Global Quality Director

nVent • St Louis, MN

4d

About The Position

We’re looking for people who put their innovation to work to advance our success – and their own. Join an organization that ensures a more secure world through connecting and protecting our customers with inventive electrical solutions. The Global Enterprise Quality Director is a senior strategic leader responsible for shaping and delivering the enterprise‑wide quality strategy to ensure products, processes, and systems consistently meet or exceed customer expectations. This role drives quality excellence across all business segments, plants, and functions; strengthens operational rigor; and embeds a culture of prevention and continuous improvement across the enterprise. This leader partners closely with segment and site quality leaders to harmonize standards, elevate performance, and build sustainable, world‑class quality capabilities. WHAT YOU WILL EXPERIENCE IN THIS POSITION: Enterprise Quality Strategy & Governance Develop and deploy a unified enterprise quality vision, strategy, and governance model. Establish and maintain quality standards, metrics, policies, and procedures aligned with enterprise objectives. Provide insights, risk assessments, and quality performance updates to leadership. Quality Management Systems (QMS) Lead the Enterprise QMS framework to ensure compliance with ISO9001 and all relevant industry certifications. Integrate QMS processes with emerging digital systems. Oversee global audit programs; ensure timely closure of corrective and preventive actions. Product & Process Quality Excellence Drive root‑cause analysis and structured problem‑solving to eliminate chronic issues. Partner with Engineering, Operations, Logistics, and segment quality leaders to embed quality in design and production. Strengthen global control plans, inspection programs, and validation processes. Customer Experience & Reliability Monitor and improve enterprise customer quality metrics, complaints, and field performance. Improve feedback loops to enhance product reliability and enhance customer experience. Ensure strong escalation, communication, and coordinated customer issue resolution. Operational Excellence & Continuous Improvement Lead continuous improvement initiatives using data‑driven methodologies. Establish and manage global nd dashboards for defect rates, COPQ and audit performance. Identify and deploy digital quality tools to advance analytics, monitoring, and predictive quality capabilities. Supplier Quality & External Partnerships Partner with Sourcing and Procurement to develop the enterprise supplier quality strategy. Oversee supplier qualification, audits, and ongoing performance management. Leadership & Talent Development Lead and develop a high‑performing global quality organization across sites and corporate functions. Mentor and advance segment and site quality leaders, ensuring alignment, capability development, and succession strength. Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Serve as a strategic quality subject‑matter expert across the enterprise. Champion a consistent, enterprise‑wide quality culture.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Operations, Science, or a related technical field required; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in Quality, Operations, or Engineering including international experience.
• Deep expertise in quality systems, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Demonstrated success leading multi‑site, enterprise‑wide, global quality initiatives.
• Extensive knowledge in building Quality Management Systems.
• Exceptional analytical, problem solving & root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective work relationships both internally and externally (customers, suppliers, internal functions).
• Strategic and enterprise‑level approach.
• Strong analytical and structured problem‑solving capability.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across complex, global organizations.
• Executive presence with strong communication skills.
• Proven leadership of multi-functional, geographically distributed teams.
• Data‑driven decision‑making and commitment to operational excellence.

Nice To Haves

• One or more professional quality certifications - CQE, CQM, CQA preferred.
• Certified six sigma black belt level or higher preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy a unified enterprise quality vision, strategy, and governance model.
• Establish and maintain quality standards, metrics, policies, and procedures aligned with enterprise objectives.
• Provide insights, risk assessments, and quality performance updates to leadership.
• Lead the Enterprise QMS framework to ensure compliance with ISO9001 and all relevant industry certifications.
• Integrate QMS processes with emerging digital systems.
• Oversee global audit programs; ensure timely closure of corrective and preventive actions.
• Drive root‑cause analysis and structured problem‑solving to eliminate chronic issues.
• Partner with Engineering, Operations, Logistics, and segment quality leaders to embed quality in design and production.
• Strengthen global control plans, inspection programs, and validation processes.
• Monitor and improve enterprise customer quality metrics, complaints, and field performance.
• Improve feedback loops to enhance product reliability and enhance customer experience.
• Ensure strong escalation, communication, and coordinated customer issue resolution.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using data‑driven methodologies.
• Establish and manage global nd dashboards for defect rates, COPQ and audit performance.
• Identify and deploy digital quality tools to advance analytics, monitoring, and predictive quality capabilities.
• Partner with Sourcing and Procurement to develop the enterprise supplier quality strategy.
• Oversee supplier qualification, audits, and ongoing performance management.
• Lead and develop a high‑performing global quality organization across sites and corporate functions.
• Mentor and advance segment and site quality leaders, ensuring alignment, capability development, and succession strength.
• Promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Serve as a strategic quality subject‑matter expert across the enterprise.
• Champion a consistent, enterprise‑wide quality culture.

Benefits

• A dynamic global reach with diverse operations around the world that will stretch your abilities, provide plentiful career opportunities, and allow you to make an impact every day
• Commitment to strengthen communities where our employees live and work
• We encourage and support the philanthropic activities of our employees worldwide
• Through our nVent in Action matching program, we provide funds to nonprofit and educational organizations where our employees volunteer or donate money
• Core values that shape our culture and drive us to deliver the best for our employees and our customers.
• We’re known for being: Innovative & adaptable Dedicated to absolute integrity Focused on the customer first Respectful and team oriented Optimistic and energizing Accountable for performance
• Medical, dental, and vision plans along with flexible spending accounts, short-term and long-term disability benefits, critical illness, accident insurance and life insurance.
• A 401(k) retirement plan and an employee stock purchase plan — both include a company match.
• Other supplemental benefits such as tuition reimbursement, caregiver, personal and parental leave, back-up care services, paid time off including volunteer time, a well-being program, and legal & identity theft protection.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director