Quality Assurance Manager

Purpose

The Quality Assurance Manager leads the site Quality function supporting a high-volume, 24/7 Credit and Debit Card Personalization Center producing approximately 4 million cards per month across four shifts. The operation supports approximately 38 customers, each with specific product, personalization, quality, security, packaging, and service requirements. The Quality Manager is responsible for driving strong manufacturing quality performance, ensuring effective deployment of the Quality Management System (QMS), preventing customer escapes, and driving toward zero customer complaints. This role requires a hands-on Quality leader who can operate effectively in a fast-paced manufacturing environment combining high-speed automated equipment and manual processes, while partnering closely with Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, Process Improvement, and Customer Service.

Key Missions

Quality Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, manage, coach, and develop the site Quality team across all four shifts, ensuring team members are appropriately trained, skilled, and qualified.
• Ensure effective Quality support and consistent quality standards across the 24/7 manufacturing operation.
• Establish clear ownership and accountability for quality performance

Manufacturing Quality & Performance 

• Monitor and drive site Quality KPIs and production quality performance, including customer complaints and escapes, internal defects, First Pass Yield / Right First Time, scrap and rework, CAPA effectiveness, process capability, and audit performance.
• Ensure consistent quality performance across high-speed personalization equipment and manual production processes.
• Ensure critical product and personalization attributes—including data accuracy, card configuration, encoding, printing, graphics, chip/contactless functionality, packaging, and customer-specific requirements—meet defined specifications.
• Identify trends, recurring defects, process variation, and quality risks through data analysis, SPC, process capability, Pareto analysis, and other quality tools.

Customer Complaints & Problem Solving

• Lead the resolution of customer complaints, non-conformances, and significant quality incidents with the appropriate level of urgency and customer focus.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure effective containment, root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, effectiveness verification, and timely customer response. • Drive permanent root-cause elimination and prevent recurrence rather than relying on temporary corrective actions.

Quality Management System, Compliance & Risk 

• Own the deployment, effectiveness, and continuous improvement of the site Quality Management System (QMS), ensuring compliance with corporate, customer, regulatory, and applicable standard requirements.
• Lead and coordinate internal, customer, certification, and third-party audits, ensuring audit readiness, effective resolution of findings, and maintenance of applicable certifications and accreditations (ISO 9001, PCI, CQM, etc.).
• Identify and anticipate quality risks through structured risk assessment methodologies, including FMEA, and ensure appropriate mitigation, containment, escalation, and follow-up actions.

New Products, Customers & Process Changes

• Lead Quality involvement in new customer onboarding, new products and card programs, new equipment, and significant process changes.
• Partner with Operations, Engineering, IT, Program Management, and other stakeholders to ensure Quality requirements are incorporated from the beginning of each project.
• Participate in risk assessments, FMEA, control plans, testing, qualification, process validation, and production readiness activities.

Continuous Improvement & Operational Excellence

• Maintain a strong presence on the production floor to understand processes, identify quality risks, and support rapid resolution of manufacturing issues.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives focused on defect prevention, variation reduction, process capability, and customer satisfaction.
• Promote data-driven decision making and structured problem-solving methodologies across the organization.
• Report quality performance, key initiatives, risks, and measurable business results to the Senior Manager – Quality and Continuous Improvement. 

Profile & Other Information

The successful candidate will be a hands-on, experienced Quality leader who thrives in a complex, high volume manufacturing environment and combines strong technical knowledge with leadership, customer focus, and operational agility.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong experience leading Quality in a high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Experience with automated/high-speed manufacturing equipment as well as manual production processes.
• Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes and the ability to troubleshoot equipment- and process-related quality issues.
• Demonstrated experience managing customer complaints, escalations, and customer-facing quality discussions.
• Strong problem-solving and root-cause analysis capabilities with a focus on sustainable corrective actions.
• Strong knowledge and practical application of FMEA, SPC, process capability, CAPA, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Ability to manage complex and varying customer-specific requirements.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and the ability to influence Operations, Engineering, Maintenance, IT, and other stakeholders through facts and data.
• Experience supporting the introduction of new customers, products, equipment, and manufacturing processes.
• Ability to make sound, fact-based decisions under pressure while maintaining attention to detail and customer requirements. 
• A proactive and prevention-focused mindset, with strong ownership and accountability for quality performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and 5+ years of quality engineering and/or quality management experience in a manufacturing environment, with a strong focus on quality improvement.
• Strong knowledge of ISO 9001 or equivalent quality standards, with experience supporting or leading internal, customer, and certification audits.
• Proficiency in Lean Manufacturing and structured problem-solving methodologies. Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification is a plus.
• Hands-on experience with quality tools and methodologies, including capability analysis, SPC, FMEA, root cause analysis, and corrective and preventive actions.
• Strong engineering and analytical skills, with the ability to understand manufacturing equipment, processes, and associated quality risks.
• Excellent troubleshooting and problem-solving skills with a hands-on approach.
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to manage, coach, motivate, and develop teams.
• Ability to influence operators, supervisors, engineers, and management through facts, data, and demonstrated results.
• Proficiency with computer systems and applications, including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, databases, and ERP systems.
• Fluency in English (written and spoken) is required. Spanish is a plus.