The Global Quality Management function is responsible for establishing the WWW quality management strategy, driving improvements, building key metrics, and managing both the internal and external stakeholder communications on all quality related topics. This function works side by side with the Global Product Operations team to make sure that all product specs, performance needs, and finished product are manufactured on par with brand performance expectations and eliminate possible issues/defects. This function provides strategic direction to the future of quality at WWW with a lens towards empowering factories with clear accountability and measurables, digitizing quality management systems, generating real time onsite quality reporting, and holding our partners accountable for quality and guiding the factory groups to excel in Wolverine quality. On the execution front, this function is responsible for delivering shoes that meet the brand expectations by working on a hands-on approach in the factories and leading a localized team into the future of quality
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Direct responsibility for quality management at the factory level ensuring all shipments meet brand specifications, technical details are embedded into standard operating processes (SOP's) into product, and factories comply with WWW production and technical requirements.
- Execute WWW's quality assurance across all factories from product commercialization (T1-T4 stage) incoming material test and control, production quality control, inline quality control, critical-to-quality process, AQL Inspection and claim root-cause cause investigation and corrective action improvement implementation.
- Participate in communication with brands on Quality related topics, issue valid and sustainable resolutions in a timely manner, and manage quality claims with close collaboration with the Product Integrity and Production Operations teams.
- Drive and execute Quality continuous improvement activities internally and externally with factory partners.
- Implement, train, coach and evaluate including Certified Factory Auditor (CFA), Consequences Model, Digitalization of Quality inspection and activities, Factory and Supplier audits, communication, and training roll-out, brand updates and sustainable corrective-action plan and improvement.
- Participate and contribute product technical, quality process and manufacturing inputs and knowledge during Tear-down meetings in development phase, commercialization, pilot run validation, and manufacturing scaling phases to ensure a successful implementation of new pattern/models, projects and systems and quality process enhancements.
- Partner with technical inputs and expertise with materials teams to ensure quality mindset is carried through material supply base and jointly solve quality challenges on the materials supplier front.
- Digitize quality management metrics with improved ownership of digital tools and rely less on manual ways to track quality in real time.
- Provide learnings from quality issues on the back end up through Product Operations / Development to have a Closed Loop of learning to ensure that issues are resolved, changed, and implemented at the front end of Product Creation.
- Support the social compliance program to ensure only factories that meet WWW standards are utilized and those that improve are recognized on a quarterly basis.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED
- A Minimum of 8 years of in footwear function in both manufacturing factories and brands including functions development, commercialization, tech, quality and production management
- Experienced in overall footwear manufacturing from design to manufacturing which includes knowledge of materials, components, construction, patterns, outsoles and lasts.
- Highly focused and a clear communicator, able to work closely and communicate effectively with factories globally. Superb communication skills and effectively share information as required ensuring manufacturing strategies are well implemented.
- Ability to build partnerships across departments and direct teams as well as to work closely across functional areas.
- Strong Understanding of quality 6-sigma concept and tools, Lean principles, quality beset-practices, smart jigs & tools and manufacturing automation and innovation, and factory efficiencies as well as a vision to guide teams to achieve this with factory partner buy-in.
KEY COMPETENCIES:
- Strong and solid foundation on footwear technical knowledge of development, commercialization, manufacturing and quality.
- Energizes and inspires employees with a sense of purpose and direction when executing the functional strategy
- Effective interpersonal and communication skills, ability to lead and manage a team across multiple locations.
- Understands the implications of various risks brought by the changes ahead, implement actions to manage those risks.
- Be a role model to consistently display ethical leadership, integrity, open communication, effective collaboration to demonstrate all organizational values are upheld.
- Be inclusive and actively engage team members with different backgrounds and preferences.
- Digitally adept to various presentation tools, virtual meeting soft-wear and MS Office tools.
- Familiarity with creation and editing of manuals, SOPs, Policies including English written quality, engineering and technical documentation, memo and guidelines.
WORKING CONDITIONS
Frequently travel and commute to factory base and working in factory's manufacturing premises and environment. Some domestic and overseas travel may be required.
