Manager Quality Assurance

Over 90 years of quality products and superior service.

Job Summary
The Manager, Quality Assurance (MQA), collaborates with senior leadership to lead and support quality activities, driving product and process improvement initiatives and ensuring customer satisfaction. The MQA directly manages the corporate quality staff and indirectly supervises Quality Specialists and Quality Coordinators at SGI manufacturing facilities, ensuring compliance with company and Quality Department objectives. The MQA develops and facilitates SGI Quality Programs, innovating them to meet evolving business and customer needs, and leads the development, implementation, maintenance, and evolution of SGI Quality Systems across all business units.

Essential Duties

• Ensure safety and compliance by adhering to all company safety policies and procedures, promoting a safe work environment, and ensuring compliance with relevant industry regulations and standards.
• Manages customer and supplier quality, including complaint processes, system improvements, corrective actions, and external customer ISO compliance (COAs and CAPA).
• Implements and champions quality methodologies (e.g., SPC, Centerlining), leads variation reduction, and manages change control to optimize operational quality and efficiency.
• Oversees the development, integration, and strategic enhancement of Quality Management and Information Systems (QMS/QIS) to ensure robust data-driven quality governance.
• Ensures and enhances product quality and documentation through audits, collaboration on new product and engineering designs, and optimized manufacturing and training methods. This includes managing quality documentation and reports, updating and maintaining quality procedures, specifications, and the raw material database, and validating quality processes with Operations and QA teams.
• Leads investigations and drives product improvement by managing or participating in investigations, performing root-cause analysis, conducting product evaluations, and overseeing technical data gathering, product performance studies, and third-party contracts.
• Provides leadership and achieves operational excellence by setting and meeting quality assurance objectives, developing and executing action plans, identifying and resolving problems, conducting audits, implementing system improvements, and driving change. This also involves guiding the department to reduce waste and complaints, assisting in developing annual improvement targets and metrics, managing the quality assurance budget to achieve financial goals, and directing quality initiatives across multiple manufacturing locations.
• Develop and manage quality assurance staff by developing quality assurance staff and managing quality assurance staff job results.

Competencies

• Quality Orientation
• Driving for Results
• Guiding Team Success
• Building Partnerships
• Strategic Planning
• Driving Innovation
• Adaptability
• Building Customer Relationships

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry, Engineering, Science, Math or similarly related field Required
• Master's degree in Business Administration Preferred
• 10+ years of experience in a Quality Department of a continuous manufacturing facility (mining and aggregates preferred) or similar experience within SGI to support the above essential duties
• ASQ Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Certification CMQ/OE Preferred

General Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Self-starter with ability to work without day-to-day supervision
• Strong attention to detail
• Excellent Conflict Resolution skills
• Strong customer focus (both internal and external)
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Strong facilitation skills
• Advanced written and oral communication skills
• Time management
• Strong prioritization and multi-tasking skills
• Strong management and leadership skills

Technical Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of design & application of new quality systems
• Analytical and procedural development skills
• Strong foundation in standard Quality tools and practices
• Advanced knowledge of Process/Continuous Improvement techniques including auditing, Statistical Process Control, variation reduction, Root Cause Analysis, and DOE (Design of Experiments or MVT (Multi-variable testing).
• Advanced knowledge of statistical data analysis techniques (experience with statistical software - NWA, MiniTab, or other quality software)
• Intermediate knowledge of databases and database management (i.e., NWA, MiniTab, SQL, Sheets, Excel)
• Advanced G-Suite or Microsoft Office skills
• Advanced Statistical skills
• Advanced knowledge of manufacturing processes (mining and aggregates preferred)
• Advanced ability to train others in company procedures, policies, new technology and compliance
• Lead/Direct teams of quality and plant personnel to achieve quality objectives or as they relate to quality projects for implementation

Physical Demands

• Stationary Position - Frequently
• Move/Traverse - Occasionally
• Stationary Position/Seated - Frequently
• Transport/Lifting - Rarely
• Transport/Carrying - Rarely
• Exerting Force/Pushing - Rarely
• Exerting Force/Pulling - Rarely
• Ascend/Descend - Occasionally
• Balancing - Occasionally
• Position Self/Stooping - Occasionally
• Position Self/Kneeling - Occasionally
• Position Self/Crouching - Rarely
• Position Self/Crawling - Rarely
• Reaching - Rarely
• Handling - Rarely
• Grasping - Rarely
• Coordination - Rarely

Working Conditions

• Extreme cold - Rarely
• Extreme heat - Rarely
• Humid - Rarely
• Wet - Rarely
• Noise - Rarely
• Hazards - Rarely
• Temperature Change - Rarely
• Atmospheric Conditions - Rarely
• Vibration - Rarely

Leadership/Supervisor Experience

• Minimal supervision and oversight required once trained
• Ability to manage a team or multiple teams - local and remote
• Adherence to performance review and goal setting process
• Proactively working with company stakeholders, including operations, sales, engineering, site operations and management personnel and executive management to identify and correct problems
• Proactively seek guidance from other team members when needed and apply it for improvement
• Ability to apply feedback received for improvement
• Direct supervision of the corporate quality personnel and indirect supervision of the plant quality personnel

Dimensions
Number of Indirect Reports: 4
Number of Direct Reports: 2Travel Requirements: Up to 25% Domestic Travel

At Specialty Granules LLC , we believe our employees are our greatest resource. We offer competitive salary, benefits, and vacation package for all full-time permanent positions.

Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without need for employer-sponsored visa (work permit). If you are currently an SGI employee, please do not apply here. Please apply through the "Jobs Hub" section, which can be accessed under your Apps in Workday.

SGI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of our recruitment and hiring process, regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. SGI complies with federal, state, and local disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact HR Services at 833-HR-XPERT.