The posting
You may not know our name, but you know our products. What we make is part the places where we live, work and play – all day, everyday.
Zekelman is a family of companies — 100% domestic manufacturers — with a legacy dating back to 1877. We’re proud to be the largest independent steel pipe and tube manufacturer in North America and the leading innovator in multi-family housing development.
We believe in what we build and what we build, builds the world around us. Hospitals, hotels, schools, bridges, airports and more.
Come build a career you believe in.
As Senior Director of Quality at Z Modular, a division of Zekelman Industries, you will establish and lead an independent enterprise Quality organization and Quality Management System across modular manufacturing and construction-related operations. This role sets the strategy, governance, standards, and performance expectations that connect Quality across the full lifecycle, from design and procurement through manufacturing, project delivery, commissioning, turnover, warranty, and asset acceptance.
You will initially lead the Killeen and Chandler plant Quality organizations, assess current people, processes, technology, and controls, and define the future enterprise Quality model. You will partner closely with executive, operational, engineering, supply chain, construction, commissioning, and asset management leaders while maintaining clear, independent Quality authority.
This is a full-time, location-based role near Austin/Killeen, Texas or Phoenix/Chandler, Arizona, requiring 80% or more presence at a Z Modular location. Regular travel between manufacturing facilities and periodic travel to project sites, suppliers, customers, and other business locations is required.
This role is ideal for a practical, experienced manufacturing Quality leader who can build scalable systems, strengthen accountability, influence across functions, and translate complex quality requirements into disciplined operating practices without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. What You’ll Do Enterprise Quality Leadership
- Develop and lead the enterprise Quality strategy, policy direction, objectives, standards architecture, governance model, and maturity roadmap.
- Advise executive leadership on Quality risk, customer and regulatory exposure, organization capability, technology needs, and investment priorities.
- Build a culture in which quality is owned at the source, verified objectively, and improved systematically.
- Lead the enterprise Quality organization and establish clear accountability, role boundaries, development expectations, and succession depth.
- Establish the enterprise approach for Field QA/QC, including project Quality planning, inspection and test requirements, quality gates, acceptance criteria, nonconformance management, commissioning and turnover readiness, and field-to-manufacturing feedback.
- Evaluate the future Field/Project Quality organization and determine the resources, qualifications, reporting relationships, and project-specific capabilities required as Z Modular expands third-party work.
Quality Management System and Assurance
- Establish the direction and minimum requirements for the enterprise Quality Management System, including controlled documentation, records, training governance, audits, management review, nonconformance, CAPA, root cause, change control, and effectiveness verification.
- Lead ISO 9001 alignment and certification-readiness decisions based on business need, customer expectations, and organizational maturity.
- Approve the audit and assurance strategy, review systemic trends and significant findings, and ensure corrective actions address causes and prevent recurrence.
- Define enterprise Quality metrics, calculation principles, thresholds, and reporting expectations; validate data quality before setting performance targets.
Manufacturing and Lifecycle Quality
- Provide leadership oversight to the Killeen and Chandler Manufacturing Quality teams during the transition and establish consistent expectations for inspections, tests, nonconformance, records, release, and escalation.
- Partner with Design & Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Construction, Commissioning, Turnover, and Asset Management to define lifecycle controls and handoff requirements.
- Establish a risk-based approach to supplier, product, process, field, commissioning, turnover, and warranty Quality.
- Ensure customer, contract, code, regulatory, and technical requirements are translated into practical quality plans, inspection and test requirements, evidence, and acceptance criteria.
Organization and Capability Building
- Assess existing Quality roles, capabilities, workloads, and reporting relationships before finalizing the organization.
- Validate and fill the required Director, Quality Integration & Continuous Improvement role to lead cross-functional integration, plant Quality operations, process improvement, and lessons learned.
- Confirm the scope, timing, and staffing for the Manager, Quality Systems & Assurance capability and any future field, supplier, project, audit, data, or specialist roles.
- Coach Quality leaders and functional partners to strengthen technical judgment, independence, collaboration, and accountability.
Decision Rights, Risk, and External Relationships
- Establish and maintain defined authority for Quality holds, releases, conditional releases, deviations, waivers, audit escalation, and significant nonconformance.
- Preserve technical approval authority with the appropriate engineering or operational owner while ensuring Quality requirements, evidence, and risk approvals are complete.
- Serve as the senior Quality contact for customers, auditors, regulators, third-party inspection agencies, suppliers, and other external stakeholders.
- Escalate significant regulatory, customer, structural, life-safety, product integrity, or systemic Quality risks to the appropriate executive level.
Technology and Continuous Improvement
- Evaluate current Quality technology, data flows, module/product traceability, records, dashboards, and integration needs before selecting or expanding solutions.
- Define business and governance requirements for Quality systems; partner with Enterprise Business Enablement and Information Technology on workflow, reporting, integration, automation, and adoption.
- Drive improvements that reduce defects, rework, scrap, field corrections, warranty recurrence, delays, and other costs of poor quality.
- Ensure lessons learned result in updated standards, training, design rules, supplier controls, work instructions, and verification practices.
Who You Are
- Ten or more years of progressive Quality leadership experience, including substantial experience in complex manufacturing environments.
- Demonstrated success building, transforming, or materially improving a Quality organization or Quality Management System, rather than only maintaining an established program.
- Experience leading multi-site or cross-functional Quality teams and partnering with engineering, operations, supply chain, field, customer, and executive stakeholders.
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality Management, Manufacturing, Operations, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant experience may be considered.
- Hands-on knowledge of ISO 9001 principles, implementation or certification readiness, internal and external audits, management review, controlled documentation, nonconformance, CAPA, root cause, and Quality metrics.
- Experience with manufacturing Quality, supplier Quality, inspection and testing, product release, warranty and recurrence analysis, and continuous improvement.
- Ability to establish independent Quality authority while maintaining productive relationships with operational and technical teams.
- Strong organizational design, people leadership, coaching, influence, change management, executive communication, analytical, and evidence-based decision-making skills.
- Experience in automotive, industrial equipment, electrical equipment, building products, off-site manufacturing, modular construction, mission-critical projects, or another disciplined production environment preferred.
- ISO 9001 auditor or implementation training, ASQ credentials, Lean or Six Sigma certification, or relevant construction, welding, inspection, electrical, manufacturing, or regulatory credentials preferred.
- Ability to work regularly in manufacturing, office, supplier, and active job-site environments and use required personal protective equipment.
- Eligible to work in the United States.
What You’ll Get
Zekelman Industries offers competitive compensation and excellent benefits, including low-cost, high-quality medical and dental benefits. In addition, we have an amazing tuition assistance program, a bonus plan, a 401(k) plan with a generous company match, loyalty awards, and much more:
- Competitive Compensation
- Bonus Plan & Profit-Sharing Opportunities
- 401(k) with Company Match
- Comprehensive Health, Dental & Vision Insurance
- Tuition Assistance Program
- Paid Vacation & Holidays
- Employee Loyalty Awards
Zekelman Industries offers competitive compensation and excellent benefits, including low-cost, high-quality medical and dental benefits. In addition, we have an amazing tuition assistance program, a bonus plan, a 401(k) plan with a generous company match, immediate vesting, and much more.
M/F/D/V
We are Zekelman Industries.
We manufacture superior quality tubular and related products, and provide outstanding service for our valued customers.
We seek to continuously advance the skills and opportunities of our employees, utilizing the latest technology and management tools available to consistently increase profitability and the enterprise value of Zekelman Industries and of our customers.
