Quality Inspection Manager- Abilene

Quality Inspection Manager - Abilene

Johnson Thermal Systems, Merkel, Texas, United States
• Full-Time

Summary
:
The Quality Inspection Manager is responsible for leading the Quality Inspection function across manufacturing operations, ensuring inspection activities, staffing, and resources are aligned with production schedules and operational priorities. This role ensures that quality inspection processes effectively support manufacturing throughput while maintaining compliance with internal standards, customer requirements, and regulatory expectations. This position provides hands-on leadership to inspection teams across multiple sites, balancing quality rigor with production efficiency.

As a key partner to Manufacturing, Engineering, and Operations, the Quality Inspection Manager proactively manages inspection capacity, mitigates quality-related production risks, and drives continuous improvement to ensure quality keeps pace with production demands.

Accountabilities:

• Lead and manage the Quality Inspection team across manufacturing locations, ensuring appropriate staffing, coverage, and skill alignment.
• Own inspection resource planning, including headcount, shift coverage, cross-training, and workload balancing to support production schedules.
• Ensure inspection activities are executed in alignment with daily, weekly, and forecasted production requirements.
• Partner with Manufacturing leadership to prioritize inspection activities based on production flow, bottlenecks, and critical build schedules.
• Establish and monitor inspection performance metrics, including throughput, backlog, first-pass yield, rework, and defect trends.
• Direct daily execution of in-process and final inspections to minimize production delays and quality escapes.
• Execute and ensure completion of tank inspection checklists, verifying accuracy and completeness of all required documentation.
• Perform and/or oversee inspection of incoming materials, identifying deficiencies, documenting nonconformances, and driving timely disposition.
• Inspect tanks and related assemblies to confirm conformance to specifications, workmanship standards, and customer requirements.
• Verify and validate raw materials prior to release for production, ensuring proper certification, traceability, and compliance with quality requirements.
• Identify and escalate quality risks that may impact production output, delivery commitments, or customer satisfaction.
• Develop standardized inspection procedures, work instructions, and acceptance criteria to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions (CAPA) related to inspection failures, defects, and production disruptions.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on inspection efficiency, defect prevention, and operational effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Engineering to improve manufacturability, inspection methods, and design-for-quality practices.
• Ensure compliance with applicable quality standards, certifications, and regulatory requirements (ISO, UL, ASME, etc.).
• Support internal and external audits related to inspection processes and execution.
• Provide clear and timely reporting to leadership on inspection capacity, staffing needs, risks, and quality performance.
• Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, safety, and collaboration within the inspection and operations teams.
• Serve as a key quality interface for production-related customer concerns, audits, and issue resolution when applicable.

Required Knowledge/

Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or related experience required;
  Master’s preferred.
• 8–10+ years of experience in Quality or Manufacturing environments, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Proven experience leading inspection or quality execution teams in a manufacturing setting.
• Strong understanding of production workflows, inspection capacity planning, and quality systems.
• Experience balancing quality compliance with production efficiency and operational demands.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 or equivalent Quality Management Systems.
• Experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or continuous improvement methodologies (certification preferred).
• Strong leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Data-driven mindset with experience using KPIs and metrics to drive decisions.
• High degree of professionalism, integrity, and accountability.

Notes:
This description reflects the essential duties and qualifications for the role. It does not include non-job-related content.