Director of Quality

Position: Director of Quality & Operational Excellence

Location: Wood Dale, Illinois

Employment Type: Permanent, Full-Time

Salary: $185,000 - $210,000 plus benefits

Our client, a growing precision sheet metal and fabrication manufacturer, is seeking a Director of Quality & Operational Excellence to strengthen and scale its Quality organization across two distinct manufacturing environments. This is a strategic leadership role focused on building the leadership structure, processes, accountability and quality systems needed to support the company's continued growth. The successful candidate will have strong technical expertise, evaluate existing processes, strengthen the Quality function and establish a more proactive, continuous-improvement culture across the organization.

The Director will work closely with Engineering, Operations and Production to identify root causes, eliminate recurring issues and ensure Quality is integrated into manufacturing rather than operating as a reactive or standalone function.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Quality organization, including the existing Quality Manager and Quality Inspectors.
• Assess current Quality processes, systems and team capabilities and implement improvements where needed.
• Establish clear accountability, performance expectations, KPIs and quality standards.
• Build a proactive Quality culture focused on prevention, root-cause analysis and continuous improvement.
• Partner closely with Engineering, Operations and Production to resolve recurring quality and manufacturing issues.
• Drive measurable improvements in scrap, rework, defects, customer complaints and overall operational performance.
• Develop managers and technical employees and strengthen the organization's leadership capabilities.
• Implement scalable Quality processes and systems that can support significant future growth.
• Work directly with senior leadership to identify risks, opportunities and strategic Quality initiatives.
• Support customer, internal and external audit requirements and maintain appropriate quality standards.
• Provide oversight and leadership for the company's aerospace-related operations as that business develops.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive Quality experience within a manufacturing environment, with significant leadership responsibility.
• Proven experience leading, strengthening and developing existing Quality teams and managers.
• Strong background in precision sheet metal, metal fabrication, machining, or another complex manufacturing environment.
• Establishing measurable KPI’s and accountability and demonstrating success implementing Quality systems, processes, accountability and continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of root-cause analysis, corrective action and process improvement methodologies. Implementing sustainable corrective actions and root-cause solutions.
• Working directly on the manufacturing floor with and proven ability to influence and collaborate effectively with Engineering, Operations and Production.
• Experience working directly with senior executives and contributing to organizational strategy.
• Driving continuous improvement and measurable operational results.Demonstrated history of delivering measurable operational and quality improvements.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations or a related field preferred.
• Lean/Six Sigma, ISO 9001, and AS9100 experience is required.

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Kelly is an equal opportunity employer committed to employing a diverse workforce and providing accommodation for people with disabilities in all parts of the hiring process as required under its Employment Accommodation Policy. Kelly will work with applicants to meet accommodation needs that are made known to Kelly in advance.