General Manager - Quality - Automotive/Bus Manufacturing

Job Description:

The Quality Head is responsible for establishing and driving the overall quality strategy across the plant. The role ensures adherence to customer requirements, regulatory standards, and internal quality benchmarks while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, defect prevention, and operational excellence.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Quality Strategy & Leadership:

- Develop and implement the plants quality vision, strategy, and roadmap.

- Lead the quality function to achieve zero-defect and zero-customer-complaint goals.

- Align quality objectives with overall business and operational goals.

2. Quality Assurance & Control:

- Establish robust quality assurance systems for incoming, in-process, and finished goods.

- Ensure compliance with industry standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001, IATF/TS standards.

- Drive standardization of quality processes and documentation.

3. Customer Quality Management:

- Ensure adherence to customer-specific requirements (PPAP, APQP, FMEA, Control Plans).

- Handle customer complaints and lead root cause analysis with corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

- Maintain strong customer relationships through consistent quality performance.

4. Supplier Quality Management:

- Evaluate and develop supplier quality systems.

- Monitor supplier performance and implement improvement plans.

- Ensure incoming material quality meets defined specifications.

5. Process Quality & Continuous Improvement:

- Drive process capability improvement and reduce variation.

- Lead initiatives like Six Sigma, Kaizen, Poka-Yoke, and Lean Quality tools.

- Promote a culture of continuous improvement across all departments.

6. Audits & Compliance:

- Lead internal and external audits (ISO, customer audits, regulatory audits).

- Ensure full compliance with statutory, safety, and environmental standards.

- Maintain all quality certifications and documentation.

7. Cost of Quality (CoQ) Management:

- Monitor and reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) including scrap, rework, and warranty costs.

- Analyze quality-related data and drive cost optimization initiatives.

- Track KPIs related to defects, rejections, and customer returns.

8. Team Leadership & Development:

- Build, lead, and mentor the quality team across functions.

- Conduct training programs on quality tools and systems.

- Drive performance management, succession planning, and employee engagement.

Qualifications & Experience:

- Education: B.E / B.Tech (Mechanical / Electrical / Production or related field).

- Experience: 1520 years in manufacturing quality, with at least 58 years in a leadership role (preferably automotive or bus manufacturing).

Key Skills & Competencies:

- Strong knowledge of quality systems and standards (ISO, IATF, etc.).

- Expertise in quality tools (Six Sigma, FMEA, SPC, MSA, 8D).

- Excellent analytical and root cause problem-solving skills.

- Strong leadership and stakeholder management abilities.

- Effective communication and cross-functional coordination.