Quality Manager in Bogart, Georgia at Ulm Automotive LLC

Company: Ulm Automotive LLC

Department: Quality

Reports to: President, General Manager

Location: Bogart, GA (on-site)

Employment type: Full-time, exempt

Direct reports: None.

Position Summary

The Quality Manager owns whether a finished vehicle is right before it leaves the building. Ulm builds luxury passenger vehicles on an incomplete Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis in a low-volume, high-mix production environment that is scaling now. This role owns the Quality Management System (the Q001 manual, the QD-series procedures, and the QF forms), runs incoming and final inspection, controls nonconforming product, drives corrective action to root cause, and audits the floor against its own standard work.

This is a hands-on role, not a documentation desk. The Quality Manager inspects vehicles personally, signs the final release, and is the person who tells production a unit is not shipping until a defect is fixed. It also carries the quality evidence that the compliance function and the industry certification programs Ulm is pursuing depend on.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Management System Ownership

• Own the QMS end to end: keep the Q001 manual and the QD procedures current, control revisions through the document master list, and make sure every form in use on the floor is the released version.
• Serve as management representative for the QMS: schedule and run management review, maintain the review agenda and minutes, and track actions to closure.
• Plan and lead internal audits against the procedures; report findings with owners and due dates and verify closure.
• Prepare quality plans for new product configurations and for process verification when a station or method changes.

Inspection & Release

• Perform incoming vehicle inspection on every chassis received and document condition before conversion begins.
• Own in-process hold points and the final inspection checklist; sign the final release and the customer delivery checklist for every unit.
• Verify fit and finish, panel gaps, trim alignment, seating and restraint installation, electrical function, water and air leak tests, and road test results against the build standard.
• Maintain the calibration status log and ensure torque tools, gauges, and test equipment are in calibration.

Nonconformance & Corrective Action

• Control nonconforming product: tag, segregate, disposition, and record every nonconformity so nothing is reworked or shipped without a decision on record.
• Run the corrective action process to true root cause (5 Whys, fishbone, 8D as the problem warrants) and verify effectiveness before closing.
• Track first-time-through, defects per unit, rework hours, and warranty returns; publish the numbers weekly and drive the top items down.

Supplier & Incoming Quality

• Set receiving inspection criteria for critical purchased components (seating, restraints, electrical, glass, cabinetry) and reject or quarantine what does not conform.
• Work with Purchasing on supplier corrective actions and supplier scorecards; escalate chronic suppliers for replacement.
• Verify that listed and certified components carry the documentation the compliance file requires.

Training & Floor Standards

• Maintain the employee skill profiles and skill matrix with Production; qualify technicians to stations and re-qualify after engineering changes.
• Run work area audits and 5S checks; coach supervisors and leads on quality gates so defects are caught at the station that created them.
• Support the Director of Compliance with per-unit conformance records and inspection readiness for outside program inspections.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of quality experience in automotive, specialty vehicle, or comparable craft-intensive manufacturing (aerospace interiors, marine, custom equipment), including 2+ years owning or administering a documented quality system.
• Hands-on final inspection experience on complex assembled products, with the eye for fit and finish that a luxury interior demands.
• Working command of root cause and corrective action methods, and a record of closing problems rather than logging them.
• Ability to read engineering drawings, BOMs, and electrical schematics and inspect the vehicle against them.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001 structure and internal audit practice.
• Willingness to spend most of the day on the floor and in and under vehicles.

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ certification (CQE, CQA, or CMQ/OE) or ISO 9001 lead auditor training.
• Automotive final-assembly or vehicle upfit quality experience specifically.
• Experience producing certified or regulated products where inspection records are part of the product.
• Startup or new-line launch experience: comfort writing the standard while the line is running.
• Bilingual English/Spanish.

Competencies

• Standards ownership - treats the QMS as a living operating system, not a binder for auditors.
• Inspection discipline - checks the vehicle, not the paperwork; finds the defect before the customer does.
• Independence - can hold a unit and defend the call to production and leadership on the facts.
• Root cause mindset - is not satisfied with rework; wants the defect to stop recurring.
• Teaching - raises the floor's quality by coaching technicians and leads, not by adding inspectors.

Success in the First 12 Months

• 90 days: Owns final inspection and release on every unit. Nonconformity and corrective action logs are live and current. Calibration log is complete. Knows every station and its top three defects.
• 6 months: First internal audit cycle complete with findings closed. First-time-through is measured weekly and improving. Supplier receiving criteria are in place for critical components.
• 12 months: Management review has run on schedule for a full year, defects per unit are down measurably, and the quality records would pass an outside program inspection without preparation.

Physical & Work Environment

On-site in an active vehicle manufacturing facility. The majority of each day is on the production floor and inside or under vehicles, with exposure to noise, machinery, and standard plant conditions; PPE is required in designated areas. Occasional travel to suppliers or partner facilities.

Compensation & Benefits

• Salary range: $95,000 to $120,000, commensurate with experience
• Annual performance bonus: discretionary, based on company and quality performance
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off and holidays; professional training and certification support (ASQ, ISO 9001)

Equal Opportunity Employer

Ulm Automotive, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.