Quality Engineering Manager

Executive Search by Calling | Engineer at Heart

This is a visible, high-impact Quality leadership role at one of our clients’ most crucial manufacturing sites. When the site performs well, the rest of the company benefits. Accordingly, the site receives attention, investment, and leadership focus.

The Quality Manager will lead a team of 10 employees across two sites. The foundation is solid, with a strong QMS, successful audits, and capable people. What is missing is clear leadership, consistent accountability, and a quality voice that the organization trusts and follows.

This is a culture-shaping leadership assignment for someone who can set the tone, build credibility across Operations and Engineering, and elevate the quality function from reactive to proactive.

The Quality Manager will inherit an organization that is compliant, proud of its work, and eager to succeed, but one that has become largely reactive. Data is collected but not consistently translated into insight or action. Inspectors and engineers are busy, yet the system does not yet anticipate or prevent issues at scale.

The mandate is not to overhaul everything quickly. The expectation is a thoughtful entry, listening, learning, and diagnosing during the first several months, followed by deliberate, well-sequenced change. This leader must bring prioritization and direction without destabilizing operations.

Just as importantly, the Quality Manager must redefine how Quality is experienced by the business. This role requires moving Quality from an occasionally adversarial presence to a trusted partner to Operations, Engineering, and Commercial teams—someone who helps solve problems rather than merely pointing them out.

The Quality organization itself will be stronger, either by developing existing talent or by selectively upgrading capabilities. Inspectors will progress toward more technical, analytical roles. Quality Engineers will spend more time on proactive, data-driven work and less time reacting to issues after the fact.

Compliance will remain strong or improve further, with the Quality Manager serving as the site’s credible voice to regulators, customers, and industry standards bodies. Internally, accountability will be more transparent and consistent, reducing friction and uncertainty.

Most importantly, relationships will change. Operations and Engineering leaders will view the Quality Manager as someone who understands the realities of the business and collaborates to improve outcomes. Key customers, particularly a small group of high-impact accounts, will trust and respect the Quality leader, engaging directly and confidently when issues arise.

Performance metrics will improve steadily over time, not because the right data is used to drive better decisions.

This role requires a low-ego, high-ownership leader. The successful candidate will be technically credible but not defined by technical knowledge alone. They will be comfortable on the manufacturing floor and able to read and interpret complex prints, understand machining and metal part stack-ups, pressure testing, and validation processes. Experience in valve manufacturing or similarly regulated industrial environments is highly relevant.

Equally important is leadership maturity. This individual must be willing to make tough calls, hold people accountable, and address issues directly, without creating unnecessary friction. They must be comfortable stepping into a culture that wants to succeed but needs clearer leadership and expectations at the top.

Leaders who rely on ISO as a checkbox, avoid conflict, or lead from policy rather than presence will struggle here. Leaders who take ownership, communicate clearly, and focus on making the business better will thrive.

An engineering degree is required. The ideal candidate brings at least five years of Quality leadership experience in manufacturing, along with meaningful people-management responsibility. Experience in highly regulated environments, such as industrial manufacturing, aerospace, food, rail, or similar, is essential. Familiarity with AAR M-1003 or comparable regulatory rigor is expected.

Six Sigma or Quality certifications are valued, but they are not the deciding factor. Demonstrated leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to translate data into action matter far more.

Other important factors:

• Machining and metal parts manufacturing a plus
• Reading and interpreting complex prints
• Stack-ups, measurement systems, and pressure testing
• Supplier quality management systems
• Valve manufacturing experience is highly relevant.
• ~5+ years in Quality leadership within manufacturing
• ~5+ years leading people
• Strong technical foundation paired with leadership maturity
• Experience using data to drive decisions and action
• Danaher Business System exposure is a plus