# Job Description: Head of Quality Control (QC) & Quality Assurance (QA)
*Position Title:* Head – Quality Control & Quality Assurance
*Department:* Quality Management System (QMS)
*Reports To:* Plant Head / Director (Operations)
*Location:* Foundry Plant Unit, Salkia, Howrah
*Industry Sector:* Iron Foundry (Grey Iron & Spheroidal Graphite/Ductile Iron) – 100% Export Oriented Unit (EOU) / Major Export Division
### Job Purpose
The Head of QC & QA will strategically lead, direct, and oversee all quality engineering, metallurgical laboratory, in-process inspection, and customer quality functions. The primary objective is to maintain a world-class Quality Management System (QMS) that satisfies stringent international automotive (IATF 16949) and industrial engineering standards, achieves near-zero customer ppm defect rates, minimizes the Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), and guarantees airtight batch traceability for overseas OEM and Tier-1 clients.
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## Key Responsibilities & Performance Areas
### 1. Strategic Quality Governance & COPQ Control
* Establish and enforce the plant’s annual quality objectives, alignment metrics, and strategic roadmap.
* Own the plant-wide *Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)* balance sheet, proactively driving down internal foundry scrap, casting rejections, and finishing-shop rework.
* Monitor, analyze, and report daily/weekly internal rejection trends (such as shrinkage, blowholes, gas defects, mismatches) to the executive leadership team.
### 2. Metallurgical, Lab & In-Process Quality Assurance
* Oversee complete operational control over the Chemical (Spectrometer) and Physical Testing Laboratories.
* Ensure absolute metallurgical compliance for all melt heats, including strict control over base chemistry, inoculation, and magnesium treatment verification for ductile iron.
* Supervise continuous auditing of green sand/resin-coated sand parameters (compactibility, moisture, active clay, and permeability) to prevent sand-induced casting anomalies.
* Lead non-destructive testing (NDT) programs including Ultrasonic Testing (UT), Magnetic Particle Inspection (MPI), and Radiographic validation.
### 3. NPD, Advanced Quality Planning & Engineering
* Act as the core quality stakeholder in the Cross-Functional Team (CFT) for New Product Development (NPD).
* Own the development, implementation, and sign-off of *PPAP (Production Part Approval Process)* submissions, including Process Flow Diagrams, Process FMEA, Control Plans, and Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA / Gauge R&R).
* Oversee high-precision dimensional layout inspections using Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMM) for initial First Article Inspections (FAI).
### 4. International Compliance, QMS & Customer Audits
* Serve as the Management Representative (MR) or primary host for all external regulatory, registrar, and international customer quality audits (e.g., IATF 16949:2016, ISO 9001:2015, and customer-specific standards like VDA 6.3).
* Establish, maintain, and regularly test an uncompromised *end-to-end material traceability system* that connects raw materials (scrap/pig iron lots) to exact pour heats and dispatched export pallets.
### 5. Export Customer Relations & CAPA Management
* Act as the primary technical point of contact for international customer complaints regarding dimensional, metallurgical, or machining defects.
* Lead the investigation of quality escapes using disciplined global standard problem-solving methodologies (*8D Report, 5-Why Analysis, Fishbone Diagrams*).
### 6. Supplier Quality & Inbound Gatekeeping
* Set and monitor inbound quality standards for essential foundry materials (pig iron, metallurgical scrap, ferroalloys, resins, and bentonite).
* Direct supplier performance ratings and lead periodic quality audits at vendor processing sites to stop variation at the source.
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## Candidate Profile & Qualifications
### Educational Background
* *Required:* Bachelor’s Degree (B.E. / B.Tech) in Metallurgy, Materials Science, or Mechanical Engineering from a recognized university.
* *Preferred:* Master's degree in Foundry Technology or specialized certifications in Quality Engineering (ASQ Certified Quality Manager/Engineer).
### Professional Experience
* *Overall Experience:* 12 to 15+ years of core quality management experience within a modern, automated iron foundry setting.
* *Domain Expertise:* Minimum 5 years leading the entire QA/QC department within an environment heavily engaged in direct exports to European, American, or Japanese OEMs/Tier-1 industrial buyers.
* *Technical Familiarity:* Deep working exposure to High-Pressure Moulding Lines (HPML) or automated matching systems, core-making processes, and heavy fettling shop environments.
### Core Technical Competencies
* Expert-level mastery of *IATF 16949:2016* standards and core quality tools (APQP, PPAP, FMEA, SPC, MSA).
* Strong interpretation skills for global engineering blueprints, GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing), and international material standards (ASTM, DIN, EN, ISO).
* Sound hands-on understanding of foundry metallurgy, solidification behaviors, casting defect analysis, and microstructure evaluations.
* Certified or highly proficient in NDT methodologies (Level II UT/MPI preferred).
### Behavioral Competencies & Soft Skills
* *Cross-Cultural Communication:* Exceptional written and verbal English communication skills, with the professional presence required to manage overseas customer communications.
* *Root Cause Focus:* Analytical, data-driven mindset with sharp problem-solving capabilities under high-pressure scenarios.
* *Leadership Presence:* Proven track record of managing and upskilling a team of lab metallurgists, CMM engineers, and shop-floor quality inspectors.
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## Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Evaluation
The performance of the candidate will be objectively evaluated based on the following metrics:
* *Customer Defect Rate:* < 50 PPM (or target customized by export client SLAs).
* *Response Speed:* 100% adherence to the 24-hour turnaround window for initial 8D containment submission.
* *System Integrity:* Zero major Non-Conformances (NCs) recorded during annual surveillance or recertification audits.
* *PPAP Approval Rate:* > 95% First-Time-Right (FTR) acceptance track record on sample submissions.
Pay: ₹50,000.00 - ₹100,000.00 per hour
Application Question(s):
- How many years experience in iron foundry
- How many years in QA/QC
Work Location: In person
