Customer Quality Manager

Quality ManagerAutomotive Quality | IATF 16949 | Customer & Manufacturing QualityLocation: Oak Creek, Wisconsin – onsiteSalary: $135-145K plus excellent benefits packageTravel: Some regional US travel may be requiredAbout the OpportunityOur client is a global manufacturing organisation supporting demanding automotive customers and is looking to strengthen its Quality function in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.This opportunity would suit an experienced Automotive Quality Manager or highly experienced Senior Quality Engineer / Customer Quality professional ready to take broader ownership of site quality performance, customer requirements, quality systems, audits and continuous improvement.The environment is highly customer-focused and requires someone combining strong practical knowledge of automotive quality standards with a visible, hands-on approach across manufacturing, laboratory and customer-facing activities.Automotive experience is essential. Paints/coatings experience would be highly desirable, although candidates from bulk, chemical, process or similarly complex manufacturing environments will also be considered.Key RequirementsYou will be an experienced automotive quality professional with significant exposure to manufacturing quality, customer quality and IATF 16949, ideally within an OEM, Tier 1 or Tier 2 environment. You will bring:Strong practical working knowledge of IATF 16949Experience with automotive customer-specific requirementsStrong customer-facing quality experience, including complaints, escalations and corrective actionsPractical knowledge of 8D, root cause analysis and structured problem solvingHands-on experience with APQP, PPAP, PFMEA/FMEA and Control PlansExperience conducting or supporting Layered Process AuditsStrong internal, process and customer audit experienceConfidence preparing for and hosting customer and third-party auditsStrong shop-floor manufacturing quality experienceExperience leading cross-functional corrective-action and continuous-improvement activityStrong communication skills and confidence dealing with demanding automotive customers and senior internal stakeholdersPaints/coatings experience would be strongly preferred. Candidates without direct coatings experience should ideally bring relevant bulk, chemical, process or other complex manufacturing experience.Lead Auditor certification is not essential, although practical auditing experience and a strong understanding of IATF requirements are important.A relevant Engineering, Quality, Chemistry, Materials or technical qualification would be advantageous.Role & ResponsibilitiesThe Quality Manager will provide senior quality leadership across customer, manufacturing and quality-system activities, ensuring automotive requirements are understood, applied and sustained across the site. Your responsibilities will include:Acting as a senior point of contact for automotive customer quality mattersLeading resolution of customer complaints, escalations and recurring quality issuesDriving containment, root-cause analysis, corrective action and effectiveness verificationEnsuring customer-specific requirements are embedded within site quality processesSupporting and maintaining compliance with IATF 16949 and associated automotive standardsLeading or supporting internal, process, product and Layered Process AuditsPreparing for and hosting customer and third-party auditsDriving APQP, PPAP, PFMEA and Control Plan disciplinesWorking closely with Operations, Engineering, Technical and Laboratory teams to resolve quality issuesReviewing quality performance, identifying trends and driving sustainable improvementSupporting manufacturing teams directly on the shop floorDeveloping stronger quality ownership and accountability across the siteSupporting customer and supplier visits where requiredEnsuring quality risks are appropriately escalated and resolvedProviding technical guidance and leadership to Quality and cross-functional teamsSupporting changes arising from future revisions to IATF and customer-specific requirementsDepending on the final scope, the position may also include broader responsibility for the site's Quality team and quality-management systems.Why Join?This is an opportunity to take on a highly visible quality role within a technically demanding automotive manufacturing environment.The business is investing in additional automotive quality capability and is looking for experienced professionals who can bring strong IATF knowledge, customer credibility and hands-on manufacturing quality expertise.The role offers significant scope to influence customer quality, manufacturing performance, quality systems and continuous improvement, while taking broader ownership within the site's developing Quality organisation.