Hiring someone to run a quality department.

[broke]

Right now we are so slammed that my best customers have agreed to do only incoming inspection on most of our projects to keep my staff producing. We have a near zero NC rate which is what has allowed us to get such favorable terms. As we grow I need to bring everything under our roof.

I have a nice quality room set up equipped with a late model CMM with articulating head and all the other equipment necessary to check a variety of projects. Climate controlled and comfortable. Very interesting work with great models and prints available. I think it would be heaven for the right person.

The trouble I have is I don't really know what to advertise. I need someone who can be the authority on GD&T, CMM programming, reporting and documentation, inspection scheduling and basically run every step of the way. We are not ISO anything, but might attempt that in the next few years. In my mind this person would be important to help implement that. Could pay up to 6 figures if all the boxes are met. What position am I trying to fill here? There are so many jobs out there that have "quality" and "inspection" in the name but none of them seem to be what I am looking for.

 

[ttrager]

Given you have no one at the moment, and considering the broad set of responsibilities you want the person to shoulder (skills and experience), I would suggest starting with "Quality Manager" or perhaps "Quality Assurance Manager", although I'd be inclined to just stick with "Quality Manager".

Another possibility might be "Quality Supervisor".

An "Inspector" very often is a low/entry level position. You'd get a whole lot of applicants that don't know a thing about CMM programming, scheduling and planning, organizing and analysis, etc.

How big are you (# of employees), and what is the monthly volume of parts/jobs coming out of your shop?

 

[Buh Dunk Uh Dunk]

Should you have been preparing someone within the organization to promote?

 

[broke]

Given you have no one at the moment, and considering the broad set of responsibilities you want the person to shoulder (skills and experience), I would suggest starting with "Quality Manager" or perhaps "Quality Assurance Manager", although I'd be inclined to just stick with "Quality Manager".

Another possibility might be "Quality Supervisor".

An "Inspector" very often is a low/entry level position. You'd get a whole lot of applicants that don't know a thing about CMM programming, scheduling and planning, organizing and analysis, etc.

How big are you (# of employees), and what is the monthly volume of parts/jobs coming out of your shop?

Currently 4 on the shop floor, adding one and losing one in a year or two to retirement. I can't spare any of the guys on the floor and they were brought up from green so no formal metrology training or interest in doing the "boring" side of it.

I could do it begrudgingly but I am too important to the machining side of the business.

A typical month could have around a dozen jobs coming through. Mix of semi complex production, and very complex small lot. I could afford to give the manager an operator to help share the load once up and established.

I think you're probably right in your breakdown of what the titles would bring in. Thanks for that.

 

[broke]

Should you have been preparing someone within the organization to promote?

Small shop and I couldn't spare any of them even if they wanted to do that work, which they don't.

I want someone I can ask questions to, not have them coming to me for clarification.

 

[michiganbuck]

Quality Assurance Manager Technician with CCM experience.
might be a reasonable job description.

 

[SteveEx30]

I worked in a small shop many years back and assumed the CMM operator job along with running my other Dept.
Call me Quality Manager, Head of QC, whatever you want, but there was not enough workload to just do that.

Maybe your shop is different. Any reasonably experienced CMM operator should have an understanding of GD&T and be able to assume the job you are looking for.

My workload was a mix of Inspections of mold blocks, fixtures, checking parts on fixtures, etc...

 

[EmGo]

Besides just measuring stuff, would you want this new person to have experience with spc, six sigma, all that larger-view shop stuff ? Or should he/she just stay in their cage and measure parts ? (I do know a lady who would be pretty good but she's in nawth cahlina).

 

[Buh Dunk Uh Dunk]

Small shop and I couldn't spare any of them even if they wanted to do that work, which they don't.

I want someone I can ask questions to, not have them coming to me for clarification.

Hope it works out. Sounds (to me) like you're applying big corp strategy rather than using small biz methods.

 

[artengineering]

I agree with Quality Manager with CMM expereince. I was taught you are your own QC as a machinist but that was manual days, everyone now that "operates" a CNC thinks the machine does everything right so hard to take people from the floor.
The paperwork, FIA's, keeping up with metrology equipment certs, etc all fits under that window I think. If you are looking for more of critical thinker with someone who may be able to implement a quality system since it sounds like you don't really have one yet you may put "Quality Manager/ Quality Engineer"

 

[broke]

Hope it works out. Sounds (to me) like you're applying big corp strategy rather than using small biz methods.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. Are you referring to small business where the training is niche specific?

Over the past 4 years, really accelerating over the past 2, our scope of work has become much more complex and involved. We are really good at the making but depend on the customer to inspect and certify. It has exposed a gap in the current workforce skillset that needs to be filled. I want to branch out to new markets that won't be willing to talk to us if we don't have our own robust inspection and reporting program.

 

[Buh Dunk Uh Dunk]

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. Are you referring to small business where the training is niche specific?

I'm saying that big corporations with deep, deep pockets and reputations for longevity tend to hire folks with significant experience, proven high competence. Small business who can't compete head-to-head with those pockets and reputation tend to bring people up, leveraging the intimate environment to find diamonds in the rough.

It's dangerous for small business to bring people in off the street, unknown quantities.

 

[EmGo]

It's dangerous for small business to bring people in off the street, unknown quantities.

Ja but it looks like he could really use some expertise in that area. Kinda like I should have hired a boss, several times. Would have saved me a lot of grief having someone around who knew what they were doing.

 

[ttrager]

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying here. Are you referring to small business where the training is niche specific?

Over the past 4 years, really accelerating over the past 2, our scope of work has become much more complex and involved. We are really good at the making but depend on the customer to inspect and certify. It has exposed a gap in the current workforce skillset that needs to be filled. I want to branch out to new markets that won't be willing to talk to us if we don't have our own robust inspection and reporting program.

This sounds very much like where I'm at now. I used to be a Project Manager in critical IT systems deployment, had a crisis of faith and leapt off a tall cliff into a completely different industry. Manufacturing & Quality. Started as an unskilled CNC operator, moved into Quality by leveraging cross over skills from my prior profession, then into a Quality Manager position where I'm at now, ISO 9001 Certified. I run the audits, the Quality System, Corrective Actions, etc.

This company went ISO and with hiring their first Qual Mgr for the very same reasons you've stated. ISO isn't the royal pain many think it is, provided you pay attention to the basics and keep it lean. That's one of the secrets (IMO) to people who understand how to implement a certified quality system and those who don't and simply believe it's nothing but paper pushing for no reason. They end up creating what they were afraid of in the first place.

As to the idea of using "big Corp strategy rather than small biz methods", I'm not convinced of that. Just pay attention and only do those things that benefit your operations, no matter your company size, and no more.

 

[michiganbuck]

The word Technician implies the worker might have to do some work, not just being the boss for the department.
I would post a chart of print symboles, so any this Technician dosen't know can be looed up.