Quality Leader

Job Description Summary

The Regional Quality Leader – Grid Automation MENAT is responsible for driving world-class quality performance across the Grid Automation business in the MENAT region, covering the full lifecycle from tendering, project execution, suppliers, Integration Facilities, installation, commissioning, and customer support.

This role leads the regional quality objectives to ensure right-first-time execution, customer satisfaction, compliance with contractual and regulatory requirements, and continuous reduction of Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ). The leader partners closely with Regional Operations, Project Management, Engineering, Sourcing, Manufacturing, Integration Facility teams, Services, and Commercial teams to prevent defects, strengthen quality culture, and drive Lean operational excellence through standard work, visual management, PSR, Kaizen, and continuous improvement.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Define and deploy the regional quality strategy for Grid Automation MENAT in alignment with global business quality priorities, the Zero Defect framework, and Lean operating principles.

• Lead transformation initiatives to improve process capability, execution discipline, product and project quality, and customer outcomes across the region.

• Establish and drive regional quality goals, KPIs, and operating rhythms focused on prevention, flow, waste reduction, execution excellence, and continuous improvement.

• Ensure strong quality governance across projects, services, Integration Facilities, and regional operations, with clear accountability, tiered escalation, and disciplined follow-through.

• Promote a culture of Lean thinking by embedding standardization, visual management, daily management, Kaizen, and PSR into regional quality processes.

• Drive simplification and harmonization of quality processes across MENAT to reduce variation, improve responsiveness, and increase process maturity.

Project & Operational Quality

• Own quality performance across the regional project and service execution lifecycle.

• Ensure effective deployment of quality controls, quality gates, control plans, risk reviews, and lessons learned throughout project execution.

• Lead robust management of non-conformances, PSR, root cause analysis, and corrective/preventive actions to ensure timely closure and sustainable improvements.

• Improve process flow and execution consistency by standardizing key quality deliverables, handoff points, and escalation practices across the region.

Integration Facilities Quality Initiatives

• Lead the quality strategy and improvement roadmap for regional Integration Facilities, ensuring robust process control, standardization, and right-first-time panel, cubicle, and system integration.

• Drive preventive quality initiatives across Integration Facilities to reduce wiring defects, configuration errors, missing documentation, testing escapes, rework, and late-stage nonconformances.

• Improve traceability, defect capture, and feedback loops between Engineering, Sourcing, Integration Facilities, and Project teams to ensure recurring issues are addressed at the root cause.

• Lead Kaizen initiatives within Integration Facilities to improve workstation discipline, material flow, standard work adherence, visual management, and first-pass yield.

• Drive PSR and root cause rigor for major defects and repeat issues originating in Integration Facilities, ensuring sustainable corrective and preventive actions.

Customer Quality & Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the regional quality leader for critical customer issues and escalations, ensuring strong ownership, transparent communication, and timely resolution.

• Partner with commercial, project, and service teams to strengthen customer confidence and improve customer quality experience across the MENAT region.

• Lead customer issue resolution processes with strong discipline around containment, PSR, root cause analysis, corrective actions, verification of effectiveness, and prevention of recurrence.

• Use customer feedback, complaints, warranty trends, commissioning findings, and field issue data to identify systemic gaps and prioritize Kaizen and Lean improvement actions, especially where issues originate in Integration Facilities.

Quality Management System, Compliance & Lean Operating Rhythm

• Ensure consistent deployment and compliance of the Quality Management System (QMS), business processes, and applicable regional and regulatory requirements across MENAT.

• Support internal and external audits, customer inspections, and compliance reviews, ensuring readiness, rapid response, and timely closure of findings.

• Drive standardization of quality tools, reporting, leader standard work, and governance practices across projects, Integration Facilities, and operations in the region.

• Establish Lean management rhythms including daily management, KPI reviews, operating cadences, PSR forums, Kaizen events, problem-solving reviews, and action tracking to sustain quality improvements.

Data, KPIs & Continuous Improvement

• Define and monitor key regional quality metrics such as NCR trend and aging, COPQ, defect leakage, first-time quality, test failure trends, audit findings, customer complaints, warranty trends, process adherence, and corrective action closure effectiveness.

• Track Integration Facility-specific KPIs such as first-pass yield, rework rate, wiring defects, documentation errors, test escapes, punch list closure, and on-time release quality.

• Use data analytics and visual management to identify systemic issues, separate signal from noise, and prioritize the highest-impact quality and Lean initiatives.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean and structured problem-solving methodologies such as Kaizen, 5 Why, Ishikawa, PSR, Kaizen, and mistake-proofing concepts.

• Track and improve process capability, cycle-time losses related to quality escapes, and recurring failure modes to improve business performance and customer outcomes.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline.

• Minimum 10 years of proven experience in Quality, Project Quality, Operational Quality, Manufacturing Quality, or a related function within Grid Automation, Power Systems, Electrification, or Power Generation.

• Demonstrated experience leading quality improvement initiatives across project execution, services, manufacturing, engineering, or customer quality environments.

• Strong knowledge of Quality Management Systems and practical experience applying quality tools and methodologies in a business environment.

• Demonstrated Lean experience, including use of standard work, daily management, visual management, Kaizen, PSR, and structured problem-solving in operational settings.

• Proven expertise in root cause analysis and problem-solving methodologies such as PSR, 5 Why, and Ishikawa.

• Strong communication skills in English, both written and verbal.

• This role requires around 30-40% travel within the region.

Desired Characteristics

• Experience with Integration Facility, panel build, system assembly, factory test, or related operational quality environments is strongly preferred.

• Strong understanding of project execution quality, field quality, supplier quality, and Integration Facility quality in complex regional environments.

• Familiarity with Lean operating methods such as daily management, Kaizen, PSR, process mapping, and visual performance management.

• Demonstrated ability to lead change, influence across functions, and drive accountability in a matrixed organization.

• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with customers and senior business leaders.

• Systems thinker with the ability to understand how process variation impacts the full project and customer value stream.

Additional Information