GROUP QA MANAGER – multiple sites

GROUP QA MANAGER – multiple sites

Location: CLUJ/ALBA/SIBIU COUNTY

Role: The Group Quality Assurance Manager is a hands-on quality leader reporting directly to the General Manager, accountable to making sure that the processes at the two plants reliably produce conforming and safe products with regular weekly presence at both sites. The role owns one integrated quality and product safety management system for both sites and drives the prevention of defects. It leads two Site QA Specialists and sets system standards and methods for the two Site Quality Managers through a functional line, working closely with production, QC, purchasing, suppliers and customers.

 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT

The Group QA Manager role is created as part of the company quality organization review, to replace two site versions of the rules with one quality and product safety system for both plants. Routine inspection and testing, lot release and day-to-day waste management remain with the site organizations; QC carries out the testing.

• Direct reports: 2 Site QA Specialists
• Functional line: 2 Site Quality Managers, for system standards and methods

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Quality & Product Safety Management System

• Own the integrated management system for quality and product safety across both sites: policies, procedures, document and record control
• Keep one set of rules for both plants instead of two site versions
• Align the quality and product safety system with the other management systems held by the company, as one coherent framework

Certification, Audits & Customers

• Lead compliance with IFS HPC, FSC and the other standards the company holds, and lead certification and customer audits
• Plan and run internal audits at both sites and make sure findings are closed with evidence
• Set the standard for complaint investigation, analyses trends across sites and customers, and handle quality communication with customers
• Align product specifications and quality requirements with the requirements of retail and private-label customers

 Corrective & Preventive Action

• Run one corrective and preventive action register for both sites and set the method for root cause analysis
• Check that actions worked and escalate overdue ones
• Turn recurring deviations from the daily management boards into improvement work owned by production

 Supplier Quality & Change Control

• Qualify, approve and rate suppliers of pulp, chemicals and packaging; audit key suppliers and agree raw material specifications with them
• Make sure that changes to products, processes, materials and equipment are risk-assessed and approved before they are introduced
• Take part in the validation of new products and lines

Product Safety, Risk & QC Standards

• Coordinate process risk assessments and keep product withdrawal and recall procedures tested and ready
• Approve inspection and test plans, test methods and sampling rules, and require measurements to be comparable between the sites
• Maintain hygiene and good manufacturing practice standards for products in contact with the skin, consistently at both plants

 Quality Reporting & Competence

• Report quality indicators and the cost of poor quality every month and prepare the management review
• Track performance through: repeat non-conformities (number and share of total), corrective actions closed on time and confirmed effective, complaint rate and trend, major findings in certification and customer audits, supplier non-conformity rate, cost of poor quality
• Organize training in quality, good manufacturing practice and problem solving, and coach process owners in root cause analysis

 Decision Authority

• Put product on hold or stop a shipment when product safety is at risk or a non-conformity is systemic
• Approve and reject suppliers; approve changes before they are implemented
• Escalate directly to the General Manager on product safety and on unresolved release disputes

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Professional Experience & Education

• University degree in engineering, chemistry, paper technology or a related technical field (mandatory)
• Minimum 5 years of experience in quality assurance in manufacturing, of which at least 2 years leading a QA function or a certified management system (mandatory)
• Experience of handling customer complaints and customer audits (mandatory)
• Availability to travel between 2 sites (mandatory)

Technical Skills

• Hands-on experience with ISO 9001 and with a product safety standard such as IFS HPC, BRCGS Consumer Products or an equivalent, including leading the company side of a certification audit (mandatory)
• Recognized internal or lead auditor qualification, with experience auditing both internal processes and suppliers (mandatory)
• Practical use of root cause analysis (8D, 5 Why, Ishikawa) and working knowledge of statistical process control, measurement system analysis and FMEA (mandatory)
• FSC chain of custody; ISO 14001; Lean or Six Sigma Green Belt (advantage)

Communication, Language & Leadership & Behavioral Competencies

• Independent judgement on product safety and release decisions
• Ability to set common standards across two sites and gain buy-in from site teams and production
• Structured, evidence-based approach to problem solving
• Coaching mindset in developing quality competence in others
• Executive-level communication & influence, organizational change management, courage to challenge the traditional Status Quo.
• Digital mindset & Technology adoption, Resilience & change agility, Data-Driven decision making, cross-functional collaboration, empathy & people-centricity