battery manufacturing operations and is seeking a Director of Manufacturing Quality Assurance to lead quality across production operations.

The organization develops advanced energy storage technologies for demanding commercial and government applications where safety, consistency, and manufacturing excellence are critical. This position offers the opportunity to play a key leadership role in establishing world-class manufacturing quality processes during a period of significant growth.

The Director of Manufacturing Quality Assurance will provide hands‑on leadership for manufacturing quality across lithium‑ion cylindrical cell production, ensuring robust quality systems, disciplined process control, and continuous improvement throughout manufacturing operations.

This is not a purely administrative leadership position
. The successful candidate will bring firsthand experience solving manufacturing quality challenges in a cylindrical cell production environment and will serve as a technical mentor to quality and manufacturing teams.

Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Supply Chain leadership, this individual will drive manufacturing quality performance while supporting production scale‑up, operational excellence, and customer satisfaction.

• Lead the manufacturing quality organization and foster a culture focused on accountability, process discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Establish manufacturing quality objectives aligned with operational and business goals.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Supply Chain to improve manufacturing performance and product quality.
• Develop, mentor, and coach quality engineers, technicians, and inspectors.
• Lead by example by providing hands‑on technical coaching based on prior experience solving manufacturing quality challenges in lithium‑ion cylindrical cell production.

• Support and continuously improve Quality Management Systems (QMS) in accordance with recognized industry standards, including ISO 9001 and IATF 16949.
• Ensure compliance with applicable regulatory, environmental, and safety requirements.
• Support document control, engineering change processes, internal audits, and quality documentation.
• Develop meaningful quality metrics and reporting that support manufacturing decision‑making.

• Oversee quality throughout incoming inspection, in‑process manufacturing, and final product testing.
• Utilize statistical process control, FMEA, Six Sigma, CAPA, root cause analysis, and other structured problem‑solving methodologies.
• Drive improvements in yield, defect reduction, scrap reduction, process capability, and overall manufacturing performance.
• Apply practical manufacturing experience to rapidly identify, troubleshoot, and resolve process and quality issues while implementing sustainable corrective actions.
• Support new manufacturing processes and production ramp activities while maintaining world‑class quality standards.

• Support supplier quality initiatives and participate in supplier quality reviews.
• Ensure timely resolution of internal and external quality issues through effective corrective and preventive action processes.
• Collaborate with Operations and Supply Chain to improve incoming material quality and manufacturing consistency.
• Champion Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives throughout production.
• Develop quality metrics, dashboards, and KPI reporting to support operational decision‑making.
• Drive initiatives focused on reducing Cost of Poor Quality…