Director of Quality - Rittal North America LLC

Director of Quality 

Proven Leadership, Hard Work and Innovation Alive and Well in North America

Rittal North America has built a strong tradition of innovation and takes pride in a progressive approach to engineering. We design and manufacture the world’s leading industrial and IT enclosures, racks, and accessories, including high efficiency, high-density power management, and climate control systems for industrial, data center, outdoor and hybrid applications.

This leader will be accountable for the development, implementation, and evaluation a quality program to ensure the organizations operations, from raw materials through shipment of finished products, meet the quality, integrity, and efficiency standards set by the organization.

Primary Activities/Duties:

• Develop and instill quality philosophies, strategies, policies, and procedures that will drive Rittal’s goals for a company-wide quality culture, and complete customer and worker/employee satisfaction.
• Develop and implement a state-of-the-art continuous quality process improvement program for the growth, training/education, development, and motivation of the Rittal’s employees, and effectively communicate Rittal’s quality objectives, goals, policies, plans and values to them.
• Develop and ensure a technical quality partnership with Rittal’s suppliers/vendors, purchasing department and customers.  This would include consistently communicating and coordinating the capabilities and process controls of the suppliers/vendors with the specifications and expectations of Rittal’s products and their ultimate customers’ needs and requirements.
• Establish appropriate parameters and specific statistical measurements to proactively identify quality problems, track down their root causes, develop viable solutions and accurately monitor the ensuing results.
• Quickly assess, plan, and implement new short-range quality programs for manufacturing and operational activities which will ensure improvements in the quality of Rittal’s products, processes, materials handling, on-time delivery performance, and employee morale.
• Provide the necessary training tools and statistically quality control resources to develop rapid deployment of advanced quality techniques, which will enable quick adaptability and maximum responsiveness to Rittal’s customers and work force.
• Manage and control all quality efforts and activities to ensure compliance with our Integrated Management System (ISO 9001/ISO 14001/ISO45001 standards).  This includes maintaining adequate quality records and documentation.
• Working closely with customer service, establish the protocol and procedures necessary to immediately respond to customer complaints/inquiries, distribute information and solution recommendations to the appropriate departments, monitor the progress/resolution and effectively communicate the results back to all affected participants.
• Align with the different players affecting Quality: Design, Operations, Customer Service, Distribution Warehouses, HQ, Customers, Suppliers.
• Train, develop and qualify auditors for an internal audit system, and quality assurance professionals for rendering consistent unbiased decisions on inspections and procedures.
• Establish quality standards, inspection plans, acceptable criteria/variation parameters, record keeping and documentation to ensure a world-class quality program.
• Interact with engineering, manufacturing, and purchasing to establish appropriate tests and evaluations for determining the best suppliers’/vendors’ products, and a preferred vendor designation.
• Supports New Product Introduction as well as Outsourcing projects.
• Supports with quality validation of new production equipment.
• Foster a cooperative, nurturing, and collegial environment within and between all work teams where they can safely experiment, professionally grow and successfully achieve.
• Establish a world-class performance/results-oriented appraisal system, to evaluate nonconforming products and processes, and provide preventative and/or corrective actions appropriately.
• Help direct engineering, manufacturing, and production of Rittal’s products to meet the highest quality, lowest cost standards consistent within established specifications.
• Keep abreast of the latest worldwide quality developments, best practice methodologies and advanced technologies to ensure the highest competency and impact to the company.
• Provide active and open communication within Rittal, its suppliers and customers, and promote positive interactive dialogue between the various groups with each other.
• Provide leadership and actively participate with all business areas to ensure the successful deployment of quality activities and accomplishment of business objectives.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Knowledge & Experience:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Quality, Management, Manufacturing, or comparable discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of diversified, hands-on quality administration, quality assurance, manufacturing, operations, and production experience.
• Managed quality for the last 5 years at a senior level managing multiple concurrent, top priority projects.
• Expertise of advanced quality and ISO 9001/ISO 14001/ISO 45001 standards and their relationship to scheduling, material handling, inventory control, engineering, manufacturing, delivery, and customer services/satisfaction.
• Experience in working with sheet metal fabrication/manufacturing and engineering professionals preferred.
• Six Sigma Green Belt certified, Black Belt preferred.
• Strong knowledge with Microsoft Office products and SAP is preferred.

Physical Requirements:

Requires long durations on the manufacturing floor and/or long durations in the office at a computer.  Stand, walk, bend, twist, and reach frequently throughout the work shift. Must be able to occasionally lift up to 25 pounds, waist level.

Mental Requirements: 

Work in a fast-paced environment, adapt to assignment changes easily, ability to multi-task, learn office procedures and learn and use new software.  Must be detailed oriented; communicate effectively via oral and written with all levels of vendors and customers.

Safety Requirements:

Wear safety-toed footwear, safety glasses with side shields, hearing protection and additional personal protective equipment where required.

Direction & Decision Making:

Complete directives given either verbally or written, make and assist in determining logical decisions.

Relationship:

Direct Contacts: Vice President - Operations, Managers, Supervisors, Quality Personnel, internal and external vendors and customers.

Indirect Contacts:  All other departments Rittal LLC, plant and logistics.

What we offer is an opportunity to be a part of a team that increases the optimization and efficiency of our Global Company. Our goal is to create a safe work environment that our customers can trust us to deliver quality products. We enjoy all the benefits of an international company quickly growing in the US. 

Rittal North America LLC is proud to be an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. EEO/M/F/Vets/Disabled If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may contact the company’s Human Resources Department. This option reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability.

#LI-DP1

If you require reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process due to a disability, you may contact the company’s Human Resources Department at (937) 399-0500.

This option is reserved for individuals who require accommodation due to a disability.

Rittal North America LLC is proud to be an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer. EOE, including Disability/Vets.