Quality Manager - Battery Cell Development Center

General Motors•Warren, MI

58d•Onsite

About The Position

The Quality Manager is responsible for establishing and maintaining the quality management systems that ensures the reliability, safety, and performance of cells produced in a development center environment. This role is central to enabling successful product/process development and qualified cells. The ideal candidate will bring a strong foundation in quality engineering, systems thinking, and cross-functional collaboration, with a deep understanding of battery cell manufacturing and development operations for ramp up.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry; advanced degree preferred.
10+ years of experience in quality management within battery cell manufacturing, with a strong record in development environments and ramp-up to qualified cells.
Demonstrated leadership in developing and scaling QMS frameworks for battery cell builds with hands on experience in development/pilot facility.
Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI) and validation builds, control plans, and process capability studies.
Proven success in navigating cross-functional environments involving R&D, Product / Process Engineering, Operations, and Supply Chain.
Deep understanding of lithium-ion cell failure modes, degradation mechanisms, and test methods (e.g., impedance, cycle life, abuse testing).
Expertise in quality engineering tools: SPC, FMEA, DOE, control charts, and root cause analysis.
Hands-on experience with QMS platforms and integration with MES/ERP systems.
Familiarity with industry and EH&S compliance in battery or chemical manufacturing.
Strong leadership and mentoring capabilities, with experience building and scaling quality teams.
Exceptional communication and documentation skills, with the ability to influence across technical and operational domains.

Responsibilities

Architect and implement a fit-for-purpose Quality Management System (QMS) for battery cell development center operations to accommodate a high degree of agility.
Define and maintain quality policies, procedures, and documentation aligned with internal and external standards (document, control, training, audits, traceability, etc.)
Establish and manage systems for non-conformance reporting, corrective and preventive actions (CAPA), and continuous improvement.
Prepare the organization for internal and external audits, including customer, regulatory, and certification audits.
Ensure integration of quality systems with MES, ERP, and data analytics platforms to enable real-time monitoring and reporting.
Define and maintain quality policies, procedures, and documentation aligned internal and external standards (ISO standards included)
Develop inspection criteria and control plans for incoming materials, in-process steps, and final cell inspection/control for all cell builds. Define the criteria for varying phases/types of builds.
Collaborate with Engineering, suppliers, JVs, etc. to establish process capability targets, control parameters, validation and feedback loops for wide range of cell development/build operations.
Partner on DOE builds and process changes ensuring learnings feed into formal changes/control plans.
Ensure compliance with cleanliness standards critical to cell manufacturing, including particle control, moisture limits, and contamination protocols in dry rooms and clean zones.
Support equipment qualification and process validation activities, including IQ/OQ/PQ documentation.
Have firsthand knowledge of/track state-of-the-art station-wide tolerances, scrap rates/yield for the different cell build processes and have familiarity with prevalent standards for cell-level requirements.
Monitor and report on key quality metrics including defects, scrap, yield, etc.
Lead structured problem-solving efforts using tools such as DOE and FMEA focused on continuous improvement of the product/process.
Build dashboards and reporting tools to visualize quality performance and drive decision-making. Report out data results and next steps for issue resolution.
Partner with Operations to embed quality standards into daily operational activities.
Work with Engineering to qualify suppliers and Supply Chain/Purchasing to manage incoming quality.
Interface with Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) ensure safe handling of materials and compliance with environmental regs.
Manage and mentor a team of quality engineers and technicians.
Define roles, training plans, and performance expectations.
Foster a culture of quality ownership and proactive problem-solving in a high ambiguous environment.