Advanced Product Quality Planning Process Owner

KCC Manufacturing•Simpsonville, KY

26d•Onsite

About The Position

KCC Companies is an employee-owned (ESOP) company providing design, manufacturing, installation, and service for commercial and residential HVAC. Its mission is to enhance the lives of customers, partners, employee-owners, and communities through innovative HVAC solutions. The Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) Process Owner works with leadership and departments involved in new product development (NPD) and new product introduction (NPI) to drive successful launches on time, on budget, and with strong quality and customer satisfaction. The role ensures APQP practices suit KCC’s business needs, are understood by relevant team members, and are consistently used throughout NPD and NPI projects. The Process Owner also draws on project and product feedback to improve the APQP process and future products. This is not a remote or hybrid position.

Requirements

Very strong understanding of APQP principles, practices, and tools, including the relationships between phases, activities, and success factors.
Ability to drive timely results through people.
Strong verbal and written communication skills across all levels of the organization.
Strong collaboration, analytical, documentation, organizational, and time-management skills.
Ability to think holistically and take a systematic approach.
Ability to educate and coach others effectively.
Working knowledge of at least one commonly accepted change-management method, such as Kotter’s 8-Step method.
Solid understanding of quality management systems.
Ability to apply Lean, Kaizen, or Six Sigma methodologies to improve the APQP process.
Self-motivated and goal-oriented, with a strong personal drive for success.
Functional knowledge of Microsoft Office programs.
At least 5 years of team leadership and/or project leadership experience, with a record of leading teams to achieve targets.
At least 5 years of experience working within or leading APQP activities in a certified manufacturing setting, such as ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949, or AS9100.
Working knowledge of key touch points and successful interconnections between departments in a mid-size manufacturing company.
Experience leading the implementation of Lean principles in a manufacturing environment.
Willingness to advance a quality culture that is still maturing.

Nice To Haves

Project management skills.
Experience developing and/or implementing a QMS in a manufacturing organization.
Auditor certification.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related field.

Responsibilities

Develop the APQP process to fit KCC’s business model and meet company needs.
Maintain detailed APQP process documentation, including procedures, guidelines, and best practices.
Assist in developing training materials covering APQP fundamentals and specific tasks and activities.
Serve as the primary instructor for live classroom training of KCC’s internal APQP courses.
Coach cross-functional teams and individuals in applying classroom learning to real-world projects.
Oversee execution of the APQP process and ensure it is followed correctly and consistently.
Verify that the process is adopted culturally and treated as the standard for NPD and NPI projects.
Monitor APQP process outcomes to assess effectiveness and results.
Identify and implement improvements to enhance process effectiveness and efficiency.
Communicate with APQP stakeholders to gather feedback and drive continuous improvement.