Senior Director, Quality and Operational Excellence

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Senior Director, Quality and Operational Excellence

About Our Client: Our client is a well‑established organization within the electrical manufacturing sector.

Position Scope:

Reporting to the VP Production Operations, the Senior Director, Quality and Operational Excellence is the overall quality lead and lean performance lead for the company. They will provide leadership, direction, and support to achieve the company’s strategic long‑term growth plans. They are responsible for defining and directing the quality strategy, approach, and execution as well as improving productivity and developing organizational capability. They proactively address customers’ needs, firmly establishing the company as the Quality Leader in the industry.

Responsibilities:

The Senior Director, Quality and Operational Excellence will establish the Cost of Poor Quality Metrics and drive Continuous Improvement. They are responsible for the company’s strategy, improvement initiatives, and creating an organizational quality culture. They will lead all aspects of the company’s quality and improvement activities, including:

• Promote an exceptional quality, operational excellence, and improvement culture, focused on team member engagement and performance.
• Provide leadership to the Quality, Operational Excellence and Lean Performance teams.
• Create the Quality Strategy to realize best practice policies, processes, and procedures to meet business objectives in terms of quality, delivery, and performance.
• Lead the quality improvements by embedding continuous improvement at all levels in the organization and manufacturing process.
• Partner with internal Production customers to identify and help solve problems that hinder the company’s ability to stabilize and then reduce lead times and improve productivity
• Work with a cross‑functional leadership team to develop and implement Quality strategies to ensure a viable and working Quality Management System.
• Lead, facilitate, and/or coach flow‑ and system‑level improvement efforts within and across organizational boundaries.
• Ensure that LPS standards development/audit, build capability, share knowledge, and promote continuous improvement routines and activities are executed in a manner that meets internal customer service expectations.
• Lead the transformation of the manufacturing process by working with MFG engineering, facilities, and Prod Ops to embed quality at all stages of the manufacturing process.
• Work directly with customers on critical quality concerns; collaborating with customer quality teams, sales, and engineering to ensure continued improvement in customer quality.
• Represent the company during customer and other third‑party audits.
• Manage the company’s ISO and related certifications.
• Build a team of quality analyst(s) and customer‑care quality lead(s) to drive strategic quality initiatives and direct ownership of ISO’s customer quality satisfaction and governance.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• 5‑8 years in a manufacturing environment’s senior‑level quality or operational leadership role. The ideal candidate will have experience in various production operation roles outside of quality.
• Demonstrated experience leading a manufacturing environment through a transformation journey.
• Relevant experience implementing lean manufacturing systems (5S, Six‑sigma green belt or black belt, Toyota Production System, HOS, etc.)
• A demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Well‑developed verbal and written communication skills; able to convey information clearly and concisely.
• Excellent organizational, prioritization, and delegation skills.
• Understanding processes, methodologies, and standards such as ISO, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma.
• Advanced understanding of manufacturing operations/processes.
• A Role Model in the competencies of problem‑solving, communication, and leadership.
• Skilled at improving quality perception and creating an elevated customer experience.
• Certification in RAC, Six Sigma, or ASQ desired.
• Eng is preferred.
• Must be comfortable with around 20% travel, typically within North America.

AI Disclosure: AI will not be used in the recruitment process.

Vacancy Disclosure: This is replacing an existing vacancy.

Summit Search Group is a fair and equitable search firm. We welcome and encourage applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the recruitment and selection process.

Remuneration

This position is exempt from Ontario’s 2026 pay transparency requirements under Regulation 476/24.