Sr Director, Quality

Lyten•San Jose, CA

1d•$170,700 - $256,100•Onsite

About The Position

Lyten is seeking a Director of Quality to architect and own the quality capability from the ground up as the company scales production. This foundational leadership position involves designing and deploying Lyten's Quality Management System (QMS), building a high-performing quality organization across four disciplines (Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Quality, Supplier Quality, and Systems Quality), and embedding a culture of quality across engineering, manufacturing, and the supply chain. The role will serve as the executive voice for quality during Lyten's scale-up from pilot production to full commercial volumes, building systems designed for growth. The quality system must be rigorous at every stage of growth without creating overhead that slows innovation, progressing from establishing the QMS structure and core processes (Foundation), to maturing supplier qualification and deploying process controls (Pilot Scale), and finally introducing automation, scaling global supplier quality, and integrating digital quality data systems (High Volume).

Requirements

10+ years in quality, with 4+ years in senior quality leadership in a manufacturing environment
Doctorate degree in engineering or general sciences AND 12+ years of experience in Quality OR Master's degree in engineering or general sciences AND 14+ years of experience in Quality OR Bachelor's degree in engineering or general sciences AND 16+ years of experience in Quality OR equivalent experience.
Demonstrated experience building or significantly transforming a QMS
Deep expertise across multiple quality disciplines (QE, manufacturing quality, supplier quality, systems quality)
Hands-on experience with FMEA, SPC, CAPA, MSA, and control plans
ISO 9001 lead auditor experience or equivalent; IATF 16949+ familiarity a strong plus
Experience in a hardware, advanced manufacturing, or deep-tech environment
Strong leadership and cross-functional influence, you build trust with engineering, operations, and all product groups
Must be able to lift 50 lbs.
Be able to work in a lab standing up to 8 hours each day.

Nice To Haves

Experience in battery, energy storage, semiconductor, or automotive manufacturing
Familiarity with UL, UN 38.3, IEC 62133, or other energy storage standards
Experience selecting and deploying eQMS platforms (ETQ, Greenlight Guru, MasterControl, or similar)
Startup or scale-up experience including comfort with ambiguity and a genuine builder mindset

Responsibilities

Lead design and process FMEA (DFMEA/PFMEA) in partnership with product and process engineering teams.
Define critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics, measurement system analysis (MSA/GR&R), and control plans.
Drive DVT/PVT readiness and product qualification.
Champion design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-reliability (DFR) principles.
Deploy in-process quality controls, statistical process control (SPC), and real-time monitoring.
Own non-conformance management, CAPA, and structured problem-solving (8D, A3).
Lead first article inspection (FAI), process audits, and final inspection/release criteria.
Partner with operations to drive yield improvement and scrap reduction programs.
Build and manage Lyten's supplier quality infrastructure, including the Approved Vendor List (AVL), supplier qualification and audit programs, incoming quality inspection (IQC) standards, and the supplier corrective action (SCAR) process.
Develop supplier scorecards and partner with procurement on strategic supplier development.
Design and implement a QMS framework aligned to ISO 9001, with a roadmap toward IATF 16949+.
Own document control, records management, internal audit programs, and management review cadence.
Select and deploy an eQMS platform.
Establish Lyten's QMS from the ground up, targeting ISO 9001 certification and building a roadmap to IATF 16949+.
Hire, build, and develop a quality organization spanning quality engineering, manufacturing quality, and supplier quality.
Serve as the primary quality interface with customers; supporting audits, quality agreements, and product qualification.
Partner with product and process engineering to integrate quality early in the development cycle.
Report quality KPIs to the executive team: yield, DPPM, CAPA closure rate, supplier scorecard performance, cost of poor quality (COPQ).
Drive a culture of continuous improvement using structured methodologies (8D, DMAIC, A3, Kaizen).
Select and implement an eQMS platform suited to Lyten's scale and trajectory.
Develop a risk management framework that proactively identifies and mitigates quality risks across the value chain.
Ensure compliance with applicable safety and regulatory standards for all Lyten markets including but not limited to battery, energy storage products, sensors, composites and concrete additives.