RDC Quality Assurance Operations Supervisor
15 days ago
Lathrop
Job DescriptionShape Quality from Dock to Door at Ashley Furniture Picture your morning walk-through at our Retail Distribution Center (RDC): you stop at prep lanes to trace a recurring damage trend, huddle with auditors on a new inspection protocol, and jump into a quick call with manufacturing to align on a corrective action. By afternoon, you’re reviewing dashboards, coaching a team member through a root cause analysis, and rolling out a small but mighty process change that prevents the next defect. That’s a day in the life of our Quality Assurance leader. Schedule Hours vary weekly. Expect two Saturdays per month. Monday–Friday start times will vary (5am, 8am, 9am, or 11am) and shifts are 8 hours. What You’ll Lead Quality Assurance & Issue Resolution • Guide and assist your team in troubleshooting, investigations, and audits of product and material quality concerns., • Escalate and communicate issues to production, warehouse, and engineering leadership to drive rapid fixes., • Analyze problems and recommend targeted solutions that protect product integrity and throughput., • Use data to balance quality outcomes with operational efficiency., • Complete root cause analysis on repetitive damage trends uncovered in prep lanes or elsewhere in the facility., • Propose corrective actions to management based on investigation findings.Quality Monitoring & Reporting, • Audit and track daily/weekly performance, highlighting process variation and product opportunities in clear reports., • Capture repair data from the shop and prep lanes and maintain records in the appropriate systems., • Mine data to spot recurring furniture defects and share insights via Continuous Improvement communication tools., • Log all return details and analyze for repeat drivers., • Summarize emerging quality trends and advise quality, warehouse, and manufacturing leaders on improvements.Cross-Functional Collaboration, • Partner with manufacturing and Retail Warehouse leaders to close gaps in process and product quality., • Foster strong, collaborative relationships across RDC management teams., • Co-develop, test, and deploy quality initiatives with warehouse partners., • Coordinate reviews for all new floor introductions to surface assembly, handling/storage, repair material, delivery, and product risks., • Report opportunities to the right stakeholders and build or facilitate training when needed.Audit Management & Training, • Train, direct, and oversee quality auditors on priorities and day-to-day tasks., • Create and manage audit standards and communication rhythms., • Perform routine audits to verify adherence to standard operating procedures., • Investigate product returns to pinpoint damage causes., • Teach and mentor warehouse employees on the return-investigation workflow.Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization, • Spot opportunities and lead initiatives that streamline processes., • Stand up and guide process improvement teams as required., • Analyze service claims for repeat reasons; share findings and recommendations with manufacturing and quality leadership., • Assess replacement part requests for patterns and determine the root cause., • Identify products with persistent delivery failures and recommend removal from the sales floor when appropriate.Compliance & Safety, • Partner with RDC leadership to ensure compliance to established procedures., • Escalate non-compliance promptly., • Keep departmental equipment safe and in proper working order., • Promote a safe workplace by enforcing PPE and safety standards., • Support the Superintendent/Manager in elevating production control, SOPs, safety, quality control, and performance systems.Team Leadership & Employee Development, • Make or recommend employment decisions including hiring, improvements plans, transfers, promotions, corrective actions, terminations, and pay changes., • Organize and direct auditor workload to achieve departmental goals., • Coach performance, mentor growth, and conduct reviews., • Plan and deliver training and skill-building., • Maintain accurate timekeeping and attendance records., • Communicate goals and updates through weekly team meetings, 1:1s, coaching, training, and company learning opportunities., • Champion career development.Resource Management, • Allocate equipment, space, talent, methods, and materials to maximize results., • Ensure tools, equipment, and materials are available to support quality operations.Qualifications Education, • High school diploma or equivalent required., • Associate or Bachelor’s in Quality Management, Business, Supply Chain, or a related field preferred.Experience, • 3–5 years in quality assurance/quality control or related roles within manufacturing, distribution, or logistics., • At least 2 years leading or supervising others., • Background in furniture, retail distribution, or warehouse operations is a plus., • Hands-on with quality management systems and databases., • Strong analytics and reporting (Excel, Power BI, or equivalent)., • Familiar with Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen principles., • Working knowledge of quality control standards and inspection methods., • Skilled coach and mentor., • Clear written and verbal communicator., • Comfort presenting insights and recommendations to leaders., • Collaborative and relationship-oriented across functions., • Expert in root cause analysis., • Data-driven, critical thinker., • Continuous improvement mindset., • Knowledge of OSHA and PPE best practices., • Understands warehouse safety standards. Ready to grow? You’ve come to the right place. Ashley Furniture has a “Growth Mindset”, and once you join our team, you’ll learn from the best in the business. Apply today and find your home at Ashley! Our Core Values Honesty & Integrity • Without hesitation, uses candor and is direct in communication, • Is tough-minded in working in and meeting the demands of reality, • Enjoys working hard and pursues work with energy, drive, and willpower to finish, • Is disciplined in developing consistency into work processes, • Fights to take costs and waste out of the system, • Seeks to understand "why" something works the way it does, and through study and improvement determines how to better all processes and systems, • Does not rely on reports to run the business, but rather goes to the work that is being done and sees if the work is being done right for him/herself, • Has an insatiable curiosity and takes a "Go and See" approach to understand the current state of the business and the competitive realities, • Understands the customer’s needs and wants, then challenges current ways of doing business that inhibits growth and organizes work to meet those needs, • Is competitive by studying the competition and is aggressive in looking for ways to beat them Corporate Social Responsibility You Should Be Proficient In • Quality Inspection Experience, • Data Analysis and Manipulation, • Quality Control Experience, • Microsoft Excel