General Manager - Quality

Objective of the Role: To lead and drive the organization's quality strategy across all manufacturing plants by establishing world-class quality systems, ensuring customer satisfaction, achieving zero-defect manufacturing, reducing Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), and ensuring compliance with customer, regulatory, and industry standards. The role will standardize quality practices across plants while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence.

Role & responsibilities

1. Strategic Quality Leadership

• Develop and implement the organization's quality strategy aligned with business objectives.
• Establish standardized quality systems across all manufacturing locations.
• Build a culture focused on prevention rather than detection.
• Drive Quality 4.0 initiatives using digital quality tools and analytics.
• Lead quality transformation programs across plants.

2. Customer Quality Management

• Ensure achievement of customer quality KPIs.
• Lead customer audits and assessments.
• Drive customer complaint reduction initiatives.
• Ensure timely closure of customer concerns using 8D methodology.
• Improve customer scorecards with OEMs and Tier-1 customers.
• Participate in technical discussions during new business development.

3. Manufacturing Quality

• Standardize in-process quality controls across plants.
• Monitor process capability (Cp/Cpk).
• Improve First Pass Yield (FPY).
• Reduce in-process rejection and rework.
• Drive Layered Process Audits (LPA).
• Ensure control plans are effectively implemented.

4. Supplier Quality Management

• Develop supplier quality strategy.
• Lead supplier audits and qualification.
• Improve supplier PPM performance.
• Implement supplier development programs.
• Drive incoming quality improvement initiatives.

5. New Product Development (APQP)

• Lead quality activities during product development.
• Ensure successful APQP implementation.
• Approve PPAP submissions.
• Validate PFMEA, DFMEA and Control Plans.
• Support product launch readiness.

6. Quality Systems

• Ensure compliance with:

• IATF 16949

• ISO 9001

• ISO 14001

• ISO 45001

• Customer Specific Requirements (CSR)

• Lead certification and surveillance audits.

• Standardize documentation across plants.

7. Continuous Improvement

• Drive:

• Six Sigma

• Lean Manufacturing

• Kaizen

• Poka-Yoke

• SPC

• MSA

• DOE

• Reduce variation in manufacturing processes.

• Lead COPQ reduction initiatives.

8. Plant Quality Governance

• Conduct monthly quality reviews with plant leadership.
• Review quality KPIs across plants.
• Benchmark plant performance.
• Drive best practice sharing.

9. Team Leadership

• Build high-performing quality teams.
• Mentor Plant Quality Heads.
• Develop succession planning.
• Conduct capability-building programs.

10. Cost Optimization

• Reduce Cost of Poor Quality.
• Improve warranty cost performance.
• Reduce customer returns.
• Optimize inspection costs through process capability improvement.

11. Digital Quality

• Implement Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Utilize dashboards for real-time quality monitoring.
• Leverage AI/analytics for predictive quality.
• Drive paperless quality systems.

Preferred candidate profile

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Production, Industrial, or Automobile Engineering. A Master's degree is an added advantage. Certification in Six Sigma (Green Belt/Black Belt) and Lead Auditor (IATF 16949) is preferred.
• Experience: 1825 years of progressive experience in Quality within the Indian automotive component manufacturing industry, with at least 57 years in a senior leadership role managing quality across multiple manufacturing plants.
• Industry Background: Must have worked with leading Indian or multinational auto component manufacturers supplying to passenger vehicle, commercial vehicle, or off-highway OEMs.
• Manufacturing Expertise: Strong hands-on experience in precision machining is essential. Exposure to processes such as CNC machining, turning, milling, grinding, honing, and assembly will be highly preferred. Experience in forging or casting followed by machining will be an added advantage.
• Quality Systems: Deep expertise in IATF 16949, APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA, 8D, Root Cause Analysis, Customer Quality, Supplier Quality, and Plant Quality Management.
• Leadership: Proven track record of driving quality transformation, standardizing quality systems across multiple plants, reducing customer PPM and COPQ, leading customer and certification audits, and building high-performing quality teams.
• Customer Exposure: Strong experience in managing quality requirements of major automotive OEMs and Tier-1 customers, with a demonstrated ability to improve customer satisfaction and quality performance through structured quality initiatives.