| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Quality |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Vice President Quality or Plant Head |
| Direct reports | Quality Assurance Manager, QC Manager, Supplier Quality Manager, Quality Engineer |
| Experience | 12 to 18 years in quality, with several years leading plant quality |
General Manager Quality job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: General Manager Quality
Department: Quality
Reports to: Vice President Quality or Plant Head
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
A General Manager Quality leads the quality function at a large plant or division. They run quality assurance and quality control operations, own product quality, customer complaints and plant certifications, and drive the reduction of rejections and rework. The role manages quality managers, engineers and lab teams, and works closely with production and supply chain. In an Indian manufacturing plant the GM Quality is the senior quality authority on site: they can stop a shipment, sign off product release policy, and answer to the VP Quality or plant head for defects, complaints and audit performance.
Key responsibilities
- Lead quality assurance and quality control operations across the plant, from incoming to final product release.
- Own product quality metrics and drive down rejections, rework and customer returns through structured action.
- Set product release and hold policy for the site and take the final call on doubtful shipments.
- Own plant certifications such as ISO 9001 or IATF 16949 and clear external and customer audits.
- Resolve major customer complaints with root cause analysis and corrective action, and report closure.
- Approve control plans, inspection standards and quality budgets for labs, gauges and calibration.
- Work with production to build quality into the process rather than inspecting it in at the end.
- Drive supplier quality improvement with the supplier quality team on chronic vendor issues.
- Review quality performance with the leadership team and escalate systemic issues.
- Develop quality managers and engineers and build inspection capability across shifts.
Requirements
- B.E. or B.Tech in an engineering discipline
- A quality certification such as Six Sigma Black Belt or lead auditor
- A master's in quality or operations is an advantage
- 12 to 18 years in quality, with several years leading plant quality
KRAs and KPIs for a General Manager Quality
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| Product quality | Internal rejection and rework rates reduced to the plant target for the year |
| Customer complaints | Customer complaints and returns per million reduced to the site target |
| Certification | Plant certifications maintained with no major non-conformity in audits |
| Complaint closure | Major customer complaints closed with corrective action within the agreed time |
| Cost of quality | Cost of poor quality at the site reduced to the agreed level |
| Supplier quality | Incoming supplier defects reduced to the plant target across key vendors |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: Quality management system (QMS), SPC and analytics software, SAP QM module, Measuring and testing instruments, MS Excel and dashboards.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Vice President Quality, Plant Head, Chief Quality Officer
Interview questions for a General Manager Quality
- How would you cut plant rejection and rework rates within two quarters?
- A customer reports a field failure batch. Walk me through your response.
- When would you stop a shipment, and how do you handle the pressure from production?
- How do you make production own quality rather than leaving it to inspectors?
- How do you prepare a plant for an IATF or customer audit?
- How do you decide where to invest a limited quality budget at the site?
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What does a general manager of quality do?
A general manager of quality leads the quality function at a large plant or division. They run quality assurance and control, own product quality, customer complaints and certifications, and drive down rejections and rework. They set product release policy, resolve major complaints with root cause action, manage the quality team and labs, and answer to the VP quality or plant head.
What is the difference between a GM quality and a quality manager?
A GM quality is a senior leader who owns the whole quality function at a plant, including strategy, certifications, budgets and major customer issues, with several managers reporting in. A quality manager runs quality operations for a plant or area day to day. The GM is a grade above, with wider accountability and decision authority.
What qualifications does a GM quality need?
A B.E. or B.Tech in engineering is the usual base, with a quality certification such as Six Sigma Black Belt or lead auditor. A master's in quality or operations is an advantage. What matters most is many years in quality with proven experience leading plant quality, certifications and major customer complaints.