Manufacturing Quality Director

GE Appliances•LaFayette, GA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manufacturing Quality Director provides strategic leadership and oversight of manufacturing quality performance, with responsibility for operational excellence, product reliability, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement. The role develops and executes quality strategies, improves internal and external quality metrics, reduces cost of quality, and leads the Quality organization. As a member of the plant leadership team, the Director works with cross-functional partners to establish quality objectives, resolve complex quality issues, and align quality priorities with business needs. The position supports plant operations in LaFayette, Georgia. The Director leads quality performance and improvement across manufacturing operations; owns the manufacturing Cost of Quality operating plan; ensures compliance with quality systems and manufacturing change controls; and works across supplier, engineering, field quality, distribution, and service functions to resolve issues. The role also oversees quality performance reporting and develops the Manufacturing Quality organization through coaching, staffing, and organizational development. GE Appliances describes its culture as people-centered and grounded in inclusion, diversity, belonging, and its Zero Distance philosophy. The company states that employees can work with their leader to create a flexible work arrangement that balances individual, team, and organizational needs. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at hire and maintain authorization without employer or school sponsorship; the company will not sponsor employment-based visas for this position.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline; an equivalent combination of education and relevant technical experience may be considered.
Experience in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Design Engineering, Reliability, Product Service, or a related technical function.
Demonstrated experience with root cause analysis and structured problem-solving methodologies.
Ability to analyze technical and quality data and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to work effectively across multiple functions and organizational levels.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and technical investigations simultaneously.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Excel and PowerPoint.
Knowledge of PFMEA, Control Plans, CAPA, SPC, and other quality systems and tools.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States at the time of hire and maintain that authorization without current or future employer or school sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting New Product Introduction and product reliability initiatives.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute manufacturing quality strategies aligned with plant and business objectives.
Lead quality performance across manufacturing operations and establish measurable objectives, targets, and improvement plans.
Partner with plant leadership and cross-functional teams to integrate quality requirements into manufacturing processes and business decisions.
Drive accountability through communication, performance reviews, and corrective action plans, while promoting quality ownership and continuous improvement.
Own improvement of internal and external quality metrics, including First Pass Yield, Cost of Quality, Service Call Rate, scrap, Overall Equipment Effectiveness, and product damage.
Analyze quality data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities; lead corrective and preventive action plans.
Ensure timely containment, root cause analysis, and permanent corrective actions for End-of-Line Audit findings and other manufacturing quality issues.
Champion Lean principles, structured problem-solving, error-proofing, and proactive quality tools to improve process reliability and reduce defects.
Develop and execute the manufacturing Cost of Quality operating plan and prioritize opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, warranty exposure, product damage, and other quality costs.
Partner with Operations, Finance, Engineering, and other stakeholders to assess financial impacts, deliver cost reductions, monitor targets, and address unfavorable trends.
Drive resolution of manufacturing-attributable quality concessions and implement preventive strategies.
Ensure manufacturing operations comply with the Quality Management System, applicable ISO standards, and internal quality procedures.
Oversee the Manufacturing Change Process and partner with the Change Implementation Board to ensure changes are evaluated, documented, approved, communicated, and implemented appropriately.
Identify critical processes requiring control plans and ensure controls, standards, procedures, and documentation are current and followed.
Collaborate with Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, Advanced Manufacturing Engineering, Field Quality, Distribution, and Service to resolve manufacturing and customer quality concerns.
Work with Supplier Quality on supplier defects, proposed supplier changes, change control, and production readiness.
Use field and service information to identify product concerns and implement manufacturing countermeasures; support Technical Assistance Group concerns and field service issues attributable to manufacturing.
Ensure appropriate controls for product rework, reprogramming, and corrective actions at supplier facilities, distribution centers, and other locations.
Partner with Engineering to recommend improvements to product testing and manufacturing controls based on field performance and customer usage.
Lead, develop, and manage the Manufacturing Quality organization, including Quality Leaders, Quality Engineers, technical specialists, and supporting personnel.
Set performance expectations and development objectives; coach and mentor staff; ensure appropriate staffing, resource allocation, and prioritization.
Build a high-performing organization that promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing, employee engagement, continuous improvement, and development of future quality leaders.
Establish daily, weekly, and monthly quality performance reviews; monitor indicators, escalate significant issues, and ensure timely resolution.
Communicate performance, initiatives, risks, and corrective-action progress to plant and business leadership; turn quality data into actionable insights.
Ensure quality initiatives are delivered within established timelines, budgets, and performance expectations.
Exercise accountability and sound judgment, influence decisions across functions and levels, balance immediate operational needs with long-term improvements, and develop organizational capability and succession plans.