Senior Quality Lead

Responsibilities

• Lead daily quality operations by championing standardized quality systems, driving cross-functional coordination, and ensuring disciplined adherence to procedures and product specifications. Provide hands-on coaching, training, and direction to elevate team capability, reinforce accountability, and cultivate a culture of quality, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.
• Support the commercial team and customers by providing timely, accurate, and actionable quality information, assisting in the resolution of customer issues, and collaborating proactively to enhance customer satisfaction and strengthen long-term relationships.
• Partner effectively with production, maintenance, engineering, and other functions to uphold Nekoosa’s value propositions and drive high-quality outcomes. Ensure teams remain aligned with safety, quality, profitability, and sustainability objectives by monitoring performance, supporting problem-solving activities, and ensuring timely execution of corrective actions.

• Drive quality performance by achieving Q-Metric results exceeding 99.5%, while ensuring timely and effective resolution of customer quality claims. Oversee the implementation, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the company’s Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure compliance, consistency, and a proactive approach to product and process quality across all operations.
• Reestablish foundational elements of quality excellence, including robust root cause analysis practices, investigation discipline, site Quality Engineer accountability, monthly reporting expectations, and strengthened customer support.
• Deliver measurable improvements in product quality by leading data-driven continuous improvement initiatives, strengthening the effectiveness of the Quality Management System (QMS), and cultivating a culture of accountability and proactive problem-solving to achieve sustainable resolution of recurring issues and prevent trend repetition.
• Establish and maintain transparent, timely, and effective communication channels across all levels of the organization to ensure quality objectives, performance metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives are clearly understood and actively supported. Facilitate cross-functional collaboration by delivering consistent updates on quality status, driving engagement in problem-solving, and promoting a shared commitment to operational excellence.
• Deliver measurable results by driving a 10% annual reduction in customer quality complaints through disciplined problem-solving and daily management practices. Lead quality-focused improvement initiatives by identifying defects, process gaps, and recurring issues, driving timely corrective and preventive actions, and supporting operational teams in improving process consistency.
• Demonstrate strong leadership in coordinating cross-functional teams during quality investigations, improvement activities, and audits to ensure alignment on root causes, corrective actions, and long-term sustainability of improvements.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Quality, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

Experience: Minimum of 3 years’ experience in a manufacturing environment, with demonstrated exposure to quality principles.

Travel: The travel requirements of this position are up to 10%.

• Leadership – leadership ability to guide teams, influence outcomes, and drive results in a manufacturing environment.
• Analytical Thinking – Analytical and critical thinking skills, with data-driven approach to continuous improvement.
• Attention to Detail:
  Meticulous attention to detail to ensure consistent quality and compliance across all production processes.
• Communication – Excellent verbal and written communication skills for effectively interacting with team members, suppliers, and senior management.
• Adaptability - Ability to quickly adapt processes to meet changing demands and production requirements.
• Proficiency with operational software, statistical tools (e.g. Minitab) and root cause analysis techniques.

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