Quality Assurance Manager

The Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for the leadership, administration, maintenance, and continual improvement of the KTS Quality Management System (QMS) to ensure continued compliance with customer, regulatory, industry, and internal requirements. This position oversees quality assurance and quality control activities to ensure products and processes consistently meet defined specifications, standards, and contractual obligations. The Quality Assurance Manager leads internal quality systems, inspection operations, audit readiness, corrective and preventative action (CAPA) activities, calibration systems, supplier quality processes, and customer quality communications. This role serves as the organization’s primary authority for product conformity, quality system compliance, and quality-related risk mitigation in support of ISO 9001, AS9100, ITAR, customer-specific requirements, and applicable regulatory standards. This position operates independently from Production and maintains the authority to identify, contain, stop shipment of, or escalate nonconforming product or processes when quality or compliance requirements are at risk. **This is not a hybrid or work from home position. It is a full-time onsite position at the office in Des Plaines, IL.** **Responsibilities:** - Owns the Quality Management System in accordance with ISO 9001, AS9100, customer requirements, and applicable regulatory standards. - Approves compliance with quality-related customer purchase order requirements, specifications, and flow downs. - Ensure quality resources are available per customer orders and requirements. - Owns Quality Inspection Plan (QIP) creation and effectiveness of inspection process. - Owns inspection equipment condition, calibration and inventory. - Leads Material Review Board (MRB). Ensures root causes are identified, and long-term corrective actions are implemented, and validates effectiveness. - Internal and External Audits: Creates calendar, leads audits, ensures rapid responses to findings or observations, owns corrective action follow-up, validation and closure. - Leads supplier qualification, supplier corrective actions (SCARs), and assists with monitoring supplier performance. - Serve as primary customer contact for quality-related concerns, discrepancies, corrective actions, audits, and quality performance reviews. - Performs annual customer survey and response data evaluation. - Supervise and develop Quality personnel by participating in recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, training, coaching, performance management, and disciplinary actions for Quality personnel. - Analyze quality data and trends including RMA activity, supplier performance, and KPI/Metrics. Present data and identified trends and corrective actions at Quarterly Management Meeting. **Minimum Educational Qualifications & Requirements:** - Bachelor’s degree in quality management, Engineering, or a related discipline, or related degree with relevant experience. - 5-10 year work history within defense, electronics, or related electro-mechanical manufacturing industry. - 5 years in an AS9100 environment. - 3 yrs as, CQE, Auditor, or CMQ/OE of QMS. - Strong interpersonal skills and communication to interact with team, management, customers, and suppliers. - Strong metrology and measurement device knowledge, and training experience. - Strong IPC and J-STD knowledge and training experience. - Ability to obtain Security Clearance, for which the United States Government requires United States citizenship We recognize that attracting the best talent is key to our strategy and success as a company. As a result, we aim for flexibility in structuring competitive compensation offers to ensure we are able to attract the best candidates. As required by law in this state, the estimated salary range for this position is $100,000-$150,000 and represents our good faith estimate as to what our ideal candidates are likely to expect. We tailor our offers within the ran…