Torchora
Back to Home

Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Quality Process Improvement Manager

💰 $90,000 - $150,000

OperationsQualityContinuous ImprovementManufacturingLean

🎯 Role Definition

The Quality Process Improvement Manager leads cross-functional continuous improvement and quality programs that reduce variation, increase yield and compliance, and deliver measurable cost and cycle-time savings. This role combines Lean and Six Sigma methodologies, data-driven problem solving, stakeholder management and system-level quality management (QMS) to standardize best practices and drive sustainable performance improvement across operations, supply chain and product development.

Key SEO / LLM keywords: Quality Process Improvement Manager, Continuous Improvement, Lean Six Sigma, DMAIC, Root Cause Analysis, CAPA, ISO 9001, Process Mapping, Statistical Process Control, Quality Management System, KPI, Value Stream Mapping.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Quality Engineer with 2–5 years hands-on experience in production or supplier quality.
  • Process Engineer or Manufacturing Engineer with Lean/continuous improvement exposure.
  • Continuous Improvement Specialist or Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt practitioner.

Advancement To:

  • Senior Manager, Quality & Continuous Improvement
  • Director of Quality / Process Excellence
  • Head of Operational Excellence or VP, Manufacturing & Quality

Lateral Moves:

  • Operations Manager / Plant Manager
  • Supply Chain or Supplier Quality Lead
  • Program Manager for new product introductions

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead, design and execute enterprise-wide process improvement programs using Lean, Six Sigma (DMAIC) and PDCA methodologies to reduce defect rates, scrap, rework and process variability while increasing throughput and efficiency.
  • Own and drive corrective and preventive action (CAPA) programs end-to-end: identify root causes through structured problem-solving tools, implement containment and corrective actions, verify effectiveness and update procedures and training.
  • Facilitate cross-functional DMAIC projects from chartering through control plan handoff, including project selection, project management, resource allocation and ROI tracking against business targets.
  • Lead root cause analysis efforts (5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa, Fault Tree Analysis) and coordinate multi-disciplinary investigations to resolve complex quality issues impacting production, suppliers or customers.
  • Develop, maintain and report on quality KPIs and dashboards (DPMO, First Pass Yield, OEE, PPM) to senior leadership and functional stakeholders; translate metrics into prioritized action plans.
  • Establish and maintain Statistical Process Control (SPC) and measurement systems analysis (MSA) to monitor critical process parameters and ensure data integrity for decision making.
  • Create and maintain process mapping, value stream maps, standard work, and SOPs to standardize best practices and reduce variation across multiple sites or product lines.
  • Manage Quality Management System (QMS) improvements and ensure alignment with ISO 9001 (or industry-specific standards such as IATF 16949, ISO 13485) requirements, including audit preparation and corrective action follow-up.
  • Coach and mentor Green/Black Belt project teams and engineers on Lean Six Sigma tools, project governance, statistical methods and change management to build internal capability.
  • Drive supplier quality improvement initiatives, including supplier audits, Scorecards, quality agreements, and joint improvement projects to reduce incoming defects and improve on-time delivery.
  • Coordinate and lead internal and external quality audits, customer complaint investigations and supplier corrective actions; prepare audit responses and ensure timely closure.
  • Partner with Product Development and New Product Introduction (NPI) teams to embed quality-by-design, DFMEA/PFMEA risk mitigation, and robust process validation plans into launches.
  • Perform failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) and control plan development to proactively prevent process and product failures.
  • Run pilot trials, capability studies and process validations for new processes, equipment or materials and translate lessons learned into full-scale production.
  • Manage cross-functional improvement portfolios, prioritize projects by business impact, and maintain a pipeline of continuous improvement opportunities with clear business cases.
  • Lead change management and communication plans to ensure adoption of new processes, systems and behaviors across operations and support organizations.
  • Partner with IT and data analytics teams to deploy quality data infrastructure, automated dashboards, and predictive analytics that surface leading indicators and focus improvement efforts.
  • Negotiate and manage relationships with external consultants and training providers for Lean Six Sigma deployment and specialized statistical analysis support.
  • Track and report financial benefits (cost savings, cost avoidance) and performance improvements resulting from improvement initiatives; ensure benefits are realized and sustained.
  • Maintain compliance with regulatory and customer-specific quality requirements, and respond to customer escalations with structured containment and corrective action plans.
  • Develop and deliver training curriculum across the organization on continuous improvement tools, process control techniques and quality expectations to embed capabilities.
  • Champion safety, environmental and compliance best practices within process improvement projects to ensure improvements do not introduce new risks to people or product integrity.
  • Coordinate cross-site standardization programs to align processes, reduce variation and accelerate best-practice rollouts across factories and business units.
  • Lead rapid problem-solving events (Kaizen, A3 workshops, Gemba walks) to quickly remove production bottlenecks and stabilise new processes.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
  • Provide subject matter expertise to procurement and engineering on quality impact and supplier selection decisions.
  • Maintain and update quality documentation, work instructions and technical records as part of document control processes.
  • Provide escalation support for high-severity customer complaints and coordinate cross-functional response teams.
  • Assist in development and maintenance of training plans, competency matrices and certification programs for quality and production personnel.
  • Participate in capital project reviews to ensure process design supports maintainable quality and ease of troubleshooting.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Lean Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt certification with a proven track record of completed DMAIC projects and measurable results.
  • Deep knowledge of DMAIC, PDCA, Kaizen, 5S, value stream mapping, and A3 problem-solving.
  • Strong statistical skills: SPC, capability analysis (Cpk/Ppk), hypothesis testing, regression, and DOE (Design of Experiments).
  • Experience with measurement systems analysis (MSA) and metrology best practices.
  • Proficiency with quality tools: FMEA, PFMEA, control plans, root cause analysis tools (5 Whys, Ishikawa).
  • Experience with quality management systems (QMS) and compliance to ISO 9001, IATF 16949, ISO 13485 or equivalent standards.
  • Hands-on experience with quality and manufacturing software: Minitab, JMP, QMS platforms, SPC software, and advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, Power Query, macros).
  • Familiarity with ERP and MES systems (SAP QM preferred) and ability to work with IT to integrate quality data.
  • Competence with KPI/dashboard tools and BI platforms (Power BI, Tableau) to visualize and monitor quality performance.
  • Supplier quality management experience including supplier audits, PPAP, control plans and supplier development methodologies.
  • Knowledge of CAPA systems, complaint handling, and regulatory reporting requirements for relevant industries.
  • Experience in process validation, pilot runs, capability studies and NPI quality gates.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and people development skills with experience leading cross-functional teams and mentoring practitioners.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills for presenting complex findings to senior leadership and external customers.
  • Skilled at stakeholder management and influencing across functions without direct authority.
  • Analytical thinker with attention to detail and the ability to translate data into actionable improvement plans.
  • Project management discipline with the ability to manage multiple projects, timelines and budgets simultaneously.
  • Change management aptitude: capable of driving cultural adoption of new processes and sustaining improvements.
  • Customer-focused mindset with a service orientation toward internal and external stakeholders.
  • Resilience, adaptability and the ability to perform under pressure during high-severity issues.
  • Facilitation skills for workshops, Gemba walks, Kaizen events and cross-functional problem-solving sessions.
  • Coaching and mentoring mindset to build quality and continuous improvement capability at all levels.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (MS in Engineering, MBA or related) or equivalent combination of education and progressive experience.
  • Formal Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification (preferred) or proven Black Belt-level project experience.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Industrial Engineering
  • Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering
  • Quality Engineering / Systems Engineering
  • Operations Management
  • Applied Statistics or Data Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5–12+ years of progressive experience in quality, process improvement, manufacturing engineering or operations, with at least 3 years in a leadership or project lead role.

Preferred:

  • 8+ years of experience leading Lean Six Sigma projects and continuous improvement programs in a medium-to-large manufacturing, medical devices, aerospace, automotive or high-tech environment.
  • Demonstrated experience implementing QMS standards (ISO/IATF/ISO 13485), managing CAPA systems, conducting supplier development and delivering measurable site-level and cross-site improvements.
  • Proven track record of delivering multi-million dollar savings, improving yield, reducing defects (PPM), and sustaining gains through robust control plans and training.

Certifications that strengthen candidacy: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), ASQ certifications, ISO Lead Auditor, PMP (optional).

Explore More Careers