QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER

POSITION SUMMARY

The Quality Assurance Manager leads IPP's Quality Assurance and Quality Control programs to ensure raw materials, manufacturing processes, and finished products meet customer specifications, industry standards, regulatory requirements, and internal quality expectations. This leader partners with Production, Engineering, Maintenance, Materials, and Warehousing to strengthen product conformity, process reliability, and operational performance.

At IPP, Quality and Production are partners, not separate departments with competing priorities. Neither can succeed without the other. Production is responsible for manufacturing products that meet customer requirements; Quality must support Production with the expertise, training, systems, and process controls needed to consistently achieve those results.

Inspection does not create quality… it only finds the absence of it. We cannot inspect quality into our products. By the time inspection identifies a defect, the process has already failed to produce a conforming product. Inspection remains essential for verification and customer protection, but our shared objective is Quality at the Source: preventing defects rather than simply detecting them.

Quality does not exist merely to catch Production's mistakes, and Production should not view Quality as an obstacle to shipment. Quality's role is to help Production get it right the first time; Production must own quality at every step. Both departments share responsibility for consistently producing conforming products through stable, reliable processes. Success is measured by what we accomplish together, not by isolated departmental activity.

The manager is expected to champion this proactive, prevention-focused partnership. Performance is measured by defect prevention, process reliability, stable first-pass quality, and sustainable improvements while maintaining independent product-disposition judgment and all required quality and regulatory safeguards.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality Leadership and People Development

• Lead, coach, and develop QA/QC personnel, establishing clear expectations, accountability, technical competency, and performance feedback.
• Build a knowledgeable, service-oriented Quality team that supports Manufacturing Operations and strengthens operator ownership of product quality.
• Promote training, communication, problem-solving, and shared accountability across departments.
• Apply IPP's People, Processes, and Products perspective to uncover underlying operational weaknesses and implement lasting improvements.

Production Partnership and Quality at the Source

• Partner with and actively support Production in developing manufacturing processes capable of consistently producing conforming products.
• Collaborate with Production, Engineering, and Maintenance to minimize process variation, recurring defects, scrap, rework, and customer complaints while maintaining acceptable First-Pass Yield (FPY) and overall Quality Yield Rating (QYR).
• Strengthen preventive controls, standardized work, operator guidance, mistake-proofing, and monitoring at the point of manufacture.
• Evaluate existing inspection methods, control activities, and administrative requirements to simplify workflows, improve effectiveness, and eliminate unnecessary or redundant activities without compromising product conformity, traceability, or regulatory requirements.
• Promote Production ownership while maintaining independent technical judgment, effective verification, and appropriate product-disposition authority.

Quality Management System (QMS)

• Administer and improve a practical, effective QMS aligned with IPP's products, processes, and customer requirements.
• Maintain the Quality Manual, SOPs, work instructions, controlled documents, inspection and testing records, Material Traceability Records (MTRs), and product-approval records.
• Manage nonconforming materials, product disposition, corrective-action records, internal reviews, audits, and supplier evaluations.
• Apply relevant ISO 9001 principles where beneficial. ISO certification is not required, and IPP has no current plans to pursue it.

Product Compliance, Testing, and Certification

• Ensure raw materials, components, processes, and finished products conform to customer requirements, approved specifications, and applicable standards.
• Administer requirements of NSF, FM Approvals, ASTM, and other relevant organizations; apply ASME standards where applicable.
• Coordinate product approvals, qualification testing, certifications, external inspections, and communication with approval agencies.
• Oversee incoming, in-process, and finished-product testing, acceptance criteria, test documentation, calibration, and measurement reliability.
• Ensure nonconforming products are identified, segregated, evaluated, and appropriately released or rejected based on objective evidence.
• Support investigations of material properties, dimensions, mechanical performance, and manufacturing defects; maintain traceability and certification records.

Root Cause Analysis and Continuous Improvement

• Lead investigations into nonconformances, recurring defects, and customer complaints with Production and other responsible departments.
• Verify root causes, implement sustainable corrective and preventive actions, and confirm effectiveness rather than merely closing reports.
• Apply appropriate methods such as 5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, Lean, Six Sigma, SPC, and process-capability analysis.
• Support practical automation, data collection, Poka-Yoke (mistake-proofing), and improved process controls to prevent repeat failures.

Performance, Suppliers, Safety, and Resources

• Establish shared quality objectives with Production and report KPIs including First-Pass Yield, Quality Yield Rating, scrap, rework, recurring defects, complaints, corrective-action effectiveness, process stability, and supplier performance.
• Analyze trends and report risks, priorities, actions, and improvement results to the Leadership Team.
• Oversee supplier quality, vendor audits, incoming material issues, supplier corrective actions, and customer-quality communications.
• Manage QA/QC staffing, training, schedules, equipment, budgets, and departmental priorities to support manufacturing requirements.
• Follow and reinforce IPP's Safety and Health Policies, safe work practices, and PPE requirements; perform other related duties as assigned.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least five years of progressive manufacturing QA/QC experience, including supervisory or management responsibilities.
• Experience administering and maintaining a formal Quality Management System.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing inspection, testing, product conformity, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and process improvement.
• Experience working with Fit, Form, and Function principles in Quality Disposition, including evaluating product nonconformances to determine whether deviations affect product performance, intended use, or customer requirements and whether acceptance is permissible under applicable specifications and approval requirements.
• Ability to develop employees, establish accountability, and collaborate effectively with Production and other operational teams.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, product specifications, manufacturing procedures, and quality requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver practical, measurable, sustainable quality or manufacturing improvements.