Quality Manager

Position Summary

The Quality Manager is responsible for developing, implementing, and maintaining the company’s quality management system to ensure all powder coating and paint finishing processes meet company, customer, and industry quality standards. This role includes implementing inspections, maintaining quality documentation, resolving defects, and working closely with production staff to ensure consistent, high-quality finishes. This role oversees quality control activities throughout production, drives continuous improvement initiatives, manages corrective actions, and utilizes the Steelhead platform to monitor quality metrics, production, customer requirements, inspections, and non-conformance reporting. The Quality Manager reports directly to the COO.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain quality systems, procedures, and work instructions.
• Ensure compliance with customer specifications, coating standards, and company quality requirements.
• Establish and monitor quality objectives, KPIs, and performance metrics.
• Lead internal quality audits.
• Manage document control and revision processes.
• Perform in-process, final, and incoming inspections of parts, materials, coatings, and finishes.
• Verify film thickness, adhesion, gloss, cure, and surface preparation quality using shop-standard tools.
• Ensures coating color, finish, and texture meet customer specifications or drawings
• Document inspection results and maintain accurate quality records
• Ensure the promotion of awareness of customer needs and requirements on their quality standards throughout the organization.
• Develop quality assurance plans by identifying critical control points and preventive measures; establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, and verification procedures; monitoring inventories.
• Inspect final output, compare properties to requirements and report deviations to appropriate individuals.
• Within Steelhead track quality inspections and production records.
• Review job travelers and customer specifications.
• Analyze trends in defects, rework, and customer complaints.
• Ensure that records are established and maintained to provide evidence that the ISO 9001 program is being successfully adhered to, including regular scheduled reviews for adequacy, and effectiveness.
• To ensure all quality standards are understood, enforced (paint mil thickness, blast profile, assembly standards, etc.) and where necessary, documented.
• Make sure a document control procedure is adopted to approve, review, and update all changes to critical documents within the scope of ISO 9001.
• This position safeguards Colonial’s information network with user access privileges.
• Any other duties assigned

Skills & Qualifications

• 3-5 years experience in quality
• 2 years of supervisory or managerial experience preferred
• Experience with ISO 9001 required; AS9100 and ITAR desired
• Proficient in Lean, Six Sigma
• Experience in handling customer complaints and supplier issues.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong problem-solving abilities with a continuous-improvement mindset.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple priorities.
• Proficient with production software or ERP systems (preferred).
• Ability to lift-up to 50 pounds
• Must be 18 years of age or older

Physical Demands

This position requires the ability to:

• Walk, stand, and move throughout the facility to observe operations and support production needs.
• Occasionally lift over 50 pounds
• Bend, reach, or climb short ladders when observing equipment or work areas.
• Tolerate exposure to noise, heat, dust, and chemicals related to powder coating/painting (with required PPE).
• Wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) when entering production areas.