What is a quality manager?
Quality managers ensure that all company products and services meet quality standards before they go to market. They monitor and advise on the performance of the quality management system, producing data and reporting on performance, measuring against set standards.
How to become a quality manager?
You could do a degree or postgraduate qualification in production management, business studies, human resources management, or business administration.
You may need a degree that is specific to the industry you want to work in, like science, construction, engineering, or pharmaceuticals.
The level 4 Quality practitioner apprenticeship may be relevant to this role. This apprenticeship typically takes 14 months to complete. You could work in any kind of industry or sector that has quality control processes.
You could work as a quality control assistant and move into quality assurance management by doing training on the job, for example through the Chartered Quality Institute.
Quality manager duties
Quality manager duties are diverse and depend on the employer and specialty, but some responsibilities are common to most:
- Review customer requirements and make sure they are met
- Work with purchasing staff to establish quality requirements from external suppliers
- Set standards for quality as well as health and safety
- Make sure that manufacturing or production processes meet international and national standards
- Ensure products are designed with adherence to legal and safety standards
- Monitor and evaluate internal production processes
- Evaluate the final output of products to determine their quality.
- Reject products that fail quality standards
Quality manager skills
To be an effective quality manager, you’ll need certain skills and competencies. The following are often cited in job vacancies:
- Excellent attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication
- Data analysis and statistical aptitude
- Good interpersonal skills
- Highly conscientious and diligent
- Excellent organizational and leadership skills
- Excellent math abilities
How to find a quality manager job
These jobs are advertised online, in local newspapers and at your local jobcentre. To find all the quality manager jobs near you, you need to:
- Search for quality manager jobs on popular job websites such as; Indeed, Total Jobs and CV Library
- Use the DWP’s Find A Job Service
- Check local newspapers and local Facebook groups, especially groups dedicated to local jobs
Quality Manager Job Titles
When you search for quality manager jobs online, be aware that the jobs might be advertised using a different job title. Popular job titles for quality manager jobs include;
- Quality control manager
- Quality inspector
- Quality assurance manager
What does a quality manager do?
The job of a quality manager varies depending on the job role and the company you’re working for. Check the duties and responsibilities of quality manager job advertisements to find jobs that best suit your skills and experience.
The day-to-day tasks of a quality manager include;
- use quality assurance software to analyse and improve standards
- review policies and plan how to improve quality management systems
- train staff
- inspect and test products and production processes
- measure performance and recommend improvements
- make sure policies and procedures meet national and international quality standards
- assess the effectiveness of changes to processes or production
- manage a team of quality control technicians