Quality Manager Plant Operations

Job Title: Quality Manager Plant Operations

Location: Grenada, MS

Position

Description:

The Quality Manager Plant Operations is responsible for leading the quality assurance and continuous improvement efforts within the manufacturing plant. This role ensures that all products meet customer, industry, and regulatory standards while driving a culture of quality excellence. The Quality Manager will develop and implement strategic quality initiatives, oversee compliance programs, and lead a team of quality engineers and technicians to optimize manufacturing processes and minimize defects.

This is a hands‑on leadership role that requires close collaboration with production, engineering, and supply chain teams to ensure plant-wide quality improvements.

• Develop and lead the plant's quality strategy, aligning it with business goals and customer requirements.
• Manage the Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure compliance with ISO 9001, ASHRAE standards, and other industry regulations.
• Oversee plant-wide quality improvement initiatives, reducing defects, scrap, and rework through data-driven methodologies.
• Lead root cause analysis (RCCA), corrective actions (CA), and continuous improvement (CIP) to address recurring quality issues.
• Implement and maintain Statistical Process Control (SPC), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), and Design of Experiments (DOE) to drive process improvements.
• Work closely with engineering and production teams to enhance Design For Manufacturability (DFM) and ensure new product introduction (NPI) meets quality standards.
• Lead and develop the quality team, providing coaching, training, and mentorship to quality engineers and technicians.
• Drive supplier quality initiatives, including supplier audits, corrective actions, and process capability improvements.
• Monitor and report on key quality performance indicators (KPI's), providing insights and recommendations to plant leadership.
• Collaborate with operations leadership to foster a culture of quality ownership and accountability across all plant functions.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• 8+ years of experience in quality engineering within a manufacturing environment, preferably in HVAC, refrigeration, or industrial equipment production.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001, ASHRAE standards, and regulatory compliance.
• Proven leadership experience in managing quality teams and driving strategic quality initiatives or strong experience indirectly leading teams.
• Expertise in Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and advanced quality methodologies.
• Hands‑on experience with manufacturing processes such as welding, brazing, assembly, and testing.
• Strong problem‑solving skills, with experience in 8D problem‑solving, FMEA, SPC, and DOE.
• Proficiency in quality data analysis tools (i.e. Minitab, JMP, or similar).
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence cross‑functional teams and senior leadership.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or a related field.