Job Summary
The Product Quality Leader is responsible for leading product quality initiatives across the manufacturing organization to improve delivered product quality, reduce warranty costs, and enhance customer satisfaction. This role leads the Plant Product Quality Council process, drives cross-functional quality improvements, resolves complex product quality issues, and ensures robust quality systems are implemented and sustained. The incumbent collaborates with engineering, manufacturing, supplier quality, sourcing, and operations teams to prevent product failures, improve product reliability, and strengthen the overall quality culture across the business.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead the Plant Product Quality Council (PQC) process to improve product quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction while reducing warranty costs.
- Direct and develop teams responsible for planning, tracking, analyzing, and reporting delivered product quality and reliability performance.
- Lead the investigation and resolution of complex product quality issues arising from corrective action requests (CARs), supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), non-conforming material reports (NCMRs), warranty claims, and customer feedback.
- Drive structured problem-solving activities using methodologies such as 7-Step Problem Solving, Root Cause Analysis, and corrective/preventive action processes to eliminate recurring quality issues.
- Lead containment activities for emerging quality concerns and coordinate cross-functional teams to implement timely and effective corrective actions.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Supplier Quality, Sourcing, and Operations teams to ensure product quality requirements are achieved throughout the product lifecycle.
- Support product development activities by reviewing Design Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (DFMEA), engineering validation plans, and Product Part Approval Process (PPAP) requirements to ensure robust product launches.
- Utilize knowledge of Aftertreatment Systems to support product quality improvements, field issue investigations, and customer concern resolution.
- Establish and improve quality systems, processes, and tools that enhance defect prevention, process capability, and functional excellence.
- Monitor supplier quality performance and work closely with Supplier Quality and Sourcing teams to resolve supplier-related quality concerns and improve supplier capability.
- Analyze quality data, warranty trends, field failures, and customer feedback to identify improvement opportunities and drive preventive actions.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives aligned with the Cummins Operating System (COS) and Total Quality Management (TQM) principles.
- Coach, mentor, and develop quality engineers and cross-functional teams to build organizational capability and strengthen quality culture.
- Ensure adequate resources, priorities, and project execution to achieve quality, cost, delivery, and customer satisfaction objectives.
- Lead post-implementation reviews and ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future product and process improvements.
