Quality Manager

November 13

🏄 California – Remote

Although this job is listed in California, this company may be open to hiring remote in other states.

💵 $90k - $115k / year

⏰ Full Time

🟡 Mid-level

🟠 Senior

👔 Manager

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Apex Wheels

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Automotive

Apex Wheels is a company specializing in aftermarket wheels and automotive accessories. They offer a variety of products including wheels, spacers, center caps, TPMS & valve stems, and centering rings. Apex Wheels provides resources such as vehicle fitment guides and customer support to enhance the performance of vehicles. They also offer a wholesale dealer portal and encourage prospective dealers to join the network. The company emphasizes real performance and offers a replacement program, along with extensive customer support services.

11 - 50 employees

Founded 2007

📋 Description

• Elevate and enhance Apex’s quality control program, assessing current practices both domestically and overseas, and refining standards, documentation, and inspection criteria to ensure consistency, scalability, and world-class product quality. • Develop and implement quality systems and processes for supplier-side, in-process, and inbound inspections with a strong focus on preventing nonconformances before shipment and ensuring alignment between factory and Apex standards. • Lead and develop a lean quality team composed of Apex employees, contractors, or third-party partners to ensure consistent, on-the-ground inspection coverage. Hire, train, mentor, and evaluate quality personnel for technical accuracy and performance, providing coaching and feedback as needed. This may include managing a full-time quality Technician based at our partner’s Thailand factory who will oversee daily inspections, enforce Apex’s quality standards, and ensure that nonconforming products are reworked or rejected before shipment. Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and craftsmanship excellence across all inspection activities. • Review, improve, and maintain clear documentation, including control plans, inspection templates, work instructions, and visual standards for both overseas and domestic teams. • Conduct supplier audits and process reviews, including mid-production and pre-shipment inspections at our international manufacturing facilities, providing actionable feedback and following up on corrective action reports (CARs). • Partner with Engineering and R&D on product specifications, measurement standards, and testing methodologies to ensure new products and manufacturing techniques meet Apex performance expectations. • Collaborate closely with the Customer Service Manager to capture detailed data on quality issues, including root cause, frequency, and cost impact, and use those insights to drive corrective and preventive actions. • Work with the Vendor Manager to communicate defect rates, error types, and supplier performance trends, ensuring quality data informs vendor scorecards and cost recovery discussions. • Coordinate with Apex’s 3PL warehouse team to define and document efficient workflows for domestic inspections, including weight verification, visual checks, and product quarantine or release procedures. • Lead root cause and corrective action (RCCA) initiatives, collaborating across departments and with supplier partners to resolve issues and prevent recurrence. • Define and track KPIs such as defect rates, rework rates, supplier quality scores, and cost of poor quality, using these metrics to identify trends and guide improvements. • Implement continuous improvement methodologies such as Lean Six Sigma or Kaizen to reduce variation, eliminate recurring defects, and strengthen supplier training and accountability. • Communicate findings and recommendations through concise reports, dashboards, and presentations to leadership, providing transparency into supplier performance, quality trends, and progress toward company goals. • Foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability within the quality function, mentoring staff, promoting technical excellence, and ensuring every product that leaves the factory upholds Apex’s reputation for precision and performance. • Lead and develop your team through radical candor, balancing direct, honest feedback with genuine care while managing all aspects of people leadership, including hiring, interviewing, onboarding, coaching, mentoring, performance reviews, setting clear performance expectations, managing to OKRs and KPIs, and when necessary, making tough decisions around discipline or termination to maintain a healthy, high-performing team culture. • Other duties as assigned.

🎯 Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Applied Sciences, Manufacturing Management, or a related field; a Master’s degree is preferred. • Certifications, including ASQ, Six Sigma green belt or higher, or similar is strongly preferred. • 5+ years of experience in Quality Control or Quality Assurance in an environment manufacturing physical products, or 3+ years of experience in QC/QA plus additional relevant. manufacturing-related experience. We’ll give strong preference to candidates who have worked with metal manufacturing, especially forging and flow-forming techniques. • 2+ years of experience building teams and directly managing individuals, especially those in QA/QC-related positions. • Experience working in ISO 9001, IATF 16949, or similar accredited QMS environments. • Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen attention to detail and a pragmatic approach that balances precision with production efficiency. • Experience with metrology within a manufacturing inspection environment, including calibration and use of precision measurement tools, setup and operation of gauging and instrumentation, and a strong understanding of measurement principles and techniques. • Proven experience in appropriately tailoring quality improvement initiatives to specific manufacturer and customer-specific requirements and capabilities. • Project Management experience and the use of PM software are a plus (Click-Up). • We’ll give strong preference to candidates who have experience working with overseas manufacturers, especially in Southeast Asia. • Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to collaborate effectively across functions, including engineering, operations, and suppliers, including the ability to overcome language and cultural barriers. • Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects effectively. • Ability to use standard communication tools such as Slack and Google Suite. • Ability to travel internationally and domestically. • We’ll give strong preference to candidates who are geographically located near our office in Pleasanton, CA. • We’ll give strong preference to candidates who speak Mandarin. • Bonus points for being an automotive enthusiast!

🏖️ Benefits

• Full-time salaried exempt employment on W2 with Apex. You’ll earn a base compensation of $90,000 - $115,000 depending on location and experience. • Robust health benefits that include medical insurance covering 100% of monthly premiums for employees and their dependents under the age of 14 on our base plans, and generous contributions towards premiums for dependents over 14. We have a wide variety of other medical plans, so you can contribute to a more robust plan that better suits your needs. Get access to an HSA, mental health support, and gym membership discounts! Dental and vision benefits cover 100% of the monthly premiums for employees on our base plans, plus affordable buy-up options if you need orthodontic coverage. • Retirement savings through our 401(k) with generous company contributions. • Paid time off to recharge and do what fuels you through paid sick leave, vacation time, and 11 paid company holidays, including Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day. • Track-Day Reimbursements to support your track addiction with reimbursements for HPDE, autocross event registration fees, and more. • Through your association with Apex Wheels, you are eligible to apply for the SEMA college grant and loan forgiveness program. • Employee discounts and freebies on Apex products and swag (Did we mention friends and family discounts?). • A modern professional work environment supported through remote work, almost anywhere in the contiguous U.S., and casual in-office dress (t-shirts and jeans are normal for us). Our in-person company events often include sim-racing, karting, spectator events, and visits to some of our favorite places in Northern California.