Guided Search Partners (GSP)

Guided Search Partners is an Executive Search firm built on Trust, Transparency, Specialization, and Long-term Relationships.
We connect high-performing professionals with organizations that value people, performance, and growth—helping leaders find roles where they can make an impact and build meaningful careers.

About the Opportunity

We’re partnering with a manufacturing organization where quality is not a department—it’s a mindset woven into how products are built, validated, and delivered. As the business continues to operate within highly regulated environments and maintain multiple international certifications, this role exists to ensure quality systems remain strong, proactive, and continuously improving.

This opportunity offers visibility, influence, and real ownership. The Quality Manager serves as the driving force behind the Quality Management System, working directly with leadership and spending meaningful time on the production floor to ensure standards translate into real-world execution.

This environment is best suited for a hands-on quality leader—someone who thrives in regulated manufacturing, values structure and discipline, and is comfortable leading conversations around compliance, performance, and accountability.

What You’ll Do

This role blends strategic oversight with hands-on leadership across quality operations.

• Lead and direct all Quality Assurance functions, promoting a company-wide quality mindset.

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve the Quality Management System to ensure compliance with internal guidelines, international standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Serve as the management representative for ISO 9001:2015, AS9100, ISO 13485, with direct access to senior leadership.

• Spend time on the production floor working alongside production teams and quality engineers to proactively identify and address non-conformances.

• Develop, implement, and revise quality standards, tools, and methods to improve safety, quality, and productivity.

• Guide and manage Quality Engineers, Quality Leaders, and technicians in measuring and monitoring key quality conditions.

• Partner with cross-functional leadership to ensure high-quality products are delivered on schedule.

• Lead internal and external audits, serve as liaison to external regulatory and certification bodies, and ensure audit readiness.

• Investigate customer complaints, corrective and preventive actions, recalls, or advisory notices through resolution.

• Implement and maintain calibration systems, document control, and drawing control processes.

• Analyze production and quality data to support meetings, quality trending, and business planning.

• Support cost-reduction initiatives and continuous improvement efforts across operations.

• Prepare required reports, schedules, and updates for leadership review.

Who You Are

You bring credibility, professionalism, and calm authority to quality conversations—whether you’re speaking with operators on the floor or leadership in a review meeting. You’re comfortable addressing non-conformances directly and constructively, and you understand that quality leadership requires both technical expertise and strong interpersonal skills.

You enjoy structure, accountability, and continuous improvement. You’re not intimidated by audits, regulatory standards, or difficult conversations—and you approach each with clarity and respect.

You’re the type who runs toward complexity, not away from it, and takes pride in building systems that work not just on paper, but in practice.

Preferred Experience & Attributes

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.

• Five or more years of experience in quality assurance or quality control within a production or manufacturing environment.

• Required supervisory and leadership experience.

• Strong working knowledge of quality principles, measurement systems, and manufacturing processes, including assembly line operations.

• Demonstrated experience leading and maintaining ISO-based Quality Management Systems.

• Familiarity with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

• Excellent math, reading, and writing capabilities.

• A grounded leader who balances urgency with precision and professionalism.

• Ability to work under deadlines while maintaining standards and composure.

Why This Role Matters

This position is central to ensuring product quality, regulatory compliance, and operational credibility. The Quality Manager directly influences how products are built, validated, and delivered—and how the organization responds when things don’t go as planned.

You’ll work closely with senior leadership, shape quality strategy, and ensure systems not only meet certification requirements but continue to improve over time. Your leadership helps protect customers, support production teams, and strengthen the company’s long-term performance.

Reporting Structure

• Reports directly to senior leadership.

• Leads Quality Engineers, Quality Leaders, and technicians.

• Interfaces frequently with production, engineering, and external regulatory or certification bodies.