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Director of Quality in Portland, Oregon at Kanto Corporation

Salary: $160000 - $190000
Kanto Corporation
Portland, Oregon, 97203, United States
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Job Description

Lead Quality. Shape Processes. Drive Change.

About Kanto Corporation
Kanto is a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-purity specialty chemicals that power the world’s most advanced industries. With a legacy of precision, safety, and innovation, we support global leaders in semiconductor, technology, and chemical processing by delivering products that meet uncompromising standards of quality and reliability.

At Kanto, we believe our people are our greatest strength. We foster a culture where collaboration, continuous improvement, and excellence are not just values, but daily practices. Joining Kanto means contributing to work that shapes the future of technology and manufacturing—while growing your career in a dynamic, high-impact environment.


The Role at a Glance

Kanto is seeking a Director of Quality to lead our QA, QC, and QMS functions across high-purity chemical manufacturing operations. This role offers the opportunity to shape the future of Quality at Kanto—building a culture of excellence, embedding process discipline, and strengthening the systems that ensure every product meets the highest standards of precision, consistency, and reliability.

This role calls for a visionary leader who thrives at both the strategic and operational levels. As a strategic and hands-on leader, you will drive initiatives that enhance operational rigor and continuous improvement., You will coach and inspire teams to embed a culture of consistent execution—“the same way, every time”—so that every product we deliver reflects the uncompromising standards our customers expect.

If you thrive on building best-in-class quality systems, leading cross-functional change, and inspiring teams to embrace a quality-first culture, we want to meet you.


What You’ll Do

  • Lead Ongoing Quality Transformation
  • Establish & Sustain Process Discipline (Embedding SOP-Centered Practices)
  • Continue strengthening and evolving SOPs to ensure they remain robust, compliant, and effective.
  • Drive consistency, safety, and operational excellence through disciplined procedures.
  • Seamlessly connect laboratory precision with execution on the production floor.
  • Partner closely with all Kanto operations and materials teams to embed a culture where every critical task is performed the same way, every time.
  • Serve as the hands-on architect of a cultural and procedural shift in quality.
  • Drive change management initiatives across the business.
  • Oversee QA & QC
  • Direct all testing, inspection, and verification activities for high-purity chemical products—up to and including consistent part-per-trillion and beyond manufacturing growth.
  • Ensure documentation meets internal, customer, and regulatory standards.
  • Act as the escalation point for non-conformances, CAPAs, and deviation management.
  • Lead root cause analysis and resolution of high-stakes quality issues.
  • Strengthen the QMS
  • Develop, refine, and maintain an audit-ready Quality Management System.
  • Ensure compliance with ISO, SEMI, NFPA, OSHA, and chemical manufacturing standards.
  • Establish KPIs, dashboards, and reporting mechanisms for proactive quality oversight.
  • Identify trends early and take preventive action before issues escalate.
  • Manage Change Control
  • Oversee the entire lifecycle of change in a complex chemical production environment.
  • Lead impact assessments and risk mitigation planning.
  • Manage validation, training, and post-implementation monitoring.
  • Chair cross-functional change review meetings to address operational, safety, and regulatory impacts.
  • Foster a Culture of Quality
  • Lead from the floor, modeling hands-on leadership for quality and production teams.
  • Coach and mentor staff on the “why” behind procedures and standards.
  • Use deep chemical engineering expertise to connect technical requirements to day-to-day execution.
  • Inspire accountability and ownership for quality at every level of the organization.

    • What You Bring—A DNA of Precision and Leadership

    • Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering/Sciences, Chemistry, Life Sciences (Master’s preferred).
    • 12+ years of progressive quality experience in manufacturing/chemical processing; 5+ in leadership.
    • Proven success in operational process standardization, QMS implementation, and change management and leadership.
    • Deep understanding of ISO 9001, SEMI standards, NFPA codes, OSHA requirements, and cleanroom protocols.
    • Collaborative leadership style with exceptional communication skills.
    • Ownership of a growth mindset and a “startup” mentality.
    • Preferred: a practiced background in ISO, Lean, Six Sigma, etc., regulatory standards.


    Why Join Kanto

    • Help lead a company-wide quality transformation with executive backing.
    • Collaborate cross-functionally with Operations, Logistics, Engineering, and Sales to shape sustainable processes and expectations.
    • Work with cutting-edge high-purity chemical products serving advanced technical global markets.
    • Competitive pay, generous FTO, paid holidays, rich medical/dental benefits, job focused tuition/education reimbursement, etc., and the opportunity to leave a lasting operational legacy.


    Apply today to help us define the future of Quality at Kanto. We’d love to learn more about you.


    Kanto Corporation is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and talents that each individual brings, and we are committed to fostering a workplace where everyone feels respected, included, and empowered to contribute to our shared success.


    Day Shift, On-site, Monday-Friday (occasional weekends and nights to support 24/5 operations)

    Job Location

    Portland, Oregon, 97203, United States

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