Director of Quality Operations

Overview Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Director of Quality Operations? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision.

Join the PECNA team today! Responsibilities Director of Quality Operations  (by clicking this link you are being referred to an external site that is not part of Panasonic) Meet the Recruiter:
Eric Laffey

Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions.

If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary:

The Director of Quality Operations is responsible for leading site-wide quality operations, quality systems, and manufacturing quality strategy to ensure products consistently meet customer requirements, regulatory standards, and business objectives. Reporting to the Vice President of Quality, this role translates enterprise quality strategy into operational execution, driving quality performance, risk reduction, and continuous improvement across the organization. The Director provides leadership for quality operations teams and partners closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, Supply Chain, and Product Development to strengthen process capability, enhance product quality, and improve manufacturing performance.

The role is accountable for quality management system effectiveness, key quality performance outcomes, compliance, and organizational capability within the quality function. Success in this position requires strategic leadership, sound business judgment, and the ability to influence decision-making and drive operational excellence in a high-volume lithium-ion battery manufacturing environment. Essential Duties:
Functional Leadership & Operations:
* Provide strategic leadership and governance for site-wide quality operations, ensuring alignment between quality objectives, manufacturing performance, and business priorities
* Establish quality operating standards, management systems, and governance processes that drive consistent execution across production areas, shifts, and functions
* Own overall quality performance outcomes, including First Pass Yield (FPY), Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), scrap, customer defects, process capability, and product reliability
* Lead the development and execution of quality control strategies, inspection systems, testing frameworks, and product release processes to ensure scalable and effective quality assurance
* Ensure effective management of Nonconformance Report (NCR), Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA), and escalation processes to drive timely resolution of quality issues and prevention of recurrence
* Direct quality operations resources, priorities, and organizational structures to support production demands, business growth, and operational excellence
* Oversee quality performance reviews and governance forums, ensuring risks, trends, and improvement actions are communicated and addressed at appropriate leadership levels
* Utilize advanced analytics, statistical methods, and predictive quality tools to identify emerging risks and drive proactive mitigation strategies
* Develop, monitor, and communicate key quality performance indicators (KPIs) to executive leadership, ensuring visibility to organizational performance and risks
* Manage departmental budgets, resource allocation, and investment priorities to support operational objectives and continuous improvement initiatives Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:
* Develop and execute the site quality operations strategy and roadmap, aligning quality initiatives with organizational objectives, customer expectations, and operational priorities
* Partner with executive and site leadership to establish quality goals, performance targets, and long-term improvement plans
* Lead cross-functional improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, statistical methodologies, and structured problem-solving tools to improve quality performance and process capability
* Drive adoption of digital quality systems, advanced analytics, and data-driven decision-making to improve visibility, traceability, and operational effectiveness
* Analyze quality trends and systemic risks to identify strategic improvement…