Quality Assurance Director

Arrowhead Winch engineers and manufactures industrial winch, hoist and drive systems under the BRADEN, CARCO and Gearmatic brand names in Broken Arrow and Okmulgee, Oklahoma. We are seeking a talented Quality Assurance Director to join our team in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Please note: This is a 100% on site office-based position supporting both the Okmulgee and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma manufacturing plants. Benefits include 401K with matching up to 5%, plus profit sharing plan; medical, dental and vision plans; flexible spending and health savings accounts; paid short- and long-term disability program; paid life insurance; and paid holidays, sick and vacation time. Our work environments are clean, climate controlled and safe. Arrowhead Winch does require applicants to complete a background check, drug test, and pre-employment physical as a condition of employment. Our goal is for all employees to work safely without injury while maintaining the highest safety standards in compliance with company policies.

Quality Assurance Director Position Overview:

The Quality Assurance Director leads the Quality Department and builds a world-class, prevention-focused quality culture across the Broken Arrow and Okmulgee plants. Partnering with Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, and frontline teams, this leader promotes quality at the source, shared accountability, and measurable customer satisfaction. The role oversees the ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS), customer and supplier quality, corrective action, measurement systems, traceability, warranty analysis, and new-product readiness.

Quality Assurance Director Essential Functions/Responsibilities:

• Build a quality-at-the-source culture through visible shop-floor leadership, employee engagement, supervisor coaching, recognition, and shared accountability.
• Set quality strategy and annual goals aligned with business priorities, customer requirements, and measurable results.
• Lead and standardize quality procedures, controls, audits, and ISO 9001 management reviews across both plants; ensure actions are completed and effective.
• Partner with Operations to strengthen standard work, in-process checks, visual controls, and mistake-proofing to prevent defects and improve first-pass yield.
• Establish clear expectations for employees to identify, contain, and escalate suspect product; support prompt action on quality concerns.
• Define quality standards and process controls for machining, welding, painting, assembly, and final testing.
• Track and review leading and lagging quality measures, including first-pass yield, customer escapes, scrap, rework, warranty cost, supplier rejects, cost of poor quality, and corrective-action effectiveness; assign owners for improvements.
• Monitor customer scorecards and ensure customer-specific specifications, certifications, inspection records, and corrective-action requirements are met at both plants.
• Communicate quality issues, containment plans, corrective actions, and verified closure promptly and accurately to customers.
• Develop employee quality awareness and problem-solving skills; maintain inspector training, qualification, and competency requirements.
• Lead Quality Department staffing, coaching, performance management, succession planning, and professional development.
• Oversee calibration, measurement system suitability, and gage repeatability and reproducibility (Gage R&R) studies.
• Lead cross-functional root-cause analysis and corrective action using structured methods such as 8D or 5 Whys; verify actions prevent recurrence.
• Use risk-based and layered process audits to confirm compliance with critical controls and sustain improvements.
• Manage nonconforming material, including identification, containment, segregation, documented disposition, controlled deviations, and release authorization.
• Control process changes through risk assessment, approval, validation, documentation, and communication.
• Partner with Purchasing to improve supplier quality through scorecards, reject trends, audits or visits, and targeted corrective actions.
• Lead returned-product, warranty, and field-failure investigations; coordinate containment, customer feedback, and prevention of repeat issues.
• Partner with Design Engineering to improve manufacturability and eliminate design-related quality risks.
• Support new products, engineering changes, and process transfers through risk-based quality planning, PFMEAs, control plans, inspections, and process validation.
• Set end-of-line testing requirements and records; ensure failed tests are investigated and authorized before retest or product release.
• Maintain part, component, production, and test traceability appropriate to product and customer requirements.
• Manage the quality budget and prioritize sustainable improvements that reduce the cost of poor quality without compromising conformance.
• Manage customer specific process approvals, create qualification plans, and maintain required test results and certifications. Establish required internal processes that must be maintained to hold the customer certifications.

Quality Assurance Director Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quality, manufacturing, or a related field.
• Seven to ten years of quality leadership in ISO 9001 manufacturing, including machining and assembly, multi-site supervision, and team development.
• Proven success building a quality-first culture, coaching frontline teams, and reducing recurring defects through prevention and accountability.
• Ability to interpret part and assembly drawings; working knowledge of metrology and geometric dimensioning and tolerancing (GD&T).
• Practical experience with Lean/Six Sigma, structured root-cause analysis, and corrective-action effectiveness verification.
• Experience with statistical process control (SPC), Gage R&R, process capability, PFMEA, and control plans, including methods suited to low-volume, high-mix production.
• Strong analytical, technical, leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills; ability to influence cross-functional teams and work effectively with customers.
• Strong documentation and organizational skills; proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Quality Assurance Director Preferred Qualifications:

• Lean or Six Sigma certification (Green Belt or Black Belt preferred).
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor training or certification.
• Experience using short-run SPC, layered process audits, and mistake-proofing in low-volume, high-mix manufacturing.
• Welding inspection knowledge; AWS Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) a plus.
• Knowledge of paint and coatings inspection.
• Knowledge and Experience using AI Tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

• Sit, stand, and walk for extended periods, including in a manufacturing shop.
• Use a computer and review technical documents for extended periods.
• Have adequate vision to inspect parts and review documents.
• Hear and speak clearly for effective communication.
• Occasionally lift up to 50 lbs. with assistance and bend, squat, or stoop.
• Work around electrical and heavy equipment; handle and inspect parts.
• Wear required personal protective equipment (PPE) in applicable areas.
• Travel regularly between the Broken Arrow and Okmulgee plants.

Arrowhead provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, military and/or veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws in accordance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, which require affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. If accommodation required, contact HR at 918-259-3259.