Director of Quality

Adams Thermal Systems•Canton, SD

87d•Onsite

About The Position

Adams Thermal Systems is seeking an experienced Quality Director to provide leadership for their various facilities and execute on their vision to be the quality leader in the industry. The role involves leading the Canton Quality Department, maintaining the Quality Management System and IATF 16949 certification, and ensuring customer-specific requirements are met. The Director will also establish and monitor plant quality objectives, serve as a primary quality contact for customers, lead complaint resolution, and provide quality leadership for new product and process launches. This position requires a strong understanding of quality tools, problem-solving techniques, and the ability to promote a quality-focused culture throughout the organization. Collaboration with international quality managers is also a key aspect of this role.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline preferred.
Approximately 10 or more years of progressive experience in manufacturing quality, preferably within automotive, heavy truck, off-highway, agricultural, or similar OEM/Tier supplier environments.
Five or more years of direct quality leadership or management experience.
Strong working knowledge of IATF 16949 and ISO 9001.
Strong practical knowledge of automotive Core Tools, including APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and SPC.
Experience with Customer-Specific Requirements and customer quality systems.
Strong experience with structured problem solving and corrective action, including 8D, 5-Why, and root-cause analysis.
Working knowledge of GD&T, process capability, statistical techniques, and manufacturing process control.
Experience supporting or leading IATF, ISO, customer, and process audits.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with production employees, engineers, senior management, customers, suppliers, and international teams.
Demonstrated ability to develop people and build an effective quality organization while remaining personally engaged in day-to-day issues.
Must be team oriented and demonstrate high standards of performance, personal integrity, leadership, and accountability.
Ability to cope with stress and handle multiple tasks smoothly with a high accountability level.
Requires regular, predictable attendance.
Essential ability to sit and maneuver from one work area to another, working indoors and outdoors around mechanical hazards, fumes, irritants and chemicals.
Ability to travel to customers, suppliers, educational training, and other ATS locations as required.

Nice To Haves

VDA 6.3 experience is desirable.
Experience in heat exchangers, brazing, fabrication, machining, welding, assembly, or similar manufacturing processes is desirable.

Responsibilities

Lead the Canton Quality Department, including the development, direction, and mentoring of the Canton quality team.
Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor and work directly with Operations and Engineering to identify and resolve quality and manufacturing issues.
Own and maintain the effectiveness of the Canton Quality Management System and ATS Canton’s IATF 16949 certification.
Lead preparation for and participation in IATF certification and surveillance audits, customer audits, VDA/process audits, and other quality-system assessments.
Ensure applicable Customer-Specific Requirements (CSRs) are identified, understood, implemented, and maintained.
Establish and monitor plant quality objectives and key performance indicators, including safety, customer PPM, on-time delivery, scrap, productivity, and other business metrics.
Serve as a primary quality contact for ATS customers and build strong working relationships with customer quality and engineering organizations.
Lead or support customer complaint resolution, containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action, and 8D responses.
Provide quality leadership for new products and manufacturing process launches through the ATS Project Management and APQP processes.
Ensure appropriate development and maintenance of Process Flow Diagrams, PFMEAs, Control Plans, work instructions, capability studies, MSA, SPC, and PPAP documentation.
Work closely with Engineering, Production, Purchasing, Maintenance, and other functions to ensure quality, manufacturability, measurement, and customer requirements are addressed.
Work with Purchasing and Engineering on supplier selection, qualification, PPAP approval, performance monitoring, corrective action, and supplier development.
Utilize statistical and structured problem-solving techniques to improve process capability, reduce variation, prevent defects, and drive continuous improvement.
Promote a culture in which quality is owned by the entire organization rather than solely by the Quality Department.
Work collaboratively with Quality Managers at ATS manufacturing locations in Mexico, China, and India to align quality systems, metrics, problem-solving methods, APQP/PPAP practices, and quality expectations.
Share lessons learned and best practices among ATS locations and support international facilities with customer, quality-system, and manufacturing-quality issues when appropriate.