Quality Improvement Manager - Parts Collection Center - Subaru of America, Inc.

COMPANY BACKGROUND

LOVE. It's what makes Subaru, Subaru®. As a leading auto brand in the US, we strive to be More Than a Car Company®. Subaru believes in being a positive force in the communities in which we live and work, not just with donations but with actions that set an example for others to follow. That's what we call our Subaru Love Promise®.

Subaru is a globally renowned automobile manufacturer known for its commitment to innovation, safety, and sustainability. With a rich history dating back to 1953, Subaru has consistently pushed the boundaries of automotive engineering to deliver vehicles that offer not only exceptional performance but also a unique blend of utility and adventure.

Subaru's company culture is built on collaboration, diversity, and a shared passion for our product. We foster an inclusive environment that encourages employees to bring their unique perspectives and talents to the table. Our team members are driven by a common goal: to create exceptional vehicles that inspire and delight our customers.

ROLE SUMMARY

Quality Improvement Manager maintains responsibility for being critical resource to Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) to investigate the cause of the vehicle parts quality issues arising from reported market defects. Promotes improvements according to the importance and priority of the defects until effective countermeasures are incorporated, as well as determines the appropriateness of preventive measures to prevent recurrence.

Reproduces and verifies defective parts returned from the market, maintains responsibility for oversight of and progressing the investigations, determining the cause of the issue, and determining the investigation policy and direction through joint inspection meetings.

Facilitates information sharing with related departments at all times and coordinates and negotiates with them for quality improvement. Collaborates effectively with multiple teams at Subaru including Fast Action & Solution Team (FAST), Subaru of America (SOA), and Subaru Corporation (SBR).

To achieve effective quality investigations, educates and motivates groups and individuals to create an improved or new process and utilizes knowledge to enhance current processes. Manages the work of local staff and trains them in a systematic manner.

To achieve effective quality investigations, educates and motivates groups and individuals to create an improved or new process and utilizes knowledge to enhance current processes. Manages the work of local staff and trains them in a systematic manner.

Always accurately identifies operational issues and implements measures to improve them effectively and efficiently.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Promotes quality improvement measures of flagged up and high priority Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) items and manages and participates in related follow-up meetings. Determines effectiveness of improvement measures by working with stakeholders and makes informed and actionable recommendations. Works as leader in the investigation to understand who to go to and work with, what steps need to be taken, what information is needed for the investigation, and influences negotiations and decisions using subject matter knowledge.
• Promotes verification of reproduction of issues for parts returned with defects from the market. Develops a work plan on how to reproduce parts defects. Determines particulars of the plan to include what policies need to be considered, what data needs to be collected, and the structure of the evaluation. Verifies that work plan is compliant in collaboration with members of North American Subaru, Inc. (NASI) Parts Collection Center (PCC) team.
• Regarding complex, urgent, and/or critical quality reports received from the market or SIA, conducts a thorough investigation and immediately reports the findings to the relevant departments and higher-ups. Determines and directs a response action plan to be implemented as soon as possible.
• Promotes response to requests for cooperation from Subaru Corporation (SBR) and parts supplier parent company in Japan via Fast Action & Solution Team (FAST) when SIA (supplier) has difficulty in resolving the issue.
• Reviews current relevant policies and processes and implements appropriate changes to these policies based on subject matter and operational knowledge as well as collaboration with NASI practitioners. Drives strategy of effectively integrating best practices and operational changes.
• Manages local staff, including career development, performance evaluation, hiring activities, and training.
• Maintains responsibility for oversight and completeness of work output of local staff. Manages staff's prioritization of work and helps staff with their tasks as needed for more complex situations requiring additional subject matter knowledge.
• Responds to emergencies related to SIA production vehicles (such as creation of VIN list, information update, inquiry window, etc.).

Additional Responsibilities:

• Conducts SIA process check and supplier manufacturing process audit to investigate the cause of the issue and confirm the effectiveness of the countermeasure.
• Confirms the scope of defects (target vehicles) and confirms the number of vehicles breakpoint (in which the countermeasure is incorporated into the production line.
• Participates in quality improvement promotion meetings organized and held by SIA and FAST (including Subaru of America (SOA) and Subaru Canada, Inc. (SCI)) as well as meetings with SBR for urgent and critical cases, prepares materials, and explains the situation.
• Confirms details of important Subaru Yard Operations (SYO) (SOA yard) issues to SIA and follows up on the response.
• Regularly meets with the team to monitor accomplishments and progress and provide accurate direction for next actions.

Required Responsibilities:

• Ability to take a leadership role in promoting SIA quality improvement.
• Ability to share information on issues as they arise with the relevant departments and work in a planned manner to resolve them.
• Ability to understand the structure and function of each component of a vehicle, and to engage in technical discussions with FAST and SIA members to determine the cause of defects.
• Ability to maintain good relationships of trust with members of the team through constant communication and cooperation, and to keep promises and schedules.
• Understanding of the Japanese way of thinking and able to respond (coordination and negotiation) to differences in stance and approach with consideration.
• Practical experience in vehicle light maintenance; experience in heavy maintenance preferred. Must be able to perform light mechanical duties similar to an automotive technician.
• Experience with vehicle parts disassembly, assembly, and related actions.
• Experience with technical components of Subaru vehicles preferred.
• Experience with managing people and leading a team.
• Ability to develop investigation plans and analyses, as well as to determine best actions based on results obtained.
• Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills.
• Ability to multitask and prioritize in a fast-paced team environment.
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office (particularly Excel and Access) and report creation abilities.

Education/Experience Requirements: BA/BS with 8 to 10 years of relevant experience or 10 years' work-related experience.

Work Environment

• Hybrid Role: Remote work 2 days per week (After 90 Days Onboarding)

Compensation: The recruiting base salary range for this full-time position is $111,500.00- $150,000.00/year. Within the range, individual pay is determined by factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. (Internal Job Grade:M_2) In addition to competitive salary, Subaru offers an amazing benefits package that includes:

• Medical, Dental, Vision Plans
• Pension, Profit Sharing, and 401K Match Offerings
• 15 Vacation days, 9 Company Holidays, 5 Floating Holidays, and 5 Sick days.
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Vehicle Discount Programs
• See our Careers landing page for additional information about our compensation and benefit programs.