Quality Manager

ROLE SUMMARY

The purpose of the Quality Manager role is to lead, manage and control the Quality function within a fencing manufacturing environment, ensuring that all raw materials, in-process products and finished goods conform to customer specifications, internal standards, ISO requirements, regulatory requirements and business expectations. The role is accountable for the effective maintenance and continuous improvement of the Quality Management System, quality assurance processes, supplier quality controls, internal and external audits, customer complaint resolution, non-conformance management, scrap and reject reduction, quality training and overall quality performance across the manufacturing operation.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (JOB PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES)

Competent in :

Quality Management System and ISO Compliance

• Maintain, control and continuously improve the Quality Management System.
• Ensure ongoing compliance with applicable ISO standards, customer requirements, regulatory requirements and internal procedures.
• Monitor changes to ISO, regulatory and customer-specific requirements and ensure relevant implementation within the business.
• Ensure quality procedures, work instructions, inspection records, audit reports and verification documents are accurately maintained and controlled.
• Ensure document control, record retention and quality documentation storage are effectively managed.
• Drive a quality culture where quality is built into the process and not only inspected at final stage.

Quality Control and Quality Assurance

• Oversee quality control inspections on incoming raw materials, externally supplied products, in-process products, returned products and final products.
• Ensure quality inspection activities are consistently executed across all shifts.
• Ensure shift leaders, operators and production personnel have the correct quality documentation, inspection criteria and standards.
• Ensure in-process verification records, test results and inspection records are accurately retained for future reference.
• Monitor and verify weld strength testing, tensile testing, product testing and other quality-related testing activities.
• Ensure all measuring, testing and inspection equipment is calibrated, controlled and fit for use.
• Monitor equipment capability and escalate requirements for replacement, upgrade or CAPEX where required, including critical tensile testing equipment.

Internal and External Audits

• Plan, lead and manage internal quality audits across manufacturing processes.
• Lead or support external audits, customer audits, supplier audits and certification audits.
• Ensure audit reports are compiled accurately and issued timeously.
• Ensure all audit findings, non-conformances and observations are recorded, investigated and closed out effectively.
• Follow up on corrective and preventive actions arising from audits.
• Develop internal audit capability within the Quality team and identify training needs for audit readiness.

Supplier Quality Management

• Manage supplier quality acceptance processes for incoming raw materials and externally supplied products.
• Ensure incoming materials and externally supplied products are inspected and accepted or rejected in line with defined quality criteria.
• Manage supplier quality non-conformances, supplier quality alerts and supplier corrective actions.
• Monitor supplier quality performance and recurring non-conformance trends.
• Engage with suppliers, Procurement and Supply Chain to resolve quality concerns and prevent recurrence.
• Support supplier audits and recommend supplier improvement or escalation where performance impacts product quality.

Non-Conformance, Corrective and Preventive Action Management

• Manage internal and external non-conformances, including supplier, production and customer-related quality issues.
• Ensure supplier quality alerts, in-house rejection reports and customer complaint reports are generated, investigated and closed out effectively.
• Lead root cause analysis investigations for defects, rejects, rework, scrap, customer complaints and recurring quality failures.
• Ensure corrective and preventive actions are practical, implemented timeously and evaluated for effectiveness.
• Ensure rejected or non-conforming products are identified, segregated, held, released or disposed of in accordance with Company procedures.
• Drive reduction of scrap, rework and customer complaints through structured data-driven corrective action management.

Customer Complaints and Customer Quality Requirements

• Evaluate, investigate and manage internal and external customer complaints.
• Ensure customer complaints are recorded, investigated and closed out within required timelines.
• Ensure corrective and preventive actions are communicated and implemented where required.
• Monitor customer complaint trends and implement improvement actions.
• Engage with Production, Sales, Customer Service, Supply Chain and other stakeholders to resolve customer quality issues.
• Ensure customer specifications and quality requirements are understood, communicated and implemented within the manufacturing process.

Data Analysis, SPC and Continuous Improvement

• Analyse quality data, inspection results, weld strength test results, tensile test results, exception reports, non-conformance trends, scrap trends and customer complaint trends.
• Use statistical process control, trend analysis and risk assessment to identify quality risks and process improvement opportunities.
• Drive continuous improvement projects to reduce defects, scrap, rework, waste and customer complaints.
• Develop meaningful quality reports and dashboards for management review.
• Recommend process improvements based on factual data and quality performance trends.
• Work with Production, Maintenance, Engineering and Supply Chain to remove root causes of recurring quality issues.
• Support the transition from reactive quality control to proactive quality assurance.

Quality Team Leadership and Capability Building

• Lead, manage, coach and develop employees within the Quality Department.
• Clearly define roles, responsibilities and accountability within the Quality team.
• Ensure consistent execution of inspections, audits and quality controls across all shifts.
• Identify training needs and support capability building within the Quality team.
• Create a structured, competent and proactive Quality team that supports operational performance.
• Ensure effective collaboration between Quality, Production, Maintenance, Supply Chain and other departments.
• Promote accountability, ownership, problem-solving and continuous learning within the team.
• Escalate Quality Department staffing requirements where capacity constraints impact service delivery.

Quality Awareness, Training and Employee Engagement

• Provide quality awareness training and ISO-related training to employees as required.
• Ensure employees understand the purpose of quality requirements and the impact of non-conformance.
• Empower operators and employees to identify, report and stop non-conforming processes where required.
• Encourage employee involvement in problem-solving, corrective actions and improvement initiatives.
• Promote positive quality behaviours across the manufacturing environment.
• Reinforce a culture where employees take ownership of product quality and process compliance.

Occupational Health, Safety and Housekeeping

• Ensure Quality Department activities are conducted in accordance with Company health and safety requirements.
• Maintain good housekeeping in the Quality work area, laboratory, sample storage area and production areas where quality activities are performed.
• Participate in safety audits and assist with the evaluation of corrective actions where required.
• Stop production or testing activities where an unsafe condition or serious quality risk