Quality Manager

Ruger Firearms • Mayodan, NC

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is seeking an active, hands-on Quality Engineering Manager for its onsite Mayodan, North Carolina location. The manager will develop, establish, and continually improve manufacturing systems and processes by coaching and mentoring manufacturing leaders, engineers, purchasing personnel, and other team members. The role calls for associate-focused leadership grounded in a kaizen improvement culture and lean thinking, with the goal of delivering stable, robust processes and 100% customer satisfaction.

The position oversees quality goals and systems across supplier, process, product, and customer quality; new product development quality; measurement and inspection practices; supplier quality; process changes; and customer returns. It also leads and develops quality personnel and promotes a strong, practical problem-solving culture across the plant.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or Business Administration.
• Must successfully pass a drug and background screening.
• Must be eligible and willing to handle firearms.

Nice To Haves

• Five or more years of Quality Management experience.
• Lean manufacturing experience.
• Membership in an industry-related professional body.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain short- and long-term Manufacturing quality goals covering Supplier, Process, Product, and Customer quality.
• Establish a balanced scorecard and track cost of poor quality through daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual measures, including customer returns, scrap, change-control lead time, deviations, supplier issues, and NPD launch/PPAP.
• Maintain and improve the Quality System in collaboration with Gun Division Quality Managers to support a measured and stable manufacturing environment.
• Guide manufacturing engineers in creating process plans that specify content, sequence, timing, and outcomes, while supporting process control, ongoing quality, and waste reduction.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and product Lead Engineers to develop, deploy, and maintain product and internal quality standards.
• Coach and mentor engineers in proper new-part and process introduction and in maintaining process-change integrity.
• Ensure new product development efforts follow the New Product Development Process.
• Manage New Product Development Quality through APQP, define QE roles and responsibilities for programs, and promote early quality practices and a zero-defect expectation.
• Develop and maintain Quality Engineering Standards throughout the plant, including process capability, pFMEA, process sheets, gage control plans, gage qualification, and MSA practices.
• Maintain measurement practices for Ruger product development, execution, and evaluation with a focus on low-cost, high-impact outcomes.
• Evaluate inspection and other equipment for current and future production needs, including NDT testing equipment, metallurgical inspection equipment, and gaging systems such as CMM, Keyence, variable-data, and functional-style gages.
• Maintain a Quality Lab in accordance with Ruger Quality Standards and ensure key measurement equipment is calibrated at the necessary frequency.
• Guide and assist engineers and team members with technical problem solving and rigorous root-cause analysis, mentoring them in methods such as DMAIC, 5Why, Find and Fix, Symptomatic Analysis, and Good Bad Comparison.
• Maintain inspection processes for incoming or supplier parts, macro and micro hardness, non-destructive testing, and specialized engineering checks.
• Support Purchasing through supplier quality engagement intended to prevent incoming quality issues and protect outgoing quality for customers.
• Support supplier development and engagement to deliver consistent parts, track supplier issues, and focus on permanent corrective actions.
• Develop strong relationships with Ruger suppliers and internal Value Streams.
• Support Manufacturing's Process Change Request (PCR) and approval process; track ongoing changes through closure or mitigation of open concerns and issues.
• Support systems that prevent untracked changes and unintended consequences.
• Lead Customer Service Repair Technicians handling customer returns.
• Maintain customer service KPIs, including an average turnaround time of less than five days from Dock to Ship.
• Lead and support monthly reporting to Value Streams on top issues.
• Coordinate repairs with Value Streams and drive permanent corrective actions back to their source.
• Coach and mentor manufacturing team members through servant leadership and communication with shop-floor associates and stakeholders.
• Participate as a leader in recruiting key team members.
• Participate in performance evaluations and development plans for key team members.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including competitive salary, profit sharing, and bonus; bonus and profit sharing are based on company performance.
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) match and discretionary supplemental 401(k) contribution.
• Basic and supplemental life insurance options.
• Short- and long-term disability plans.
• Paid Time Off (PTO).
• Quarterly profit sharing for associates based on company profits earned for the quarter.

What This Job Offers

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