Quality Systems Testing Equipment and Calibration Manager

Job Description

The Quality Systems Testing Equipment and Calibration Manager is a working manager role responsible for both leading and personally executing the maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibration, and continuous improvement of quality testing equipment across mill operations.

This position requires a high degree of mechanical aptitude and direct, hands-on involvement with complex mechanical, electro-mechanical, and instrumentation-based testing systems. Unlike a purely administrative management role, this position spends a significant portion of time in the field actively diagnosing equipment failures, performing mechanical repairs, validating test accuracy, and restoring equipment to service.

The role partners closely with mill quality, operations, maintenance, and engineering teams to ensure testing equipment reliability, compliance with audit and certification requirements, and uninterrupted support to production. The manager leads calibration and testing strategy while setting technical standards through personal execution, coaching, and mentoring of mill personnel.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a hands-on working manager and primary technical authority for testing and calibration equipment
• Personally troubleshoot, diagnose, repair, and restore mechanical, electro-mechanical, and instrumentation-based test equipment
• Execute and maintain calibration and preventive maintenance programs in compliance with ISO, TAPPI, and internal standards
• Verify equipment performance and accuracy following repair or calibration
• Lead root cause analysis of equipment failures and implement permanent corrective actions
• Manage critical spares, reduce vendor dependency, and support capital equipment planning and procurement
• Provide hands-on training, coaching, and technical guidance to mill personnel
• Support audits through demonstrated equipment compliance and calibration traceability

Key Characteristics and Attributes

• Strong hands-on mechanical aptitude with industrial equipment repair experience
• Comfort working directly on equipment in mill and industrial environments
• Ability to balance field execution with leadership responsibilities
• Strong analytical and root-cause problem-solving capability
• Technical credibility that drives leadership effectiveness
• Clear communicator with strong organizational skills

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical discipline, or a minimum of 12 years of equivalent industrial experience.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience maintaining, troubleshooting, repairing, and calibrating industrial testing equipment is mandatory.
• Experience with quality management systems, ISO standards, and audit requirements is required.
• Travel to mill locations is required and averages approximately 60%.
• Physical ability to work directly on equipment in industrial environments is essential.