Senior Manager, Quality Assurance

Big Belly Solar • Full-time • Lawrence, Massachusetts • 1m ago

Full-time

Description

Location: In-person, Lawrence, MA

This role is responsible for driving quality processes and practices throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial design to end-of-life. The Senior Manager will collaborate closely with Manufacturing Operations, Engineering, and parts suppliers to ensure the delivery of robust products that meet Bigbelly's objectives for manufacturability, cost, quality, and on-time delivery. The ideal candidate will possess a strong track record in the Manufacturing of electromechanical systems and PCBAs.

Quality Assurance in Manufacturing: Verify proper specification and inspection of components and finished goods. Ensure manufacturing processes are well-designed, analyzed, and validated.
Supplier Quality Management: Evaluate component and sub-assembly subcontractors to guarantee hardware quality and adherence to relevant standards and regulations.
Process and Quality Planning: Partner with the Plant Manager to develop, implement, and maintain essential documentation such as Process Flows, Control Plans, Measurement System Analyses (MSAs), and Quality Plans.
Inspection and Testing: Establish and implement effective inspections, test methodologies, and sampling plans to confirm that supplier parts and assembled products meet specifications and expectations.
Technical Expertise: Provide technical guidance in conducting Process Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (PFMEAs) with Suppliers and in developing process validations.
Supplier Change Management: Ensure proper approval, documentation, and communication of Supplier Change Requests.
Problem Solving and Failure Analysis: Support quality metrics and provide leadership in resolving issues and conduct failure analysis with manufacturing partners and component suppliers.
Design for Manufacturability (DFM): Support DFM initiatives both within Bigbelly and with manufacturing partners.
Mechanical Design Support: Offer guidance and support to the mechanical design team to facilitate successful new design introductions at mechanical fabrication vendors, including First Article Inspection and First Off Tool Sample approval.
Root Cause Analysis and Corrective Actions: Conduct thorough root cause investigations for product quality issues and implement appropriate corrective and preventive actions. Investigate and report on field quality issues and product failures, leading cross-functional resolution efforts.
Reliability Monitoring: Calculate and monitor the Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) of designed products and recommend improvements to enhance reliability.
ISO Certifications: Conduct timely audits of our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 for compliance as well as process improvement.

Requirements

Required:

Bachelor's or master’s degree in industrial engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field with a strong background in electromechanical and electronics assembly.
Minimum of 7 years’ experience as a quality manager overseeing quality control, developing and implementing quality systems, and ensuring compliance with regulations and customer requirements.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in Quality Assurance/Quality Engineering roles focused on Manufacturing assembly operations. Broad knowledge of mechanical/plastics parts manufacturing is desired.
Proven experience in transitioning products from the design phase into manufacturing.
Solid engineering knowledge in FMEA, Statistical Process Control (SPC), Process Characterization, and Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility (GR&R).
Familiarity with IPC610 guidelines and ISO standards.
Strong foundation in Manufacturing Engineering, Design for Manufacturability, and New Product Introduction processes.
Proficiency in utilizing analytical tools and methods, including statistics (Minitab preferred), Design of Experiments (DOE), and relevant computer software for design, development, and manufacturing.
Highly self-motivated with a demonstrated ability to lead teams effectively without direct authority.
Willingness and ability to travel approximately 15–30% of the time for supplier visits or business meetings, both domestically and internationally.

Preferred Additional Skills and Qualifications: