Quality & Continuous Improvement Director

Location: Columbus, OH
Employment Type: Direct Hire
Compensation: Starting at $100,000 annually, with higher compensation available based on experience

We are seeking an experienced Quality & Continuous Improvement Director to provide leadership for quality systems, compliance initiatives, and operational improvement efforts within a manufacturing environment. This position is responsible for establishing quality standards, driving process improvements, reducing defects, and ensuring products consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements.

The successful candidate will be a hands-on leader who can work effectively with manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and executive teams while building a culture focused on quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Work Environment: Approximately 70% office-based and 30% manufacturing floor involvement.

• Establish and execute quality objectives that support business goals and customer expectations.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence throughout the organization.
• Partner with leadership teams to identify and implement quality-focused initiatives.
• Drive accountability for quality performance across all departments.

• Lead the ongoing development and improvement of the Quality Management System (QMS).
• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001 requirements and applicable industry regulations.
• Oversee internal audits, external audits, corrective action programs, and document control processes.
• Develop and maintain standardized quality procedures and best practices.

• Implement quality controls and process monitoring throughout production operations.
• Lead efforts to reduce defects, scrap, rework, and warranty-related issues.
• Facilitate root cause investigations and corrective action activities.
• Develop quality metrics that provide visibility into operational performance.

• Serve as the primary escalation point for significant customer quality concerns.
• Support customer audits, inspections, and quality reviews.
• Develop supplier quality expectations, performance measurements, and improvement plans.
• Collaborate with suppliers and internal stakeholders to improve overall product quality.

• Lead, coach, and mentor quality personnel.
• Build organizational capabilities to support future growth.
• Develop training programs that strengthen quality awareness and process discipline.
• Encourage collaboration between quality, operations, engineering, and supply chain teams.

• Develop executive-level dashboards and quality performance reports.
• Track key metrics including defect rates, scrap, rework, customer complaints, warranty costs, and corrective action effectiveness.
• Present quality trends, risks, and improvement opportunities to leadership.
• Monitor cost-of-quality performance and recommend corrective measures when needed.