Director, Quality & Operational Excellence

Valvoline•Cincinnati, OH

5d•Hybrid

About The Position

Valvoline Global Operations, an affiliate of Aramco, is seeking a Director, Quality & Operational Excellence to lead the global strategy, governance, operating rhythm, and capability development for Quality and Operational Excellence within the Supply Chain Center of Excellence. This role provides enterprise leadership across Global Quality, Third-Party Quality, Quality Systems, Operational Excellence, TRACC deployment, Lean Six Sigma / A3 methodology, KPI governance, and quality performance visibility. The position partners with regional supply chain leaders, plant managers, quality leaders, the Planning COE, Engineering, R&D / Technical, IT, Procurement, and Operations to improve quality execution, reduce risk, strengthen global standardization, and drive measurable performance improvement. This role provides global standards, governance, visibility, capability-building, and improvement systems while regional and site teams retain accountability for daily quality and operational execution. The new Global Headquarters is coming to downtown Cincinnati in spring 2027, and the company is growing its team.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree required in Engineering, Chemistry, Quality Management, Supply Chain, Operations Management, Business, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical or business discipline.
Minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in quality, manufacturing, supply chain, operational excellence, continuous improvement, or operations leadership.
Experience should include global or multi-region leadership; manufacturing quality systems; ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 environments; supply chain operations; Operational Excellence / Lean Six Sigma; TRACC or similar operating system deployment; supplier / third-party quality governance; quality systems, scorecards, KPI governance, plant operations support, matrix leadership, and executive communication.
Ability to translate data into executive-level insights, decisions, risks, and action plans.
Experience building dashboards, scorecards, and management review processes, including defining business requirements for digital, data, AI, and system capabilities.
Strong matrix leadership, communication, coaching, facilitation, executive presentation, and change-management skills.
Ability to lead multiple initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred, including an MBA, master's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Quality, or a related field.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or Master Black Belt; Certified Quality Engineer; Certified Manager of Quality / Organizational Excellence; ISO 9001 Lead Auditor; IATF 16949 knowledge or certification; TRACC / Operational Excellence assessment experience; APICS / CSCP or other supply chain certification; PMP or project management certification.

Responsibilities

Develop and govern the Global Quality OGSM, operating model, leadership cadence, regional interfaces, escalation paths, and accountability expectations.
Ensure Global Quality supports the VGO Quality Policy of Customer First, High Quality, and Continuous Improvement through clear standards, governance, visibility, and capability support.
Establish and maintain the Quality measurement system, including site / regional performance scorecards, Global Quality OGSM execution scorecards, and TRACC maturity assessments.
Standardize KPI definitions, ownership, targets, reporting cadence, and leadership review routines.
Lead Operational Excellence strategy through TRACC, Lean Six Sigma, A3 methodology, best practice networks, Gemba routines, and maturity assessments.
Ensure OpEx supports Quality and Operations by converting gaps into structured improvement actions and sustainable process improvements.
Provide business leadership for GQMS, GQIA, vLIMS visibility, Power BI scorecards, dashboards, and workflow tools.
Partner with IT, Engineering, Data Analytics, and Systems teams to define Quality business requirements for digital, data, AI, reporting, and system capabilities.
Lead global supplier and third-party quality governance through TPRP, supplier quality performance, SCAR governance, supplier accountability, leaker review, QAVs, and customer / OEM requirement alignment.
Partner with Technical / R&D, Operations, Plant Quality, OpEx, and Engineering to improve manufacturing quality performance.
Support Blend First Pass, site recipe feedback, lab / plant data visibility, formulation feedback loops, deviation learning, and best practice replication.
Provide leadership for global quality audit readiness, including ISO 9001, IATF 16949, customer audits, supplier audits, internal reviews, and QMS observation programs.
Ensure audit findings are translated into sustainable corrective actions and governance improvements.
Lead and develop direct reports across Global Quality, Third-Party Quality, Quality Systems, and Operational Excellence.
Build alignment across regional quality leaders, site teams, Operations, Planning COE, Engineering, R&D, IT, Procurement, and EHS.
Communicate progress, risks, and support needs through leadership reviews and COO updates.
Perform other responsibilities as outlined by Valvoline Global Operations, as required.