Quality Assurance Manager

Quality Manager

Reports To: President

Location: Warrendale, PA (On-Site)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Compensation: $75,000 – $115,000 annually, commensurate with experience

What We Offer

•    Competitive health benefits (medical, dental, vision)

•    Paid time off

•    401(k) plan (launching soon)

•    A high-trust environment where your decisions carry real weight

Who We Are

Fasteners Unlimited Inc. is a specialty fastener manufacturer serving demanding customers in the defense and power generation industries. We manufacture and supply high-performance fasteners where quality, documentation, traceability, and delivery matter.

We are a small, fast-moving, 25-person company with serious customer requirements. Our work includes precision-machined fasteners, exotic alloy materials, outside processing, inspection, certification packages, and customer-specific quality requirements for defense primes, MRO suppliers, and power generation OEMs including gas, steam, wind, and nuclear manufacturers.

This is not a corporate quality role buried inside a large department. This is a hands-on leadership position for someone who wants real ownership, visible impact, and the authority to strengthen the quality function of a growing manufacturer.

Position Purpose

To lead the quality function across inspection, compliance, and continuous improvement. The Quality Manager ensures all jobs meet customer requirements, internal standards, and certification demands while fostering a culture of prevention, not reaction.

What You’ll Do

•    Oversee daily inspection activities (incoming, in-process, final) and team workflows

•    Ensure proper documentation, certification, and traceability across all jobs

•    Lead internal and external audits, customer visits, and compliance initiatives

•    Own CAR/NCR processes from investigation through closure

•    Collaborate with Production, Engineering, and Project Management to close systemic quality gaps

•    Track and report KPIs: first-pass yield, rework rate, audit readiness, and scrap trends

•    Maintain JobBOSS² quality entries and cert uploads with 100% accuracy

•    Train, mentor, and hold inspectors and operators to consistent standards

•    Drive CAPAs, root cause analysis, and 8D-style investigations

Core Qualifications

•    Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Management, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent combination of industry experience, military training, and professional certifications will be considered.

•    7 years of quality experience in a manufacturing environment, 3 years of management experience

•    Experience in precision machining, metal manufacturing, fasteners, defense, power generation, or a related technical manufacturing environment

•    Strong blueprint reading and GD&T knowledge

•    Hands-on inspection experience: micrometers, calipers, height gauges, thread gauges, indicators, bore gauges

•    Solid understanding of ISO 9001:2015 quality systems (our current certification standard)

•    Experience with NCRs, CARs, CAPA, root cause analysis, and corrective action effectiveness verification

•    Comfortable leading people, setting priorities, and holding standards in a production environment

•    Strong written and verbal communication skills

•    Due to the nature of our customer base, candidates must be US citizens or authorized to work in the US

Preferred Qualifications

•    AS9100 experience is preferred; our current certification requirement is ISO 9001:2015, so AS9100 familiarity is a strong asset but not a barrier to entry

•    Background in defense or power generation manufacturing (gas/steam/wind turbine, nuclear, or industrial OEM supply chains)

•    Certified Internal Auditor or Lead Auditor (ISO or AS standards)

•    Experience with JobBOSS² or similar ERP systems (training provided)

•    Familiarity with MIL-SPEC, DFARS, ITAR, or customer-specific defense requirements

•    CMM programming or advanced metrology experience

•    Lean, Six Sigma, 8D, FMEA, or SPC exposure

Key Responsibilities

Quality Leadership & Daily Inspection Oversight

•    Lead daily quality team activities across all shifts

•    Set inspection priorities based on customer needs, job due dates, risk, and production flow

•    Coach inspectors and operators on drawing interpretation, inspection expectations, and documentation practices

•    Maintain a visible presence on the production floor and in the inspection area

Nonconforming Product, NCRs, CARs & CAPA

•    Own the full process for identifying, documenting, segregating, dispositioning, and resolving nonconforming product

•    Lead root cause analysis using 5 Whys, fishbone diagrams, and 8D-style investigations

•    Verify the effectiveness of corrective actions and ensure recurrence is prevented

Documentation, Certification & Traceability

•    Ensure all certifications, MTRs, outside process certs, inspection records, and customer documentation are accurate and complete before shipment

•    Maintain traceability from raw material receipt through final shipment

•    Support customer-specific cert package requirements, including defense and power generation documentation expectations

QMS & Audit Readiness

•    Maintain and support the company’s ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System

•    Prepare for and support internal audits, customer audits, and third-party audits

•    Support Management Review preparation by reporting quality performance, NCR/CAR trends, and improvement needs

Customer, Supplier & Cross-Functional Support

•    Interface professionally with customer quality representatives, source inspectors, and auditors

•    Review customer quality requirements and translate them into inspection, documentation, and production expectations

•    Support Account Managers, Production, Purchasing, and Shipping when quality issues affect delivery or customer communication

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

•    Track NCR, CAR, and first-pass yield metrics; report trends monthly to leadership

•    Identify systemic trends and recommend process improvements that reduce risk and prevent recurrence

•    Champion 5S, poka-yoke, and a culture of first-part-right across the shop floor

Physical & Environmental Requirements

•    Full-time, on-site position in Warrendale, PA

•    Regular time on the production floor and in the inspection area

•    Frequent standing, walking, computer work, and inspection bench work

•    Occasional material handling up to 50 lbs

•    Must be comfortable in a fast-paced small-company environment where priorities shift quickly

Tools & Systems

•    Precision instruments: micrometers, calipers, height gauges, thread gauges, bore gauges, indicators

•    ERP: JobBOSS² (training provided)

•    Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook)

•    Root cause tools: 5 Whys, Fishbone, Pareto analysis, 8D

What Success Looks Like

The ideal Quality Manager is practical, steady, and technically accountable. They bring order without bureaucracy. They improve systems without making them impossible to follow. They lead from the front.

Success in this role is measured by:

•    Accurate and complete certification packages on first submission

•    Reduction in recurring NCRs, rework, and scrap

•    Timely closure and verified effectiveness of corrective actions

•    Audit readiness and positive external audit outcomes

•    Consistent traceability from raw material through shipment

•    A stable, accountable, professional quality culture

Why Fasteners Unlimited?

•    You own it here: This is your function to lead and improve, not a role buried in a corporate quality department

•    You matter here: Your work directly protects the integrity of every part we ship to defense primes and power generation OEMs

•    We move fast, expect excellence, and back our people with the tools and trust to do it right

•    Our culture rewards proactive thinkers, team players, and people who hold the line

This is a strong opportunity for a Quality Manager, Senior Quality Engineer, Supplier Quality Engineer, or Quality Lead who is ready for more ownership and wants to make a measurable impact in a high-accountability environment.