Quality Engineering Manager
CaptiveAire · West Union, IA
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Quality
- Degree
- Required
- Experience asked
- 40+ years
- Industry
- Industrial
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management quality role at CaptiveAire (industrial) in West Union, IA. Schedule, perform and analyze quality audits and product reviews.
- They ask for
- 40+ years · degree required
- Tools it names
- Lean, Kaizen, Root cause
- Day to day
- some off-shift / weekend coverage · relocation help
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in Iowa: typical posted base $88k–$112k.
Median of the low and high ends of 3 live postings that list pay, out of 9 quality engineer openings in Iowa, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
Iowa plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 8 other live quality postings in Iowa.
- Experience asked
- More than usual (40+ vs 5+)
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- ✓ Lean 44%
- FDA / GMP 33%
- Six Sigma 22%
- GD&T 22%
- AS9100 22%
- Supplier quality 22%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at CaptiveAire
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- How does off-shift and weekend coverage work?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: CaptiveAire in West Union
4 other open roles at this site.
- Industrial Engineer · Industrial
- Continuous Improvement Quality Engineer · Lean / CI
- Plant Process Engineer · Process
- Quality Engineer · Quality
Full description from CaptiveAireAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
Position Summary
The Quality Manager position at our West Union, IA manufacturing facility leads plant-wide quality initiatives by ensuring products meet established standards, driving continuous improvement, overseeing quality personnel and processes, and proactively addressing internal and external quality issues to exceed customer expectations.
Why Work for CaptiveAire?
- ◆Nation’s leading manufacturer of commercial kitchen ventilation systems, and now offering a complete solution of fans, heaters, ductwork and HVAC equipment. Our primary purpose is to provide fully integrated, sustainable HVAC Systems.
- ◆Leader in the industry for over 40 years with innovative technologies, unmatched service, competitive pricing, and rapid lead times.
- ◆Mission: to provide the highest quality products and service to our users at the lowest possible price
- ◆Strong commitment to the development of our employees, including continuous education opportunities like sponsorship for Professional Engineering license and continuous education through weekly webinars and company developed technical videos
Responsibilities
- ◆Ensure internal and external quality exceeds customers’ expectations
- ◆Instill a quality-minded culture in all staff with focus on continuous improvements and Kaizen (small change for the better)
- ◆Oversee the analysis of all internal and external quality issues for their facility to help identify and improve shortfalls
- ◆Develop and implement QA/QC procedures to mitigate and prevent issues from occurring
- ◆Investigate plant quality issues and ensure corrective actions are being implemented for any internal or external quality issue
- ◆Verify products are built to standards set by R&D and as detailed in work instructions
- ◆Oversee and manage all Quality engineers (QEs), Product Quality inspectors and Quality Techs (QTechs) (approving PTO, assigning bonus points based on defined metrics, maintain adequate staffing, etc.)
- ◆Assist QEs and QTechs with issues that cannot be resolved through standard mean
- ◆Schedule and arrange quality training for new employees and annual re-training for existing employees
- ◆Schedule, perform and analyze quality audits and product reviews
- ◆Manage Engineering Change Notice (ECN) rollout to plant lines and ensure they are properly implemented
- ◆Implement Process Change Instructions (PCIs), Supplier Non-Conformance Reports (SNCRs), Deviation Requests (DRs) and enforce Key Quality Points (KQPs) within the plant
- ◆Audit and provide feedback to industrial engineering group on work instructions for continuous improvement
- ◆Reports to Director of Quality
Qualifications
- ✓2-10 yrs experience in a quality or manufacturing environment
- ✓4-year technical degree in mechanical or quality-oriented curriculum
- ✓Exceptional at root cause analysis, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills to review systems, find flaws and pose solutions to those flaws
- ✓Familiarity with lean management and continuous improvement methodology
- ✓Ability to hold others accountable and execute projects in a timely manner
- ✓Capable of visualizing and implementing new projects across the entire facility
- ✓Multi-tasking, problem solving and strong communication skills
- ✓Ability to operate while maintaining deadlines and meeting standards
- ✓Strong desire to please the customer with perfect product quality while maintaining a safe work environment
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
What our employees have to say
I love the mindset of continuous learning and pushing the bounds of your capabilities and knowledge. I love the people I work with and the environment, particularly in a world where remote work is common. I love how Captiveaire is all about connections, with customers, coworkers, end users, and everyone in between.
Knowing that the company truly has an owner and leadership team that cares for the employees. At CaptiveAire each employee is more than a number, they are a valued member of a growing and diverse team. The open-door policy at CaptiveAire means that no matter who you are in the company that leadership is open to hear your comments and concerns. This means that your ideas are heard. Not once in my time here at CaptiveAire have I felt like I was anything less than an asset to this company and a valued member of the team
We want to stay on the cutting edge and so are constantly sourcing and utilizing the best equipment available. Any position can provide feedback that is listened to and incorporated into processes. Collaboration is key at CaptiveAire and so there is no being “Silo-ed” into one area.
CaptiveAire is fast-moving and no-nonsense. We operate differently than any other company that I've worked for with our decentralized structure. Quick action is taken when a good idea is presented. We are focused on end users where the rest of the industry is very short-sighted. We are on the front lines, actively changing the landscape of the HVAC industry.
Learn more about CaptiveAire and our products here
Primary Job
Benefits
- •Medical, dental and vision insurance
- •Disability & life insurance based upon election of medical insurance
- •401k with employer match
- •Paid holidays
- •Paid time off (PTO) based upon tenure
- •Flexible spending account (FSA)
- •Tuition reimbursement, including for Professional Engineering (PE) License
- •Relocation assistance
Benefits
- •Medical, dental and vision insurance
- •Disability & life insurance based upon election of medical insurance
- •401k with employer match
- •Paid holidays
- •Paid time off (PTO) based upon tenure
- •Flexible spending account (FSA)
- •Tuition reimbursement, including for Professional Engineering (PE) License
- •Relocation assistance
Salary
Competitive base salary with additional monthly bonus based on productivity and profits.