Quality Manager

This position will be in for our new plant in Orangeburg South Carolina. The successful candidate will be required to relocate within one hour of the facility prior to plant occupancy certificate, anticipated date 3/1/2027. Some relocation assistance is available for the correct candidate. For work time between now and plant occupancy, the candidate will be based in Troy MI.

Remote opportunity considered for current residents of South Carolina until plan occupancy date.

This position will be an on-site position with mandatory attendance required once plant occupancy is granted.

Position Overview Sod Aap  is seeking a hands-on Quality Manager to establish, launch and lead the Quality / PPAP function for a high-volume automotive ladder frame plant. The role owns plant quality systems, advanced product quality planning, production part approval, welded-frame and e-coat quality, dimensional verification, launch containment, and final customer acceptance. This leader will develop a disciplined quality organization, coordinate with customer and supplier quality teams, and ensure production readiness from commissioning through stable two-shift operations.

Core Responsibilities Quality Leadership, Systems & Customer Interface
• Build and lead the plant quality organization across both shifts; define ownership, escalation rules, staffing, qualifications, training and layered process audits.
• Implement and maintain an IATF 16949-aligned quality management system, customer-specific requirements, controlled procedures, audit readiness, and management reviews.
• Serve as the plant quality lead for customer scorecards, complaints, audits, containment, 8D corrective actions, change approvals and customer communications.
• Drive cross-functional problem-solving with Operations, Engineering/Launch, Maintenance, MP&L, Purchasing and external SQA.APQP, PPAP & Launch Readiness
• Lead APQP deliverables, process flow diagrams, PFMEA, Control Plans, inspection standards, MSA, capability studies, traceability plans and PPAP submission readiness.
• Define quality gates for equipment commissioning, FAT/SAT, pilot builds, dimensional buy-off, production trials, Run-at-Rate and customer approval.
• Establish GP-12 / early-production containment criteria, staffing, defect tracking, escalation, exit requirements and handover to normal production controls.
• Maintain a launch quality risk register and action tracker, escalating overdue capability, measurement, weld, coating and documentation issues.

Weld Integrity & Structural Frame Quality
• Oversee inspection and validation of robotic MIG/MAG welds, weld locations, size, penetration, discontinuities, spatter and repair controls against approved customer specifications.
• Coordinate weld audits, destructive and nondestructive testing where required, weld parameter monitoring, repair authorization, and weld traceability.
• Lead containment and root-cause analysis for weld defects, distortion, fixture-related variation and assembly nonconformances; partner with welding/process engineering on permanent corrective actions.
• Verify critical-to-quality characteristics at rails, crossmembers, brackets and mounting interfaces, including special characteristics identified by the customer.

Dimensional Metrology & Process Capability
• Own CMM/metrology strategy, inspection plans, measurement frequency, fixture verification, calibration and reporting of frame geometry and GD&T conformance.
• Ensure MSA/Gage R&R studies are completed and customer-approved criteria are met; drive corrective action for unacceptable measurement variation.
• Establish SPC, reaction plans, Cp/Cpk or Pp/Ppk assessments as required by customer specifications and validated control plans.
• Coordinate first-off,…