Quality Manager Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a quality manager. Feel free to use our job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a quality manager.
Who is A Quality Manager?
A quality manager is also known as a quality assurance manager whose primary responsibility is to ensure that all production process meets up to standard. Their duties include developing and implementing quality control tests, inspecting products at various stages, writing reports, and documenting production. In a scenario where products fail to meet standards, the quality manager will discard or reject such products and also write a report stating why the product fails to meet the standard. If a substandard product is being produced, it has to be kept away from the reach of customers to protect the organization’s reputation.
The job of a quality manager is to help the organization create quality policies and regulations for the employees and the product produced. They must first of all collect and analyze data, plan to improve quality, and ensure that standard product is produced. The Quality Manager is solely responsible for identifying mistakes during a production process and making sure they are not repeated; more so he or she inspects all the procedures and makes sure they follow the correct pattern.
Quality managers bring about the best in an organization by the standards they formulate. The quality manager work toward improving the organization’s efficiency and also helps the organization maximize profit by reducing waste. They always come up with the best quality control to maintain standards. A quality manager is responsible for the conditions of the company’s services and products.
Quality managers travel to a lot of locations where large companies are, to interview employees, oversee processes and implement quality control practices. They also travel to national quality assurance seminars and training programs to boost their understanding. In addition, they also conduct presentations to a large group of employees and work mostly during business hours and workweek.
Quality Manager Job Description
Below are the quality manager job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a quality manager job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Formulate standards in correlation to industry standards and customer expectation
- Identify quality control processes to ensure all standards are met at all times
- Execute test to checkmate final output that is if the product adheres to the company’s standard
- Collaborate with the upper management team to set quality benchmarks
- Document findings and relay this information to the production team for improvement in the production
- Brainstorm new ideas to increase the company’s productivity and performance of production and make sure there is accuracy in quality
- Make crucial decisions in favor of cost-efficiency without compromising product quality
- Supervise production process to ensure adherence in final product processing
- Examining the quality of raw materials used in production
- Discarding or rejecting products that fail to meet the standard
- Managing waste and enhancing production efficiency
- Engaging with customers and gathering product feedback
- Ensuring products are designed and labeled according to legal and safety standards
- Overseeing staff and monitoring production standards
- Plan, conduct, and monitor the test and inspect products to ensure quality
- Listen to customer complaints
- Develop and monitor corrective measures
- Focusing on the objectives to maximize the profitability of an organization
- Solicit feedback from customers to evaluate if their requirements are met
- Performing audits of any company quality systems and supervising other quality assurance positions.
Qualifications
- Degree in Business Administration or relevant field
- Prior experience as a quality manager in areas like; inspection, auditing, and testing is an added advantage
- Proficient in MS Office
- Certification in quality control
- Excellent math abilities and working knowledge of data analysis and statistical method
- An in-depth understanding of quality control procedures and relevant standard
- Outstanding Communication skill
- An eye detail and result-driven approach
- A post-graduate degree or technical degree may be a requisite for a managerial position
- Experience in implementing corrective and preventive measures
- Knowledge of quality manager tools and methodologies
- Highly conscientious and diligent
- Excellent verbal and communication skill
Essential Skills
Some salient skills will make a quality manager highly competent and process and they are:
- Organizational Skills
Quality managers are mandated to possess an elementary understanding of an organization’s process especially in the production of products. Possessing such knowledge will help you decide whether the product is standard or not. If the problem does not meet up with the standard, the organizational knowledge will help you know where the challenge originated from.
- Human Knowledge
As a quality manager, your paramount goal is to make sure customer’s spectations are met and this entails having enough knowledge at your disposal on how products impact customers. It is very paramount to have a sense of urgency to resolve a problem that can’t be tackled with technology.
- Multi-tasking
It is very paramount for a quality manager to know how to diversify with tasks because it will help him or her to have a better transition and prioritize the most essential process without needing to compromise standards.
- Excellent Communication Skills
Possessing verbal communication skills will help you explain processes and also improve them further to meet up with standards. In addition, having good writing skills is highly beneficial because it will help to prepare documents or reports especially report tha why a product is rejected. This also includes presentations and holding regular meetings.
- Understanding of legal Standards: there are diverse industries around the globe and they adhere to specific legal standards. Quality managers must know these standards and be very sure that they meet up the criteria.
- Knowledge of Quality Control: the quality manager must know the responsibilities of a quality manager in industry and the also when it comes to industry standards for processes and products.
- Project Management Skills
Project management skill is highly beneficial for quality control managers especially in implementing quality protocols and processes. There may be a scenario where an organization can make necessary changes to the process like implementing new and complex technologies which will impact quality assurance professionals.
- Computer and Technical Skills
A quality manager must be proficient in computer applications because of the production process that involves technology. He or she must have technical knowledge of how to use the tools of a quality manager. Having computer skills as a quality manager will help you to improve on your product design and label.
- Attention to detail: quality manager must be able to keep a record of processes and products in a company. Strong attention to detail is mandatory; they must be able to identify where standards are not met.
- Strong Leadership and Management Skills: you need these skills to be able to handle tasks and monitor employees. As a quality manager, you are in charge and you need to possess leadership skills to be able to carry the team along.
- Analytical Skills: as a quality manager, you must be able to analyze the data gathered and be result-driven. Your analytical skills will also help you determine whether a product meets the standard or not. This will also help you to think critically and bring a lot of profit to the organization.
- Problem-solving abilities: As a quality manager, a problem may occur and it is your responsibility to think critically and come up with a solution. Being a quality manager requires you to make sure products meet the criteria of customers and in a situation where customers are laying their complaints; it is your sole responsibility to listen to provide immediate solutions
How to become a Quality Manager
If you are considering a career as a quality manager, you will need to take the following steps:
- Acquire a Bachelor Degree
Earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration, quality management, and another similar field will enable you to become a quality manager. Undergraduate courses like mathematics, system management, measurement, and business management are essential for students who want to pursue careers as quality assurance managers. Many colleges and universities offer such programs and some are online courses. Technical schools also offer such degrees in industries like industrial manufacturing.
- Proven work Experience as a Quality Control manager
To start your career as a quality manager; you need to gain relevant work experience in the field. Many large companies have a team of employees working on quality control who are supervised by a quality assurance manager. Look for one of such companies and begin your career to gain knowledge and experience in the field.
- Earn a Master Degree
You can enroll for a master’s degree in Master of Business Administration (MBA) can make you a competitive candidate for the role of a quality manager and you can take up a managerial position with this qualification.
- Training
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an organization that has created industrial, propriety, and commercial standards around the world for products. A lot of companies in the world adhere to ISO standards and expect their quality managers to know the specification of ISO. ISO training is very much available online and it is very paramount for you to research the company you are working for; if it follows ISO standard and then proceeds to get training from ISO and include it in your resume.
- Earn Relevant Certification
There are a lot of certifications you can acquire as a quality control manager; focus on the industry you want to work in and the aspect of quality control you want to specialize in. Acquire certification in an industry you want to specialize in.
- Prepare your Resume
Gather all your educational credentials, work experience, certifications to create a standard resume. Go online specifically and search for jobs; write a cover letter tailored to each position by using keywords from the job description.
Where to Work
Quality managers have different places they can work because of the leadership skills, knowledge, and educational background they possess. The job position of a quality assurance manager is highly lucrative and here are examples of industries quality managers can work:
- Manufacturing Industry: these industries process raw materials into finished goods, for instance, timber to furniture. A quality manager can work in this industry and checkmate the raw materials used for production and the final product produced.
- Food Service: this industry process food raw material into the finished product and also the This industry is highly sensitive because a lot of people have died from consuming food products made from industries. A quality assurance manager can work in this industry and ensure the entire food product meets up to standard and reject substandard food products. Customers can also complain about the kind of food product produced and it is the responsibility of the quality manager to make sure production is improved.
- Healthcare: a quality assurance manager can start his career in the healthcare sector. The health care sector especially the pharmaceutical is an important sector that produces drugs and other healthcare facilities; the quality manager must make sure that these products and facilities meet up with standards because the lives of people are involved. This industry is in dire need of a quality manager to provide the best healthcare services to the populace.
- Transportation Sector: this sector is very vast and it is segmented into air transport, road transport, and sea transport. The holder of this quality position must make sure that the cars, ships, in this sector, meet up to standard because of the risk involved. In addition, the person will make sure that the employees working in this sector have the requisite qualification and skills.
- Education sector: a quality manager can work in this sector especially in academic institutions or educational institutions. This industry is also important because it has to do with knowledge, the quality assurance manager should ensure that the students acquire the right knowledge and qualified teachers teach students.
- Information Communication Technology: the world has become digitalized and this sector keeps developing daily. A quality manager can start his career in this sector and ensure that all the technology produced in this sector meet up to standard and benefit society. Some technologies are harmful to society and quality assurance managers are solely responsible for discarding these harmful technologies before they get to the consumers.
- Engineering Sector
- Cooperate Retail
Quality Manager Salary
- The average salary for a quality manager in the United States is $82,238 a year and $6,853 per month. This implies $39.54 per hour. The salary for a senior quality assurance manager ranches from $109,000 per year. The salary for the position varies greatly with many opportunities for advancement and increased pay base on skill level, location, and years of experience.
- The salary range for a quality manager in Nigeria ranches from 93,504NGN (lowest) to 254,320NGN (highest) with other bonuses.