Hire Quality Managers

Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–5 weeks. Sitting Quality Managers rarely leave in the run-up to a registrar audit or a customer source audit — we manage notice periods and handover of open CAPAs and audit findings as part of the search. If the seat is vacant with a surveillance audit or NADCAP reaccreditation on the calendar, tell us on the call and we prioritize candidates who can start inside the window.

Most US plant-level Quality Managers land between $115K and $155K base depending on metro, headcount, and registration scope. Aerospace, defense-tech, space and battery plants with AS9100D plus NADCAP, resident DCMA oversight, or a 50-plus-person inspection organization typically run $150K–$200K base plus bonus. Multi-site and director-track seats run higher. These are market bands; we confirm live market bands for your plant during scoping. See our quality engineer salary guide for the team-level bands beneath the manager.

A Quality Engineer owns quality for a product line, process or cell — control plans, FAI packages, nonconformance investigation, SPC. A Quality Manager owns the plant system: the certificate, the registrar and customer relationship, MRB authority, CAPA governance, the supplier program, and the inspection organization. If your plant holds or is pursuing AS9100 registration and someone has to be management representative, hire the manager profile. Most plants of 150-plus people need both.

A QA/QC Manager is the construction-side title — ITPs, weld and concrete inspection, turnover packages on a project. A Quality Manager runs a standing manufacturing plant. A Supplier Quality Engineer owns the supplier base — audits, PPAP, corrective action at the vendor — and usually reports to the Quality Manager. Reindustrialization sites often run both titles in sequence: a QA/QC Manager through construction and commissioning, then a Quality Manager once the plant is producing.

No. ASQ CMQ/OE, CQE and AS9100 lead-auditor training are strong signals and we verify them when claimed, but reference-verified system ownership through a registrar cycle outweighs certificates. Where the plant holds NADCAP special processes or a DCMA-resident contract, we do weight direct audit and QAR experience heavily.

Yes. We screen for US-person status where the plant requires it, document any active clearance held, and verify prior work under ITAR, CUI and DFARS flowdowns including Government Property and DD250 acceptance. We do not shortlist candidates who cannot meet the access requirements on your call.

Yes. Every Quality Manager placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start. The guarantee applies across direct-hire, embedded and RPO engagements alike.

Yes. Multi-hire builds (Quality Manager plus Quality Engineers, Supplier Quality Engineers, inspectors and Test Engineers across shifts) route through embedded recruiting or RPO. Multi-site quality directors and VPs of quality route through executive search.