Quality Manager

Harvest Power Inc•Oceanside, CA

20d•$136,000 - $155,000•Onsite

About The Position

Solecta is an early-stage, high-tech company focused on commercializing polymeric industrial filtration products, with manufacturing facilities in Oceanside, California. The Quality Manager leads Quality Assurance, Quality Control, and continuous quality improvement in a discrete manufacturing environment, directly managing Quality Engineers, Quality Technicians, and Inspection personnel. The role is responsible for product conformity, process capability, customer satisfaction, and operational excellence, and for driving measurable improvement in product quality, manufacturing yield, cost of poor quality, and process performance. The position oversees quality systems and inspection activities, customer and supplier quality, nonconformances and corrective actions, change control, and quality performance reporting. It works closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, R&D, Production, Supply Chain, and Product Engineering on process stability, product quality, new product development, and manufacturing scale-up. The role is based full-time onsite at Solecta’s Oceanside, California manufacturing facility, with work in office and active manufacturing settings and approximately 5% travel to customer and supplier facilities.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering required; Industrial, Manufacturing, or Mechanical Engineering preferred.
Fluent written and spoken English and Spanish required.
At least 10 years of professional experience in quality engineering, manufacturing engineering, or related technical functions in discrete manufacturing.
At least 3 years of direct people-management experience, including responsibility for quality engineering, technicians, inspection, or comparable manufacturing quality teams.
Strong working knowledge of quality management systems, MRB, CCB, RGA, CAPA, FMEA, and structured root-cause analysis.
Demonstrated success improving manufacturing yields, reducing defects, and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
Proficiency in engineering drawings, GD&T, inspection methodologies, statistical analysis, and manufacturing process controls.
Six Sigma certification required.
Experience with ISO 9001 or comparable quality management systems.
Excellent verbal and written communication, analytical and technical problem-solving, organization, attention to detail, time management, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Understanding of safety and health laws, regulations, and policies, and of raw materials, production processes, quality control, cost management, and manufacturing and distribution techniques.
Advanced Excel proficiency, including PivotTables, VLOOKUP, and data analysis; proficiency with Microsoft Office Word, email, and related software; basic mathematical skills.
Ability to work in a fast-paced and sometimes stressful environment, communicate clearly in English, work in a team, multitask, and meet commitments.
Ability to wear required protective equipment, including safety glasses, hair net, and hearing protection, and to work extended hours as needed.
Full-time, on-site presence at the Oceanside, California manufacturing facility; approximately 5% travel to customer and supplier facilities, including occasional domestic or international travel.
Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, reach, and move through manufacturing and inspection areas for prolonged periods; lift and carry up to 25 pounds occasionally; use computers, inspection instruments, and manufacturing-related equipment; and meet visual, hearing, speaking, and hand/finger dexterity requirements.
Follow applicable Cal/OSHA regulations, company safety procedures, and required PPE practices.

Nice To Haves

Six Sigma Black Belt certification preferred.
Knowledge of FDA regulations and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).
Experience supporting new product introduction (NPI), process validation, and manufacturing scale-up.
Experience leading customer audits, supplier quality initiatives, and complex corrective action investigations.
Familiarity with ERP, QMS, and manufacturing data analysis systems.

Responsibilities

Lead, develop, and manage Quality Engineering, Quality Technician, and Inspection personnel; set objectives, metrics, accountability, and improvement plans.
Maintain quality management systems, procedures, documentation, and controls, and promote quality ownership and continuous improvement across manufacturing.
Oversee incoming, in-process, and final inspection, including acceptance criteria and product release.
Ensure compliance with engineering drawings, specifications, customer requirements, and applicable quality standards.
Manage nonconforming materials, corrective and preventive actions, and product traceability.
Lead the Material Review Board (MRB), including dispositions for nonconforming materials, rework, scrap, and concessions.
Administer the Change Control Board (CCB), ensuring changes are evaluated, approved, implemented, and documented.
Ensure effective calibration, measurement systems, inspection methods, and quality records.
Serve as the primary contact for customer quality concerns, technical investigations, and corrective actions.
Manage customer complaints, Return Goods Authorizations (RGAs), failure analysis, and warranty-related quality issues.
Lead root-cause investigations and timely implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
Oversee supplier quality performance, incoming material issues, and supplier corrective action requests.
Prepare and communicate quality reports, investigation findings, and corrective action responses in English and Spanish.
Lead efforts to improve first-pass yield, reduce scrap and rework, eliminate defects, and lower cost of poor quality.
Apply Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DMAIC, and statistical problem-solving methods; facilitate PFMEA, control plans, and process capability studies.
Use SPC, MSA, Pareto analysis, 5-Why, fishbone diagrams, and 8D problem-solving.
Collaborate cross-functionally to improve process stability, reliability, manufacturability, and product quality; support new product development, process improvement, and introduction of products and manufacturing processes.
Identify systemic quality risks and implement sustainable process and control improvements.
Establish and maintain quality performance indicators covering yield, scrap, rework, cost of poor quality, customer complaints and returns, supplier performance, corrective action effectiveness, and closure timeliness.
Present quality performance, trends, risks, and improvement priorities to senior management.
Hire, train, organize, direct, and oversee quality department employees; conduct interviews, track and review staff skills, provide performance evaluations, and handle discipline and termination in accordance with company policy.
Work effectively on the manufacturing floor, with customers, and with senior leadership; wear required protective equipment and work extended hours as needed.