What are the responsibilities and job description for the Quality and Compliance Manager position at Kenney Manufacturing?
Quality & Compliance Manager
Location: Warwick, Rhode Island
EMAIL RESUME TO ATASKIN@KENNEY.COM
About Us
Kenney Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of window and bath hardware products serving major North American retailers. Founded in 1914, Kenney operates manufacturing facilities in the United States and partners with suppliers around the world to deliver high-quality products to customers across North America.
We are seeking a hands-on Quality & Compliance Manager to lead quality, compliance, supplier performance, and continuous improvement initiatives across our domestic manufacturing operations and international supply base.
Position Overview
The Quality & Compliance Manager is a working manager who spends time on the manufacturing floor, in the warehouse, and directly engaged with production teams, suppliers, and auditors. The successful candidate will lead quality systems while personally driving investigations, corrective actions, factory audits, process improvements, and supplier development activities.
This position is responsible for manufacturing quality, supplier quality, QAFA compliance, SMETA compliance, retailer requirements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Responsibilities
Manufacturing Quality
- Maintain a visible daily presence on the manufacturing floor
- Lead investigations of quality issues, customer complaints, and production defects
- Drive root cause analysis and corrective actions
- Reduce scrap, rework, and customer returns
- Develop and maintain inspection procedures and quality standards
- Support new product launches and process validation activities
- Manage calibration and quality documentation systems
Supplier Quality
- Manage quality performance of domestic and international suppliers
- Conduct supplier audits and factory assessments
- Lead supplier corrective action programs
- Monitor supplier scorecards and performance metrics
- Work with sourcing teams to improve supplier quality and consistency
Compliance & Audits
- Lead QAFA audit preparation and follow-up activities
- Coordinate SMETA audits and corrective action programs
- Maintain compliance with retailer quality requirements
- Support customer audits and third-party inspections
- Ensure factories maintain required quality and compliance standards
Continuous Improvement
- Lead quality improvement projects
- Analyze quality trends and operational data
- Implement Lean Manufacturing initiatives
- Develop KPI reporting and quality dashboards
- Train employees and supervisors on quality standards and procedures
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or related discipline preferred
- Minimum 7 years of manufacturing quality experience
- Experience managing quality programs in a manufacturing environment
- Direct experience with QAFA audits preferred
- Direct experience with SMETA audits preferred
- Experience managing overseas supplier quality programs
- Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving skills
- Experience with retailer compliance requirements
- Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma experience preferred
- SAP or ERP experience preferred
- Ability to travel domestically and internationally as needed
Preferred Background
Experience in one or more of the following:
- Consumer products manufacturing
- Metal fabrication
- Powder coating or finishing operations
- Assembly operations
- Retail-driven manufacturing
- Global sourcing environments
What Success Looks Like
Within the first year, this individual will:
- Improve supplier quality performance
- Reduce scrap and rework costs
- Improve customer complaint metrics
- Successfully lead QAFA and SMETA audits
- Strengthen manufacturing process controls
- Improve retailer compliance performance
- Establish clear quality metrics and accountability throughout the organization
Why Join Kenney
- Established U.S. manufacturer with over 100 years of history
- Direct impact on manufacturing operations and business performance
- Opportunity to lead both domestic and international quality initiatives
- Exposure to major retail customers and global supply partners
- Collaborative leadership team and growth-oriented culture