HEAD Quality

Role & responsibilities

. QA & QC Leadership

• Provide overall leadership to the Quality Assurance and Quality Control function for the Industrial Coatings Business.
• Develop and implement the Quality strategy in alignment with business and customer requirements.
• Lead experienced QA/QC Managers and Quality teams across various Industrial Coatings segments.
• Establish robust systems for incoming material, in-process and finished-product quality.
• Ensure consistent product quality and adherence to defined product specifications.
• Strengthen preventive quality systems and reduce dependency on end-product inspection.
• Establish Quality KPIs and regularly review performance with senior management.
• Develop a strong culture of Quality Ownership, Customer Focus and Continuous Improvement.

B. Coil Coatings Quality

• Provide Quality leadership for the Coil Coatings business.
• Ensure quality consistency across primers, topcoats, back coats and associated coating systems.
• Strong understanding of coil coating processes, application parameters and product-performance requirements.
• Ensure effective control of critical parameters such as colour, gloss, adhesion, flexibility, hardness, impact resistance, chemical resistance, corrosion resistance and weathering performance.
• Lead investigation of product, process and customer-related Coil Coating quality issues.
• Work closely with R&D, Production, Technical Service and Sales for product improvement and customer approvals.
• Support commercialization and scale-up of new Coil Coating products.

C. Automotive / Two-Wheeler Coatings Quality

• Lead Quality activities for Automotive OEM and Two-Wheeler Coatings.
• Ensure compliance with customer-specific and automotive quality requirements.
• Drive resolution of customer complaints, line rejections, application issues and field quality concerns.
• Lead structured problem-solving through 8D, CAPA, 5 Why, Fishbone Analysis and Root Cause Analysis.
• Monitor and improve customer PPM, rejection rates and complaint trends.
• Participate in customer audits, technical reviews and quality-improvement meetings.
• Ensure timely closure of customer concerns and preventive actions.
• Build strong working relationships with customer Quality and Technical teams.

D. Emerging Business Quality

Provide Quality leadership and governance for emerging Industrial Coatings businesses, including:

• Protective Coatings
• Powder Coatings
• Can / Packaging Coatings
• Other Specialty / Industrial Coatings

The incumbent will ensure appropriate product specifications, quality standards, testing protocols, process controls and customer-specific requirements are established and maintained for these businesses.

E. Customer Quality Management

• Act as the senior Quality interface for key customers.
• Lead resolution of critical and recurring customer complaints.
• Personally intervene in major customer quality escalations whenever required.
• Ensure effective containment, root-cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.
• Conduct customer visits jointly with Sales, Technical Service and R&D teams.
• Analyse customer complaint trends and initiate systemic improvements.
• Ensure timely and technically robust response to customer concerns.
• Drive improvement in customer satisfaction and quality performance.

F. Manufacturing & Process Quality

• Partner closely with Manufacturing to strengthen process-quality controls.
• Identify critical process parameters impacting finished-product quality.
• Drive improvement in process capability and manufacturing consistency.
• Analyse batch failures, deviations, adjustments, rework and rejection trends.
• Implement preventive controls for recurring manufacturing-quality issues.
• Promote Right First Time (RFT) and reduction in batch adjustments.
• Ensure appropriate process controls during product scale-up and commercialization.

G. Quality Systems & Compliance

• Establish, maintain and continuously improve the Quality Management System.
• Ensure compliance with applicable ISO 9001, IATF 16949 and customer-specific requirements, as relevant.
• Lead internal, external and customer Quality audits.
• Ensure effective CAPA implementation and timely closure of audit observations.
• Review and strengthen Quality SOPs, specifications, test methods, control plans and inspection standards.
• Ensure laboratory systems, testing methods and calibration processes are maintained effectively.
• Drive Quality-system standardization across different Industrial Coatings businesses.

H. New Product Development & Commercialization

• Partner with R&D from the early stages of product development.
• Define Quality requirements for new products and technologies.
• Participate in product trials, scale-up, validation and customer approvals.
• Ensure manufacturing readiness before commercialization.
• Review Quality risks associated with new products and processes.
• Ensure smooth transfer of products from R&D to commercial manufacturing.
• Support customer trials and technical approvals for new products.

I. Supplier & Raw Material Quality

• Establish strong supplier and incoming-material quality systems.
• Work closely with Purchase, Supply Chain and R&D on supplier-quality improvement.
• Review raw-material specifications and incoming-quality standards.
• Support qualification of new and alternate raw materials.
• Participate in supplier audits and supplier-development initiatives.
• Drive corrective actions for recurring supplier-related quality issues.
• Monitor supplier Quality performance and establish improvement plans.

Preferred candidate profile