Job Description

Quality Manager / Safety Manager

Day Shift – 8:00am-4:30pm Monday-Friday

Near Gardner, MA

Are you looking to lead both Quality and Safety within a hands-on manufacturing environment specializing in injection molding and hand tool production? This opportunity offers the chance to oversee Quality Management Systems, regulatory compliance, product quality, continuous improvement, and workplace safety while partnering closely with manufacturing, engineering, and operations. This role is ideal for an experienced Quality Manager with a strong background in plastics or injection molding manufacturing who enjoys being actively involved on the production floor while driving operational excellence and customer satisfaction.

Responsibilities:

• Lead all quality assurance and quality control activities for injection molding and assembly operations

• Own and maintain the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System (QMS), including procedures, work instructions, documentation, and record retention

• Ensure compliance with ISO 9001:2015, MIL-SPEC, UL, customer, and regulatory quality standards

• Plan and lead internal, customer, ISO, and regulatory audits while serving as the primary quality contact during certification activities

• Perform hands-on inspections, product testing, process audits, and in-process quality verification on the manufacturing floor

• Lead root cause analysis, CAPA activities, nonconformance investigations, customer complaint resolution, and corrective action implementation

• Review and approve PPAPs, FMEAs, control plans, quality plans, and product documentation

• Monitor quality KPIs, identify trends, and implement process improvements to improve quality, reduce defects, and lower scrap

• Coordinate engineering change requests, product changes, Bills of Material, and new product setup within the ERP system

• Supervise, mentor, and develop Quality Inspectors while promoting a culture of quality and continuous improvement

• Partner cross-functionally with Engineering, Manufacturing, Sales, Procurement, customers, and suppliers to resolve quality concerns and support new product launches

• Lead safety meetings, OSHA compliance initiatives, workplace safety audits, incident investigations, and employee safety training

• Support Lean Manufacturing, 5S, Kaizen, and continuous improvement initiatives throughout the facility

Required Experience:

• 5+ years of quality experience within injection molding or plastics manufacturing required

• 3+ years of quality leadership or management experience within a manufacturing environment required

• Strong experience managing ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems required

• Proven experience supporting MIL-SPEC and UL quality standards required

• Experience leading internal, customer, and ISO quality audits required

• Strong knowledge of quality methodologies including SPC, APQP, PPAP, CAPA, FMEA, MSA, and GD&T required

• Hands-on experience utilizing metrology equipment including calipers, micrometers, CMMs, and precision gauges required

• Experience performing root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives required

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Quality Management System (QMS) software required

• Strong leadership, communication, organizational, and problem-solving skills required

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, hands-on manufacturing environment required

Preferred Experience:

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline preferred

• ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor certification preferred

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or other ASQ certifications preferred

• Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma certification preferred

• Experience with Macola ERP preferred

• Experience within hand tool manufacturing, metallurgy, or metalworking industries preferred

• Bilingual English/Spanish preferred

Benefits:

• Health insurance

• Dental insurance

• Vision insurance

• Paid time off**

**• Opportunity to lead both Quality and Safety initiatives within a growing manufacturing organization

• Collaborative, hands-on manufacturing environment with continuous improvement focus

Pay: $70,000–$80,000 annually