Quality Manager

Job description:

Inter-American Performance Materials is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Quality Manager with a strong chemistry and materials background to lead and strengthen our quality management system. This position is responsible for ensuring product quality, laboratory reliability, analytical testing integrity, ceramic granule process control, raw material conformance, finished product release, health, safety, and environmental oversight, and continuous improvement. The Quality Manager will provide technical leadership to production, laboratory, and management teams while ensuring compliance with customer specifications, ISO 9001 requirements, internal procedures, applicable quality standards, health, safety, and environmental expectations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Lead the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of quality systems that support ceramic granule production, laboratory operations, analytical testing, product consistency, regulatory expectations, and customer requirements.
• Provide technical quality leadership related to raw materials, formulations, production processes, laboratory results, finished goods, certificates of analysis, and product specifications.
• Support and oversee laboratory quality activities, including analytical methods, test accuracy, calibration, sample handling, documentation, method validation, and laboratory safety expectations.
• Partner with the Lab Lead, production leaders, technical staff, and supply chain teams to ensure chemistry and quality requirements are integrated into daily operations.
• Represent the Company during customer, internal, third-party, ISO 9001, and laboratory-related audits.
• Lead investigations of nonconforming materials, out-of-specification results, customer complaints, process variation, and laboratory discrepancies using root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action methods.
• Develop and monitor meaningful quality metrics for laboratory performance, ceramic granule process control, supplier quality, customer complaints, nonconformance trends, and QMS effectiveness.
• Ensure changes to raw materials, suppliers, formulations, laboratory methods, specifications, equipment, and production processes are reviewed, validated when appropriate, documented, and effectively managed.
• Identify training needs for QMS procedures, analytical testing, chemical handling, laboratory methods, product specifications, documentation practices, and competency requirements.
• Ensure employees and laboratory personnel are trained and qualified through effective training, documented competency, and clear understanding of quality system responsibilities.
• Drive continuous improvement through self-assessments, audit findings, statistical thinking, laboratory data review, process capability analysis, risk assessments, and periodic performance reviews.
• Provide oversight of health, safety, and environmental practices related to laboratory activities, ceramic granule production, raw material handling, process controls, waste management, and regulatory compliance expectations.
• Communicate facility quality objectives, ceramic granule quality strategies, laboratory performance, customer requirements, and QMS performance to internal and external stakeholders.
• Support the organization’s Continual Improvement Program and maintain compliance with the Quality Policy, quality procedures, laboratory controls, and QMS objectives.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Education and Training:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Ceramic Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related technical field preferred; equivalent experience in quality management, laboratory operations, ceramic materials, or materials testing will be considered. Advanced degree, quality certification, or additional training in analytical chemistry, materials testing, laboratory quality, or ceramic process control preferred.

Experience:

• Ten (10) or more years of experience in quality management, ceramic granule production, materials processing, analytical chemistry, laboratory operations, or a related technical leadership role.
• Strong working knowledge of laboratory testing, ceramic product specifications, particle size and material property testing, raw material qualification, finished product release, calibration practices, quality records, root cause analysis, corrective action systems, and continuous improvement methods.
• Experience in an ISO 9001, ceramic materials production, industrial minerals, or quality-controlled laboratory environment preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading or supporting ISO 9001 quality management systems in a production or laboratory environment.
• Background in ceramic materials, industrial minerals, materials processing, analytical chemistry, or laboratory quality systems.
• Experience overseeing health, safety, and environmental programs, inspections, training, incident investigations, or compliance activities.
• Working knowledge of particle size testing, material property testing, calibration systems, certificates of analysis, raw material approval, and finished product release processes.
• Quality certification, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, root cause analysis, corrective action, or internal auditor training preferred.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

Ability to Relocate:

• Van Buren, AR 72956: Relocate before starting work (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $70,000 - $90,000