Director, Quality & Safety Assurance

Job Title: Director, Quality & Safety Assurance

Location: Brampton, ON (Hybrid)
    
Estimated Duration: Fulltime

Director, Quality & Safety Assurance

The Director of Quality & Safety Assurance is responsible for ensuring the integrity, compliance, and reliability of all products and processes within the division. This role oversees quality, product assurance, and safety-related activities, while also collaborating with other assurance leaders across the business to align strategies and share best practices.

The position establishes a comprehensive assurance approach aimed at preventing failures and protecting program outcomes. By applying a full life-cycle engineering mindset, the Director ensures early identification and resolution of risks in design, production, testing, and operations. They lead assurance teams dedicated to verifying that products consistently meet performance, customer, and regulatory requirements, while also maintaining and advancing the organization’s Quality Management System.

Core Responsibilities

Quality & Safety Assurance Planning

• Direct Quality & Assurance Managers in building and executing product and program assurance plans.

• Embed preventative requirements for:

• System and process reliability

• Configuration and change management

• Product and data security

• Materials, components, and specialized processes

• Supplier and parts quality

• Inspection, review, and audit checkpoints

• Product safety evaluations and risk analysis

• Software quality and reliability reviews

• Translate customer, regulatory, and industry standards into risk-based assurance requirements tailored to each program.

• Partner with engineering, operations, and the supply chain to drive successful program execution and readiness.

• Create a culture of early risk identification and proactive mitigation.

• Support business development teams to ensure assurance requirements are factored into proposals.

  Execution of Assurance Activities

• Establish, verify, and oversee assurance requirements in all products and programs.

• Perform independent reviews to strengthen early detection and resolution of risks.

• Guide program teams in developing mitigation strategies or alternative solutions.

• Drive corrective and preventative actions to avoid product nonconformance.

Quality Management

• Maintain and improve a cost-effective Quality Management System aligned with external standards (AS9100, ISO 9001).

• Monitor compliance through audits, inspections, and system reviews.

• Lead internal audits and support external regulatory or customer audits.

• Oversee a Workmanship Certification program and promote continuous improvement across assurance functions.

• Document best practices and implement process improvements to strengthen competitiveness.

• Collaborate with Operational Excellence initiatives to embed best practices across the organization.

Product Safety & Security Oversight

• Lead teams specializing in safety, reliability, and product security to validate that design and development activities account for product safety and compliance.

People & Leadership

• Build and manage departmental budgets, staffing plans, and organizational infrastructure to ensure a highly skilled Quality & Safety Assurance team.

• Oversee recruitment, training, and professional development to align with both organizational and individual goals.

• Coach managers and staff to support growth, accountability, and performance.

• Serve as the primary contact for customer representatives on quality and safety matters, maintaining strong relationships and customer trust.

• Provide direction to suppliers and subcontractors on assurance expectations.

Requirements

• At least 12 years of experience in relevant technical and assurance-related fields.

• Minimum of 8 years in a leadership role.

• Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

• Proficiency in budgeting and planning.

• Knowledge in:

• System reliability and safety engineering

• Configuration management

• Product and data security

• Specialized processes and material assurance

• Supplier and component quality

• Safety and risk analysis

• Software quality assurance

Working knowledge of ISO 9001, AS9100, and other industry standards.

Ability to obtain and maintain security clearance (Reliability status) and meet Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR requirements.