Corporate Director of Quality at The Judge Group Inc. in Los Angeles, California

Job Description:

Location: REMOTE

Description:
We are actively seeking a Corporate Director of Quality for an established international packaging manufacturer supplying customers in the food and beverage industry. The Director will ensure the highest quality standards and customer satisfaction for our client's products and services. This role will lead and manage the quality department and its staff and will oversee the quality management system and related continuous improvement initiatives across the organization. This role will also work closely with other departments including engineering, production, sales, and customer service, to ensure alignment and collaboration on quality objectives and processes.



Main responsibilities include:



Quality Strategy

• Develop and implement a comprehensive quality strategy aligned with business objectives, industry best practices, and customers' requirements.


• Foster a quality focused culture throughout the organization, promoting education, accountability, and commitment to quality at all levels; actively advocating for quality.

Quality Management System Leadership

• Develop and implement quality policies, procedures, and standards in line with business strategy and goals that comply with regulatory and customer requirements.


• Act as the authoritative voice of the company on quality matters when engaging with external stakeholders, including clients, regulatory bodies, and industry peers.


• Monitor and analyze quality performance metrics and customer feedback to identify areas of improvement and ensure customer satisfaction.


• Understand customer requirements and translate the feedback into product and process requirements for production.


• Lead and facilitate root cause analysis, corrective actions, and preventive actions to address quality issues and prevent recurrence.


• Ensure positive momentum via proper documentation and follow-up of quality actions and records.


• Manage and coordinate internal and external audits, inspections, and certifications to ensure compliance with the QMS and other quality standards.


• Act as the main point of contact for auditors and customers on quality matters.


• Define and establish quality processes, metrics, standards, and procedures continually refining them to enhance the effectiveness of the QMS.


• Conduct regular audits and inspections to assess the effectiveness of QMS, providing continuous feedback to identify problem areas and drive improvement in them.


• Make sound and data-driven recommendations and decisions based on comprehensive analytics.

Product and Process Improvement and Optimization

• Develop and enhance deep understanding of internal manufacturing and customer processes to help drive continuous improvement.


• Identify opportunities for process improvements and optimization to enhance product quality, reduce waste and increase efficiency.


• Collaborate cross functionally to develop and implement quality control plans through the entire product life cycle including customers end-use (VOC integration).


• Oversee inspection, sampling plans, and testing protocols at all stages of production to ensure conformity with specifications.


• continually look to enhance QC approaches while appropriately balancing costs and benefits.


• Work closely with operations and engineering to identify, mitigate process risks and to develop process control strategies.

Compliance

• Maintain in-depth knowledge of relevant quality regulations (federal, state, customer specific) ensuring company adheres to all applicable standards


• Lead interactions with regulatory bodies including submission preparation and responses to regulatory inquiries or audits


• Supervise development and maintenance of quality records ensuring traceability and audit readiness.

Supplier Quality Management

• Establish robust supplier quality program include assessments, qualifications, and ongoing monitoring of key suppliers.


• Drive continuous improvement in supplier quality performance through close collaboration, audits and corrective action management.


• Conduct supplier audits and evaluations to assess their quality systems, processes and help support their improvement.


• Work closely with engineering, operations, R&D, and procurement to develop incoming material specifications and requirements that optimize our manufacturing processes.

Continuous Improvement

• Collaboratively define KPIs, establish and update tracking mechanisms and analyze quality trends to identify proactive improvement opportunities.


• Oversee the implementation of robust monitoring and predictive maintenance systems for equipment, ensuring early detection of issues and proactive quality assurance.


• Support manufacturing operations in solving problems using established methods (root cause analysis, statistical process controls, fishbone, et al.) to address critical quality issues and improve cost.


• Collaborate with IT teams to outline, define, and implement QA strategies for cutting-edge analytics, AI algorithms and software applications.


• Develop and implement advanced testing methodologies, including model validation and performance testing.


• Support Operations using CI methodologies Six Sigma, Lean, 5S, 8D, etc.

Team Development

• Coach and assemble a highly skilled team providing clear direction, mentorship and development opportunities.


• Drive and support continuous improvement initiatives and projects to enhance product and process quality, efficiency, and effectiveness.


• Promote and encourage innovation and creativity among staff and across the organization.


• Participate in professional development activities, industry associations, quality related forums to stay updated with emerging trends, technologies, and best practices; advocate to incorporate these into practice/process.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, quality, or related field. Master's degree preferred.


• 10+ years' experience in quality management in high-speed packaging manufacturing OR food production with heavy involvement with packaging supplier quality.


• Proven experience in leading and managing quality teams and projects, and in implementing and maintaining QMS and continuous improvement programs.
  
  


• Familiarity and experience upholding quality standards: SQF, GFSI, AQL, BRCGS, ISO 9001, etc.
  
  


• Strong analytical skills and knowledge of methodologies, and tools, such as ISO 9001, Six Sigma, Lean, 5S, 8D, etc.


• Relevant certifications or training in quality management or related fields and statistics (statistical process control, process Capability and performance metrics i.e. Pp, Ppk, Cp, Cpk, etc.).


• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills to identify and resolve quality issues effectively and efficiently.


• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills: proven ability to lead and motivate staff and stakeholders, communicate clearly and persuasively on quality matters.


• Experience delivering strong customer service and managing customer relationships in manufacturing.


• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment amidst changing priorities and demands, multiple tasks/projects simultaneously, independent and collaborative work, while demonstrating initiative and ownership of one's work.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical experience and understanding of food and/or beverage packaging manufacturing processes and regulatory requirements.


• Familiarity and understanding of industrial food filling, cook and retort processes.

Contact: jdantzler@judge.com


This job and many more are available through The Judge Group. Find us on the web at www.judge.com Apply Now