DIRECTOR OF QUALITY- Onsite

Director of Quality

Department: Quality Division: Operations 

At Daniel Defense, Only the Best Build the Best… 

Daniel Defense engineers and manufactures the world’s finest weapon systems and accessories. Our mission to Honor God. Defend Freedom is accomplished by serving customers and providing top quality solutions to our military, law enforcement and civilians that are seeking premium firearms for home defense, hunting, and sport shooting.

As Daniel Defense continues to scale, quality must function as a foundational operating system, enabling stable execution, disciplined processes, and predictable outcomes. We are seeking a Director of Quality to lead Quality Management System (QMS) strategy as a core pillar of the Daniel Defense Excellence (DDX) operating model across Manufacturing, Shipping, Receiving, and New Product Development.

This role reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

Role Overview

As Director of Quality, you are the senior architect and steward of Daniel Defense’s Quality Management System (QMS) and a key contributor to the broader DDX operating system. Your mandate is to ensure quality is designed into processes and products, providing the stable, capable foundation upon which Continuous Improvement and transformation can succeed.

You will lead QMS strategy and governance across the full product lifecycle, serve as final authority for product release, and partner closely with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and the Transformation function to ensure compliance, risk mitigation, and scalable execution. This role emphasizes process capability, system discipline, and prevention rather than reactive inspection or short-term cost-of-poor-quality reduction.

Essential Functions:

Key Impact Areas

QMS Strategy, Governance, and DDX Integration

• Own the strategy, architecture, and governance of the Quality Management System (QMS) as a core component of the DDX operating system.
• Establish QMS as the standard framework for process discipline, risk management, and execution consistency across Manufacturing, Shipping, Receiving, and New Product Development.
• Ensure alignment between QMS standards, DDX principles, and day-to-day operational execution.
• Define quality policies, standards, and controls that enable repeatable, capable processes and long-term scalability.
• Partner with Transformation leadership to ensure improvement initiatives are built on stable, capable processes.

Process Capability and Built-In Quality

• Lead the transition from detection-based quality to prevention-based, capability-driven execution.
• Partner with Operations and Engineering to define critical-to-quality (CTQ) characteristics and ensure processes are capable, controlled, and sustained.
• Ensure disciplined use of statistical methods, process monitoring, and control plans to manage variation.
• Govern process qualification, validation, and change management to protect process integrity.
• Use scrap, rework, and cost-of-poor-quality metrics as lagging indicators of system health, not primary success measures.

New Product Development and Lifecycle Risk Management

• Partner with Engineering and New Product Development to embed quality and risk management early in design and launch processes.
• Ensure consistent application of risk-based tools (e.g., PFMEA, control planning, design reviews) aligned with DDX standards.
• Lead quality readiness for new product launches, ensuring supplier, process, and control capability prior to production release.
• Ensure disciplined lifecycle handoff from development to manufacturing with clear ownership and governance.

Audit, Compliance, and Product Release Authority

• Serve as final authority for product release and shipment, accountable for compliance with all regulatory and company standards.
• Lead internal and external audits with focus on QMS effectiveness and system maturity.
• Ensure corrective actions address root system causes and strengthen long-term capability.
• Maintain regulatory documentation and reporting required to support the quality function.

Quality Leadership and Capability Building

• Lead and develop quality managers, engineers, and technicians as system leaders and capability builders.
• Build quality capability across the organization through training, coaching, and cross-functional partnership aligned with DDX principles.
• Provide visible leadership in environmental health and safety principles.
• Establish Quality as a standard-setting, enabling function within Operations.
• Responsible for demonstrating commitment to and leadership of environmental health and safety principles, policies and procedures.

• Expected to be a contributor to the company standards on high integrity, safety, fair and equitable treatment and a positive work environment
• Provides adequate support, training and development to team members to continuously improve Safety, 6S, Quality, Delivery and Productivity.
• Other responsibilities as deemed appropriate or necessary by management.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Bachelor’s degree required or a combination of related experience, education and/or training to sufficiently and successfully perform the essential functions of the job. 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Quality Assurance or Quality Management within manufacturing environments.
• 3+ years of experience leading managers and senior professionals.
• Demonstrated experience designing, governing, and maturing Quality Management Systems and process capability.
• Experience supporting New Product Development and production launch activities strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of Lean Six Sigma required; Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification strongly preferred.
• Quality certifications such as CQA, CMQ/OE, PMP, or similar preferred.
• Deep understanding of process capability, variation reduction, risk management, and QMS design.
• Ability to align QMS strategy with DDX principles and business objectives.
• Strong audit, governance, and corrective action leadership skills.
• Effective cross-functional leader with executive presence.
• Data-driven, systems-oriented thinker.
• Demonstrated ability to work in accordance with our Company Values.

Physical Requirements:

• Must be able to lift and carry awkward items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Requires intermittent standing, walking, sitting and bending throughout the workday.
• Must be able to work in a manufacturing environment, to include working in and around machinery, exposure to noise and chemicals, lights/lasers, etc.
• Must be able to wear appropriate Personal Protection Equipment as required by your position and/or Company policy.

Daniel Defense is an EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability employer and promotes a "Drug-Free Workplace."

Note: The statements above are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by those assigned to the job. This list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel in this job. Responsibilities are subject to change at the discretion of the employer and do not establish a contract of employment – Daniel Defense is an at-will employer.