Job Description – Head – Quality Assurance
Position: Head – Quality Assurance
Department: Quality Assurance
Reports To: Managing Director
Direct Reports: Line Quality Leader; total quality function of 8–15 personnel across in-process, incoming, metrology and documentation
Experience: 10–14 years in quality within precision engineering or machining manufacturing, including minimum 3 years in a leadership role
Qualification: B.E. / B.Tech – Mechanical Engineering
Compensation: ₹10–12 LPA
Employment Type: Permanent
Work Arrangement: Full-time, on-site, plant-based with regular shop-floor presence
Travel: Domestic travel to customer and supplier locations, as required
Position Purpose
The Head – Quality Assurance will hold overall accountability for the Quality Management System, product conformity, customer quality confidence and quality performance across the organisation.
The role will ensure that the quality system remains robust as production volumes grow, new customers are onboarded and new programmes are introduced. The position will own the quality standard and ensure its effective implementation across the organisation.
The role reports directly to the Managing Director, ensuring independent quality authority from production and dispatch pressures. The incumbent will have the authority to withhold dispatch of non-conforming products and is expected to exercise this authority whenever required.
Organisational & Certification Context
The organisation manufactures precision turned and milled components for overseas customers, with routine tolerances extending to 10 microns. The customer base includes aerospace and general engineering, requiring strong documentation, traceability and corrective-action systems.
AS9100D
- Certified and operational.
- The Head – Quality Assurance will act as Management Representative.
- Responsible for certification maintenance, surveillance audits, customer audits and closure of findings.
ISO 9001:2015
- Certified and operational.
- Maintained as part of the integrated quality management framework.
IATF 16949:2016
- Planned for implementation.
- Implementation will be led by an appointed external consultant.
- The Head – Quality Assurance will act as the internal owner and coordinator of the programme.
Key Responsibilities1. Quality Management System & Certification
- Act as Management Representative for the integrated AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 QMS.
- Own the Quality Manual, procedures, quality policy and quality objectives.
- Maintain the QMS in continuously audit-ready condition.
- Plan and execute the internal audit programme.
- Ensure auditor competence and independence.
- Conduct Management Reviews and present quality performance, risks and improvement priorities to the Managing Director.
- Host certification surveillance and recertification audits.
- Ensure timely closure of certification findings.
- Maintain risk-based thinking, product safety and configuration-management processes as required by AS9100D.
2. Customer Interface & Corrective Action
- Act as the principal quality contact for overseas customers.
- Handle customer correspondence, quality-review calls and escalations.
- Host customer quality audits and source inspections.
- Review, approve and submit 8D and corrective-action responses.
- Review technical investigations prepared by the Line Quality Leader.
- Coordinate containment plans, deviation and concession requests with customers.
- Ensure customer-specific quality requirements are communicated and implemented internally.
3. New Product Quality & Product Approval
- Own the quality workstream for new product introduction.
- Conduct feasibility review, quality planning and readiness sign-off.
- Own First Article Inspection as per AS9102, including delta FAI requirements.
- Approve Control Plans, PFMEA and inspection standards before production release.
- Own PPAP and APQP deliverables for automotive programmes.
- Ensure key characteristics are identified, controlled and properly communicated to the shop floor.
- Ensure configuration and revision control across production documentation.
4. Supplier Quality & Special Process Control
- Own supplier selection, approval and periodic evaluation.
- Maintain the Approved Supplier List.
- Conduct supplier and subcontractor audits.
- Develop improvement plans for underperforming suppliers.
- Control outsourced special processes such as:
- Heat treatment
- Plating
- NDT
- Ensure special-process suppliers have appropriate approval and process specifications.
- Establish controls for in-house special processes.
- Maintain operator qualification, process-parameter control and revalidation requirements.
- Implement counterfeit-part prevention controls for purchased materials.
- Escalate persistent supplier non-conformances to the Managing Director with appropriate recommendations.
5. IATF 16949 Readiness Programme
- Act as internal owner and coordinator for consultant-led IATF 16949 implementation.
- Provide required data, resources and access to the external consultant.
- Own the internal implementation action plan and milestones.
- Ensure integration with the existing AS9100D framework.
- Develop internal capability in:
- SPC
- MSA
- FMEA
- PPAP
- APQP
- Report implementation progress and risks to the Managing Director.
6. Manufacturing Quality Oversight
- Direct and guide the Line Quality Leader.
- Maintain standards across in-process quality, incoming inspection and metrology.
- Own facility-level calibration and measurement-system governance.
- Ensure adequate Gauge R&R for critical characteristics.
- Review process capability and drive improvement where required.
- Authorise disposition of non-conforming material, including rework, concession and scrap.
- Maintain documented evidence of material disposition.
- Exercise independent authority to withhold dispatch of non-conforming products.
7. Team, Capability & Cost of Quality
- Lead and develop a quality team of 8–15 personnel across two shifts.
- Establish and maintain competence matrices.
- Develop training and qualification plans.
- Track and reduce Cost of Poor Quality, including:
- Scrap
- Rework
- Sorting
- Freight recovery
- Warranty costs
- Develop a quality culture where defects and near-misses are reported rather than concealed.
Key Performance Indicators
- Customer complaints / External PPM
- Corrective-action closure timeliness
- Certification and customer audit performance
- First Article Inspection acceptance
- Supplier quality performance
- Cost of Poor Quality
- Internal audit programme completion
- IATF readiness milestone adherence
- Quality team competence
Essential Requirements
- B.E. / B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering.
- 10–14 years of quality experience in precision machining or engineering manufacturing.
- Minimum 3 years of quality leadership experience.
- Demonstrated ownership of an AS9100 quality management system, preferably as Management Representative or Deputy.
- Strong experience with AS9102 First Article Inspection, including delta FAI.
- Experience hosting and managing customer and certification-body audits.
- Experience as the principal quality contact for overseas customers.
- Strong supplier-quality experience including supplier approval, auditing and development.
- Practical experience controlling outsourced special processes such as heat treatment, plating and NDT.
- Strong command of quality core tools:
- SPC
- MSA
- FMEA
- Control Plans
- Root Cause Analysis
- Strong understanding of CNC turning and milling processes.
- Good knowledge of engineering drawings, GD&T and CMM output.
- Excellent spoken and written English for overseas customer communication and audits.
Desirable Requirements
- Exposure to IATF 16949 implementation or an established automotive quality system.
- AS9100 and/or ISO 9001 Lead Auditor certification.
- Awareness of NADCAP requirements for special-process suppliers.
- Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt.
- Familiarity with counterfeit-part prevention and configuration management.
- Experience working with European or North American customers.
- Experience implementing quality modules within ERP systems.
Core Competencies
Systems Thinking
Ability to build a quality system that remains effective during business growth, employee changes and increased production volumes.
Customer Credibility
Ability to confidently represent the organisation during overseas customer audits and quality discussions.
Independence
Ability to maintain quality standards despite commercial or dispatch pressure and escalate issues when necessary.
Technical Authority
Strong understanding of machining and metrology to challenge inadequate root-cause analysis and ineffective corrective actions.
People Development
Ability to develop the quality team and improve its capability rather than personally absorbing operational responsibilities.
Performance Expectations
First 90 Days
- Complete assessment of the existing QMS, customer concerns, supplier performance and audit exposure.
- Establish and initiate the internal audit programme.
- Identify critical quality gaps.
- Present a costed remediation plan to the Managing Director.
By 6 Months
- Successfully complete surveillance audit with no major non-conformance.
- Ensure supplier approval status is current.
- Verify special-process suppliers.
- Improve corrective-action closure performance.
- Finalise IATF implementation plan with the external consultant.
- Establish internal implementation milestones.
By 12 Months
- Demonstrate reduction in external customer PPM and Cost of Poor Quality.
- Achieve FAI acceptance without resubmission as the normal outcome.
- Operate the quality function through a defined competence matrix.
- Ensure the Line Quality Leader can independently manage shop-floor quality.
- Maintain IATF readiness according to the agreed implementation plan.
- Ensure IATF requirements are integrated with the existing AS9100D framework.
Working Conditions
- Plant-based position with regular shop-floor presence.
- Domestic travel to customer and supplier locations for audits, development visits and issue resolution.
- PPE is mandatory in production and inspection areas.
- Extended working hours may occasionally be required during certification audits, customer audits, containment activities and critical dispatch commitments.
Role Boundaries
Head – Quality Assurance owns:
- Quality system and certification.
- Supplier selection, approval, auditing and development.
- Customer quality interface and audit hosting.
- 8D approval and submission.
- New product quality planning.
- FAI and PPAP approval.
- Special-process control.
- Disposition authority for non-conforming material.
- IATF 16949 implementation coordination.
Line Quality Leader owns:
- In-process quality control.
- First-off approval and patrol inspection.
- Incoming inspection.
- Metrology execution and measurement integrity.
- Technical investigation and evidence for 8D.
- Cross-shift quality governance.
- Inspector supervision.
- Line-stop decisions for out-of-control processes.
Pay: ₹1,000,000.00 - ₹1,200,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)
Education:
Experience:
- Customer Interface & Corrective Action: 10 years (Required)
- Quality Management System & Certification: 10 years (Required)
- New Product Quality & Product Approval: 10 years (Required)
- Supplier Quality & Special Process Control: 10 years (Required)
- IATF 16949 Readiness Programme: 10 years (Required)
- Manufacturing Quality Oversight: 10 years (Required)
- IATF 16949 implementation: 10 years (Required)
- Team, Capability & Cost of Quality: 10 years (Required)
Work Location: In person
