Head of Quality, Accessories and SUV

ABOUT SLATE

At Slate, we’re building safe, reliable vehicles that people can afford, personalize and love—and doing it here in the USA as part of our commitment to reindustrialization. The spirit of DIY and customization runs throughout every element of a Slate, because people should have control over how their trucks look, feel, and represent them.

The Head of Quality, Accessories & SUV is a senior leadership role with end-to-end accountability for quality across the Accessories and SUV programs. This role uniquely spans both Program Quality and Supplier Quality — owning product quality planning and development from DFMEA and DVP through PPAP readiness and launch, while simultaneously leading the supplier quality function across Exterior Accessories, Interior Accessories, Audio/Tech/Lighting, SUV Kit, and related commodity segments.

You will build, lead, and develop a team of Project Quality Engineers (PQEs) and Supplier Quality Engineers (SQEs) embedded across these programs, serving as the primary quality interface between Slate and its accessory and SUV supply base and engineering teams throughout the product development lifecycle and into series production. You will also carry accountability for quality reporting and cross-functional escalation, representing quality risk posture to executive leadership on a routine basis.

This role requires a hands‑on leader who is equally comfortable driving design quality strategy, reviewing a PPAP submission, escalating a distressed supplier, and presenting risk posture to executive leadership. You will be a decisive voice in launch readiness decisions and a champion for quality standards across the Accessories and SUV programs.

Lead, mentor, and develop a team of PQEs and SQEs aligned to Accessories and SUV programs and commodity segments. Define clear roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations across Program Quality and Supplier Quality functions. Establish consistent work practices, reporting cadences, and accountability structures across the team. Recruit and build team capacity aligned to program launch milestones, engineering complexity, and supplier portfolio scope.

Partner with Engineering on DFMEA and DVP&R development for Accessories and SUV programs, applying AIAG-VDA 2019 methodology including Action Priority ratings. Drive closure of high-priority design risk items through rigorous validation planning, test management, and issue tracking in Polarion and related tools. Partner with Engineering on DFM/DFA reviews, GD&T assessments, tolerance stack-up analysis, and KPC/CTQ definition for accessory systems and SUV body structures.

Define and maintain quality technical standards, inspection criteria, and process controls for accessory system integration and SUV‑specific body, closures, and roof systems. Own issue management and requirements traceability for Accessories and SUV programs; ensure quality gates are clearly defined and enforced at each APQP phase. Track and report on dimensional, functional, and reliability quality issues; drive closure through DVP test results and structured corrective action.

Represent program quality risk in cross‑functional program reviews;
Escallyate concerns with clarity and urgency to Program Management and senior leadership.

Lead APQP execution across Accessories and SUV commodity segments; drive PPAP readiness for DV, PV, and Job 1 build events to Slate timing and quality gates. Lead or oversee supplier audits (process and system) for accessory and SUV commodity suppliers; administer Slate's Quality Requirements Manual…