Quality assurance manager

Quality assurance manager job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Responsibilities of the job include:

• determining, negotiating and agreeing in-house quality procedures, standards and/or specifications
• assessing customer requirements and ensuring that these are met
• setting customer service standards
• specifying quality requirements of raw materials with suppliers
• investigating and setting standards for quality/health and safety
• ensuring that manufacturing processes comply with standards at both national and international level
• working with operating staff to establish procedures, standards, systems and procedures
• writing management/technical reports and customers’ charters
• determining training needs
• acting as a catalyst for change and improvement in performance/quality
• directing objectives to maximise profitability
• recording, analysing and distributing statistical information
• monitoring performance
• supervising technical or laboratory staff.

Typical employers of quality assurance managers

• manufacturing companies
• engineering companies
• automotive companies
• textile companies
• pharmaceutical companies
• processing companies
• service industries
• banks
• educational establishments
• government departments.

Opportunities are advertised online, by careers services, in newspapers and trade publications such as Quality World and vacancy lists produced by The Chartered Quality Institute. Some of the larger employers operate graduate training schemes – early applications for these are advisable.

Qualifications and training required

A degree or HND in any subject is acceptable. However, employers may prefer qualifications in subjects such as business studies/management, materials science/technology, food science/technology, textile technology, polymer science/technology, process engineering, physics, mathematics or production engineering.

For some positions a postgraduate qualification or a technical background may be beneficial. Relevant work experience is highly desirable and may be gained via final year project work, work shadowing, sponsorship, vacation work or 'year out' placements.

Key skills for quality assurance managers

• confidence
• excellent technical skills
• organisational skills
• planning skills
• interpersonal skills
• communication skills
• problem solving skills
• team working skills
• IT skills
• communication skills.

It is also essential to have good numerical skills and an understanding of statistics.