Quality Program Manager - Supply Chain Operations

Lumen Technologies•,

12h•$84,629 - $124,122•Remote

About The Position

The Quality Program Manager is responsible for establishing, leading, and scaling an end-to-end hardware quality management program. This role focuses on improving quality outcomes for new, used, and repaired hardware, reducing operational failures, and driving accountability across suppliers and internal partners. This is a program leadership role requiring strong cross-functional collaboration with NETS, Service Assurance, Engineering/Planning, Service Delivery, Field Operations, Strategic Sourcing, and key suppliers. The role will define quality standards, implement measurable KPIs, pilot initiatives with strategic vendors, and translate quality data into actionable improvements that reduce cost, improve reliability, and enhance customer outcomes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Engineering, Operations, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
5+ years of experience in supply chain operations, quality management, hardware lifecycle management, or program management.
Demonstrated ability to build and lead complex, cross-functional programs with measurable outcomes.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to translate quality data into clear, actionable insights.
Experience working with OEMs, repair vendors, and strategic suppliers.
Ability to clearly and effectively communicate both verbally and in writing with all levels of the organization, including frontline teams, cross-functional partners, suppliers, and executive leadership.
Proven capability to influence beyond direct management structure and drive alignment across diverse stakeholder groups.

Nice To Haves

Experience with network or telecom hardware environments.
Familiarity with reliability metrics (DOA, MTBF, failure rates) and root cause methodologies.
Experience implementing pilot programs and scaling them enterprise‑wide.
Strong executive communication and stakeholder influence skills.

Responsibilities

Design, implement, and manage an end-to-end hardware quality program covering new, used, and repaired equipment.
Establish program objectives, success metrics, governance cadence, and continuous improvement roadmap.
Own program outcomes, including quality performance trends, root cause identification, corrective actions, and measurable results.
Establish regular, effective communication with stakeholders and senior leadership to drive program forward.
Define, track and report quality metrics at the part level across the lifecycle, including but not limited to: Install DOA (Dead on Arrival) rates – new, used, and repaired, Operational failure rates, MTBF (Mean Time Between Failure), Spares DOA rates – new, used, and repaired, Repair NTF (No Trouble Found) rates.
Analyze trends to identify high risk parts, systemic issues, and supplier or process gaps.
Translate data into clear insights and recommendations for leadership and stakeholders.
Act as the central quality program liaison across: NETS – network performance and reliability insights, Service Assurance – operational failure trends and field impact, Engineering / Planning – design, standards, and part performance, Service Delivery – installation readiness, on‑time completion, repeat visits, and customer‑impacting failures, Field Operations – installation, repair, and replacement feedback, Strategic Sourcing – supplier accountability, contracts, and quality clauses.
Drive alignment on quality priorities, corrective actions, and escalation paths.
Facilitate regular reviews with internal teams and suppliers to ensure transparency and follow-through.
Establish standard processes for issue escalation, root cause analysis, corrective action plans, and validation of improvements.
Influence upstream changes in sourcing, repair strategies, and inventory disposition based on quality outcomes.
Prepare executive level summaries highlighting risks, improvements, and financial or operational impacts tied to quality.