Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager

Altorfer • Bartonville, IL

1d • Hybrid

About The Position

Altorfer Power Systems, a leading Caterpillar dealership, is seeking a Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager for its Packaging division. This division specializes in building generator set packages and other power products, including fuel tank bases, enclosures, and control panels. The Quality & Continuous Improvement Manager will provide strategic leadership for the Quality Management System and Continuous Improvement initiatives across both Data Center and Refurbishment operations. This role is crucial for developing and sustaining a culture of operational excellence by ensuring exceptional product quality, driving process improvements, enhancing supplier performance, and leading data-driven decision-making. Reporting directly to the General Manager, this position collaborates closely with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, Sales, and Operations to enhance safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance, while ensuring compliance with ISO 9001 standards and exceeding customer expectations. The manager will act as a change agent, focusing on people development, process strengthening, and driving continuous improvement to boost operational performance and support long-term business growth.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Operations Management, Business, or a related discipline preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Three or more years of progressive leadership experience in Quality, Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement, or Operations.
• Demonstrated success leading teams and implementing sustainable operational improvements.
• Strong working knowledge of ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems.
• Experience leading structured problem-solving and corrective action processes.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and drive business decisions.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.

Nice To Haves

• Manufacturing experience within heavy equipment, power systems, industrial fabrication, or related industries.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE).
• Experience with supplier quality management.
• Power BI, ERP, and Quality Management System software experience.
• Experience leading successful ISO 9001 certification or surveillance audits.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for the Quality Management System and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Develop and sustain a culture of operational excellence.
• Ensure exceptional product quality, drive process improvements, and enhance supplier performance.
• Lead data-driven decision making throughout the organization.
• Improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost performance.
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001 standards and exceed customer expectations.
• Develop people, strengthen processes, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Recruit, coach, develop, and retain a high-performing Quality & Continuous Improvement team.
• Establish departmental objectives, priorities, and performance expectations.
• Lead, mentor, and develop employees through coaching, performance management, and professional development.
• Serve as the primary Quality & Continuous Improvement representative in cross-functional leadership discussions and customer interactions.
• Champion a culture where quality is owned by every employee.
• Lead and continually improve the Packaging Quality Management System (QMS) in accordance with ISO 9001 requirements.
• Ensure quality procedures, documentation, work instructions, and process controls remain effective, standardized, and audit ready.
• Lead internal audits, management reviews, corrective actions, risk assessments, and continual improvement activities.
• Maintain compliance with customer, regulatory, and corporate quality requirements.
• Prepare the organization for successful customer and third-party audits.
• Lead initiatives that improve product quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction.
• Oversee customer complaints, warranty issues, nonconforming product investigations, and corrective actions.
• Ensure robust root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Drive effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA) and verify long-term effectiveness.
• Monitor and improve key quality metrics including First Pass Yield (FPY), Defects Per Unit (DPU), rework, scrap, warranty performance, and customer quality trends.
• Lead Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate Kaizen events, value stream improvements, and cross-functional improvement projects.
• Partner with Engineering and Production to develop standardized, repeatable, and scalable manufacturing processes.
• Identify waste, eliminate process variation, and improve manufacturing capability.
• Measure and communicate the financial impact of continuous improvement initiatives.
• Develop strategic supplier quality programs.
• Establish supplier quality metrics, monitor trends, and drive continuous improvement with key suppliers.
• Lead supplier audits, qualifications, corrective actions, and performance reviews.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain to ensure suppliers consistently meet quality, delivery, and documentation requirements.
• Lead Packaging quality reporting, data governance, and performance analytics.
• Develop dashboards and KPIs that provide actionable insights for leadership.
• Utilize Power BI, Excel, ERP systems, and other business tools to identify trends and support operational decision making.
• Ensure quality data is accurate, consistent, and readily available.
• Partner with Engineering during new product introductions and process changes to ensure robust quality planning.
• Evaluate manufacturing risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Support development of standardized work, quality plans, inspection methods, and process controls.
• Drive continuous improvement of manufacturing processes.

Benefits

• Health, Dental, Vision, Disability, and Life Insurance
• 401(k)
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Parental Leave and Funeral Leave
• Paid Time Off: Prorated 80 hours of PTO + 1 Floating Holiday
• Education Assistance
• Personal Tool Insurance, and Safety Equipment Reimbursement
• Voluntary Benefits: Supplemental Insurance, Accident, Critical and Hospital Indemnity Insurance, Legal Assistance and Identity & Fraud Protection

What This Job Offers

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