Quality System Manager - Hard Goods

About Us:

Champro® is a privately-owned sporting goods and apparel manufacturer that has been in business for 30+ years. We deliver high-value, traditional & innovative athletic equipment and apparel via outstanding, integrity-driven customer service. Our business philosophy is focused on our customers and we take pride in providing them with the best overall values in team sports products.

Position:

As a Quality System Manager for Hard Goods, you will lead the Quality team for CHAMPRO’s team sports equipment and accessories categories. Your responsibilities include understanding quality standards, translating them into inspection and test procedures, and overseeing their implementation with the goal of efficient and meaningful operations. You will also be responsible for internal and external reporting of the inspection and test results in order to achieve continuous improvement, as well as any follow-up actions that need to be taken due to inspection findings or external reports of product defects.

In this role, your efforts will contribute to the production of high-quality team sports equipment, ensuring customer satisfaction and the integrity of the brand. You will play a vital role in upholding quality standards and strengthening our reputation for product quality. We in the Quality team strive for excellence and absolute reliability in service to our internal CHAMPRO team members, to our customers, and to the end-users of our products.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Manage Quality team of in-house inspectors, lab technicians, and inventory coordinator to inspect and test product and take follow-up actions including reporting, chargebacks, and inventory disposition actions, in an accurate, consistent, and timely manner
   • Perform ongoing evaluation of team to make sure we have the right people in the right positions, considering accuracy and efficiency as well as level of service provided to internal teams
   • Arrange for cross-training and continuing professional development and education of team members in order to meet company needs
2. Direct quality control system for hard goods product lines (sports equipment and accessories)
   • Work with product managers to identify key quality attributes and requirements for each product category
   • Set inspection protocol based on key attributes and requirements, including accept/reject criteria
   • Understand compliance requirements of license programs; shape testing and inspection accordingly, and respond to documentation requests and audits
   • Create infrastructure of documentation for sampling and inspection protocol and quality requirements for each product
   • Ensure that all critical functions (inspection, testing, reporting, prioritization) are being fulfilled within the appropriate timeframe
3. Work with product manufacturers to establish understanding of quality expectations
   • Share information regarding inspection and test procedures and acceptance criteria
   • Determine production batching and sampling procedures
   • Set IQC, IPQC, and OQC and post-production procedures
4. Serve as liaison to industry organizations
   • Stay updated and report back on industry trends, standards, and regulations related to team equipment and accessories
   • Represent Champro perspective in industry meetings and working groups as needed
5. Oversight of equipment and capital expenditures
   • Regular calibration of equipment
   • Lead troubleshooting efforts as needed
   • Track issues and expenses in order to make informed replacement/upgrade decisions
   • Consideration of new equipment purchases
6. Continuous Improvement Initiatives
   • Identify/implement process improvements to simplify and enhance Quality team actions; ensure team work is efficient, accurate, consistent, and meaningful
   • Drive the search for QMS software solutions that assist with recording, evaluating, and reporting on inspection data, decisions, chargebacks, etc
   • Help to develop KPIs and evaluation systems of factories’ quality
   • Develop best practices and oversee documentation of SOPs, troubleshooting guides, and other quality-related documents
   • Identify ways in which the Quality team can work better with other teams (Operations, Finance, etc) in order to improve accountability and record-keeping

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field
• Proven experience in management and quality auditing or quality control
• Ability to master understanding of quality standards, inspection techniques, and quality control tools, especially in the protective and performance context
• Analytical mindset with the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions.
• Excellent communication and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to maintaining high quality standards.
• Strong organization in documentation, record-keeping, and creation of systems
• Proficiency in using quality management software, google platform, and Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong drive for ongoing improvement; proactive personality with a holistic view of operations

Company Culture:

We are proud to offer eligible associates a full-range of benefits including medical, dental, vision and life insurance, as well as short-term and long-term disability, 401K, Profit Sharing, paid time off, holidays, and reimbursement toward gym membership fees. A collaborative atmosphere working together to exceed our customers’ expectations, as well as, an Equal Opportunity Employer bringing together diverse individuals to develop new and innovative solutions