Almost every business needs a quality manager, although not all companies use that exact term for the position. Other names for quality manager jobs include quality control manager, quality assurance manager, and quality project manager. Many businesses have specialty positions, such as cancer data quality manager, food safety and quality manager, and claims quality manager. When a person is seeking a job as a quality manager, he or she should read the company's job description carefully to learn about the position. Typically, businesses require experience in the field or industry as well as educational degrees.
Many different professions offer quality manager jobs. Quality managers work in manufacturing, retail, and service industries. Generally, the quality manager jobs are similar. Quality managers often supervise others as they perform quality checks and tests. They usually are responsible for setting quality goals, training workers to achieve the goals, and managing paper or electronic documentation.
In manufacturing, quality manager jobs often involve implementing quality assurance programs, such as Six Sigma, ISO, and lean manufacturing. Sometimes a quality manager works with other managers to set financial goals and monitor the progression of these goals. In specialty manufacturing, such as electronics, a quality manager is often responsible for overseeing the training of employees in processes like soldering and testing. In other manufacturing businesses, a quality manager may be responsible for documenting the company's compliance with regional and local regulations and laws. Often the quality department is responsible for implementing environmental policies.
Quality manager jobs in the retail, health care, and service industries are oriented toward people service more than the making and selling of a physical product. Often the quality manager is responsible for establishing employee training programs and monitoring the results. At times, quality managers may be responsible for ensuring that the business obtains proper licenses and accreditations, especially where essential data is involved. One example is that cancer data quality managers usually train employees to obtain and maintain accurate data.
Companies that operate in areas where there are environmental concerns often hire quality managers. Some of the businesses that need to monitor the quality of resources include large farms, forestry-based industries, and mining firms. Frequently, workers in these quality manager jobs spend a high percentage of their workday in the field, performing tests or training personnel to comply with government regulations.
Other quality manager jobs are available in the construction industry, in the biotechnology field, and at larger janitorial firms. Sometimes managers in fields such as janitorial or food industries travel from site to site, whereas other managers, such as a nuclear quality assurance manager, may stay at one facility. Supplier quality managers, purchasing quality managers, or merchandise quality managers usually visit vendors' facilities and often travel internationally.