Website:
rlvgroup.in
Job details:
Job Description: Head – Quality
Industry: Automotive Components – Injection Moulding & Blow Moulding (Plastics) Department: Quality Assurance / Quality Control Reports To: Plant Head / Operations Head / Director – Manufacturing Direct Reports: QA Managers/Engineers, QC Inspectors, Metrology/CMM team, Customer Quality Engineers, NPD/APQP Quality team
Position Summary
The Quality Head is responsible for establishing, leading, and continuously improving the overall Quality Management System (QMS) for an automotive plastic components manufacturing facility (injection moulding, blow moulding, assembly, and value-added processes such as painting, ultrasonic welding, EOAT assembly). The role owns customer quality performance (PPM, complaints, warranty), IATF 16949 compliance, new product introduction (APQP/PPAP), supplier quality, and drives a zero-defect culture across the plant.
Key Responsibilities1. Quality Management System & Compliance
- Establish, maintain, and continually improve IATF 16949:2016 QMS; act as Management Representative for quality certifications (IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 as applicable).
- Lead internal audits, management review meetings, and drive closure of NCs from customer, certification body, and internal audits.
- Ensure compliance with customer-specific requirements (CSRs) of OEMs (Maruti Suzuki, Tata Motors, Mahindra, Hyundai, Toyota, VW Group, Honda, Bajaj, TVS, etc., as applicable) and Tier-1 customers.
2. New Product Development / APQP-PPAP
- Own APQP timelines and gate reviews for new mould/tool launches and part introductions.
- Lead PPAP submission and approval (Level 3/4/5) including dimensional reports, MSA, process capability (Cpk/Ppk), DFMEA/PFMEA, control plans.
- Drive Design for Manufacturability (DFM) inputs for injection/blow moulded parts — gate location, weld lines, warpage, sink marks, shrinkage, wall thickness uniformity.
- Coordinate mould trials, T0/T1/T2 sign-offs, and process validation (IQ/OQ/PQ where applicable).
3. In-Process & Final Quality Control
- Ensure robust in-process quality controls for injection moulding (short shots, flash, sink marks, warpage, weld lines, burn marks, dimensional variation) and blow moulding (parison control, wall thickness distribution, pinch-off weld strength, flash, weight variation).
- Own control plans, SOPs, poka-yoke verification, and error-proofing across moulding, assembly, and secondary operations (painting, printing, ultrasonic welding, hot plate welding, leak testing).
- Ensure calibration and maintenance of measuring/monitoring equipment — CMM, profile projector, vernier/height gauges, leak test rigs, colour spectrophotometers.
4. Customer Quality & Complaint Management
- Own customer PPM, complaint resolution (8D/5-Why/Ishikawa), and drive containment, root cause analysis, and permanent corrective actions.
- Represent the plant in customer quality reviews, scorecards, and audits; drive score improvement plans.
- Manage warranty/field failure analysis in coordination with customer and R&D.
5. Supplier Quality
- Develop and monitor supplier quality (resin/compound suppliers, masterbatch, inserts, hardware, painted/plated components).
- Drive supplier PPAP approval, incoming quality control (IQC) sampling plans, and supplier corrective action (SCAR) closure.
- Support supplier development and audits for critical/new suppliers.
6. Continuous Improvement & Cost of Quality
- Drive reduction in internal rejection (scrap), rework, and cost of poor quality (COPQ) through Six Sigma/Kaizen/Lean tools.
- Lead cross-functional problem-solving (8D, DMAIC) for chronic quality issues; track and improve Cpk/Ppk of critical characteristics.
- Champion zero-defect and right-first-time culture across moulding, assembly, and dispatch.
7. People & Team Leadership
- Build, train, and lead the quality team (QA engineers, in-process inspectors, CMM/metrology operators, customer quality engineers).
- Conduct skill-matrix based training, including product/process-specific and IATF/core tool (APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA, SPC) training.
- Set KPIs/goals for the quality function and conduct performance reviews.
8. Documentation & Reporting
- Maintain control plans, PFMEAs, work instructions, inspection standards, and quality records as per IATF requirements.
- Report plant quality KPIs (Customer PPM, Internal Rejection %, COPQ, Audit scores, On-time PPAP) to management.
Key Result Areas (KRAs) / KPIs
- Customer PPM / Customer Complaints (reduction trend)
- Internal Rejection % / Scrap Cost reduction
- On-time PPAP submission & approval rate
- Zero major NCs in IATF/customer audits
- Cpk/Ppk of critical-to-quality characteristics
- Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) as % of sales
- Supplier quality performance (SPPM)
- Audit scores (customer scorecards, IATF surveillance/recertification)
Qualifications & Experience
- Education: B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical / Plastics / Polymer / Production Engineering (M.E./MBA preferred).
- Experience: 12–18 years in Quality function within automotive plastic component manufacturing (injection moulding/blow moulding mandatory); minimum 4–5 years in a leadership/Head of Quality role.
- Certifications (preferred): IATF 16949 Lead Auditor, Six Sigma Black Belt/Green Belt, VDA 6.3 Process Auditor.
Technical Skills Required
- Strong hands-on knowledge of injection moulding and blow moulding processes, mould/tooling basics, and plastics materials (PP, PA6/PA66-GF, ABS, PC, TPO, TPE, HDPE for blow moulding, etc.).
- Proficiency in core quality tools: APQP, PPAP, FMEA, MSA, SPC, 8D, Control Plans.
- Working knowledge of IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001.
- Experience with CMM programming/interpretation, GD&T, and dimensional inspection.
- Exposure to secondary processes: assembly, ultrasonic/vibration/hot-plate welding, painting/printing, leak testing.
- Proficiency in MS Office, QMS software/ERP (SAP QM module preferred), and statistical software (Minitab or similar).
Behavioural Competencies
- Strong leadership and cross-functional influencing skills (with Production, Tooling, R&D, SCM).
- Customer-facing communication and negotiation skills.
- Analytical and structured problem-solving mindset.
- Ability to drive change management and build a quality-first culture on the shop floor.
Work Environment
- Manufacturing plant-based role; requires shop-floor presence across moulding, assembly, and dispatch areas.
- May require travel to customer locations and supplier plants for audits/reviews.
This JD can be tailored further based on plant size, OEM customer base, number of moulding machines/tonnage range, and whether blow moulding is extrusion or injection blow moulding.
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