Quality Program Leader

ASML•Wilton, CT

4d•Onsite

About The Position

ASML US, including its affiliates and subsidiaries, bring together the most creative minds in science and technology to develop lithography machines that are key to producing faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient microchips. We design, develop, integrate, market and service these advanced machines, which enable our customers - the world’s leading chipmakers - to reduce the size and increase the functionality of their microchips, which in turn leads to smaller, more powerful consumer electronics. Our headquarters are in Veldhoven, Netherlands and we have 18 office locations around the United States including main offices in Chandler, Arizona, San Jose and San Diego, California, Wilton, Connecticut, and Hillsboro, Oregon. ASML Wilton, Connecticut is seeking a Quality Program Leader to serve as the organizational leader for quality across the Wilton Factory. This role is a key leadership position within the Quality organization, responsible for establishing quality direction, strengthening factory-wide quality governance, owning the Wilton Factory Quality Management System, ensuring audit readiness, and driving sustained improvement in product quality, process capability, defect prevention, and measurable factory quality outcomes. This leader will ensure that quality is understood, owned, and executed as a factory-wide priority, translating business, customer, supplier, and process performance signals into prioritized actions that improve quality performance and strengthen the Wilton Factory quality culture.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree required (Master’s preferred) in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical, Quality, Mechatronics or a related scientific and/or technical field
10+ years of progressive experience in quality engineering, manufacturing or operational excellence in a high-tech manufacturing environment
5+ years of experience in a leadership role managing direct reports and leading quality priorities across cross-functional teams
Demonstrated experience leading factory-wide or organization-wide quality strategy, governance, Quality Management System ownership, audit readiness, and improvement initiatives across organizational boundaries
Strong background in Statistical Process Control, Six Sigma, quality systems, audit management, and structured problem solving
Proven experience defining, tracking, and improving measurable quality outcomes such as defect reduction, escape prevention, process capability, audit performance, corrective action effectiveness, and repeat issue prevention
Proven ability to influence without authority and lead cross-functional, cross-site improvement efforts
Six Sigma Black Belt strongly preferred; ASQ CQE or CMQ/OE a plus
Fluent in English with strong written and verbal communication skills
Strong quality leadership mindset with the ability to set direction, align stakeholders, and represent factory quality priorities across the organization
Demonstrated people-leadership capability in team engagement, performance management, talent development, and coaching, with the ability to build accountability, strengthen capability, and support employee growth.
Data-driven, analytical thinker with the ability to translate quality performance insights into action and measurable factory outcomes
Strong working knowledge of Quality Management Systems, audit readiness, audit response, corrective action governance, and effectiveness verification
Influential leader capable of driving alignment across functions, sites, and leadership levels
Results-oriented with a strong sense of ownership, accountability, and urgency for quality outcomes
Effective communicator at both technical and executive levels
Skilled in facilitating complex problem-solving, governance routines, audit preparation routines, and cross-functional decision-making
Able to balance strategic thinking with hands-on execution
Proactive, resilient, and comfortable challenging the status quo when needed

Nice To Haves

Master’s preferred
Six Sigma Black Belt strongly preferred
ASQ CQE or CMQ/OE a plus

Responsibilities

Serve as the organizational quality leader for Wilton Factory, setting direction, priorities, governance, and expectations for quality performance across factory operations.
Lead, develop, coach, and performance-manage a team of direct reports, setting clear expectations, fostering strong engagement, building capability, and ensuring individual and team performance supports Wilton Factory quality priorities.
Lead the development and execution of the Wilton Factory quality strategy, ensuring alignment with business priorities, customer expectations, global quality standards, and operational performance goals.
Own the Wilton Factory Quality Management System, ensuring it is effective, current, compliant, and embedded into daily operations, standards, controls, and leadership routines.
Ensure Wilton Factory maintains strong audit readiness for internal, customer, regulatory, and certification-related audits, including effective preparation, response, corrective action, and sustainment.
Translate quality performance signals, customer feedback, supplier input, factory data, and risk indicators into clear priorities, improvement roadmaps, and measurable outcomes.
Establish and monitor measurable factory quality outcomes such as defect reduction, escape reduction, first-pass yield improvement, repeat issue prevention, audit finding closure, process capability improvement, and corrective action effectiveness.
Partner closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, Supplier Quality, Customer Support, and global Quality to ensure alignment on containment, root cause, corrective action, prevention, and sustainment.
Provide regular executive-level reporting on factory quality performance, systemic risks, improvement progress, audit readiness, QMS health, and strategic quality priorities.
Establish and sustain effective quality governance across Wilton Factory, ensuring quality priorities are visible, owned, and actively managed across functions.
Collaborate with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supplier Quality, Supply Chain, Customer Support, and Operational Excellence to address systemic quality gaps impacting factory performance.
Ensure effective quality handoffs, learning loops, and corrective action sustainment between suppliers, Wilton operations, downstream factories, and customer-facing organizations.
Strengthen factory participation in global quality forums, cross-sector quality initiatives, and enterprise-level improvement routines.
Own and continuously improve the Wilton Factory Quality Management System, ensuring quality requirements, procedures, controls, records, and governance routines are clear, effective, and consistently followed.
Lead audit readiness for Wilton Factory by establishing preparation routines, internal assessment practices, leadership review mechanisms, and corrective action governance.
Ensure audit findings, nonconformities, and systemic gaps are addressed through timely root cause analysis, robust corrective action, effectiveness checks, and sustained prevention.
Use QMS performance, audit trends, nonconformance data, and corrective action effectiveness to identify systemic risks and strengthen factory quality controls.
Own and deploy quality improvement strategy and Six Sigma methodology within the Wilton Factory to address chronic quality issues, defect drivers, escapes, audit findings, and process instability.
Identify and prioritize high-impact improvement opportunities using factory performance data, customer signals, supplier inputs, process capability data, QMS performance, audit trends, and risk-based thinking.
Define measurable outcomes for key quality initiatives, including expected improvements in defects, escapes, repeat issues, process capability, corrective action effectiveness, yield, cost of poor quality, and audit performance.
Mentor and coach teams on DMAIC, root cause analysis, quality planning, and sustainment practices.
Ensure that lessons learned from quality events and improvement projects are institutionalized across the factory and embedded into standards, controls, QMS documentation, and daily management routines.
Provide strategic leadership for SPC deployment, maturity, and effectiveness within Wilton manufacturing.
Ensure SPC is used consistently to monitor process capability, detect variation, and prevent defects before impacting customers.
Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, and global SPC competence teams to align on standards, tooling, and best practices.
Drive regular KPI deep dives and ensure action plans are in place and executed.
Lead cross-functional problem-solving efforts for complex factory, supplier, and customer quality issues.
Promote and coach structured problem-solving approaches such as 8D, A3, Lean Six Sigma, and other ASML standard methodologies.
Influence behaviors and culture to reinforce quality ownership, accountability, defect prevention, and customer focus across all levels of the factory.