Quality Manager - Sponge Iron

Role & responsibilities

Responsible for leading and overseeing all physical and chemical quality tests on all raw materials to be consumed within the Sponge Iron Unit (SIU) and the Power Plant, as well as the Finished Goods (FG) produced from both SIU kilns, utilising relevant equipment and as per departmental procedures.

Also responsible for ensuring appropriate documentation of the same and the loading of finished goods for dispatch to customers.

Quality Lab Management

• Lead, schedule, and oversee all physical and chemical quality tests performed on raw materials (iron ore, coal, coke, dolomite, etc.) for the Sponge Iron Unit, as well as the Power Plant, and ensure appropriate documentation and reporting of the same.
• Also responsible for overseeing the execution of similar activities on the finished goods (Sponge Iron) utilising Spectrometers, Finite element method (FEM), Carbon-Strohelein Apparatus, Metallization methods and other relevant equipment and procedures.
• Oversee the execution of additional quality lab activities, such as sample collection from both kilns, cross lab quality analysis & reporting, disposable material tests and such.
• Ensure appropriate documentation of all tests performed in the SIU quality lab, and maintenance of the same in dedicated internal systems, SAP included, as per regulatory and departmental SOPs.
• Ensure the proper maintenance and calibration of all lab equipment and machinery, as well as appropriate stocks of the chemicals consumed for quality tests.
• Validate maintenance requests for lab equipment, and purchase requisitions for required chemicals to Purchase department, as and how they are raised.

Material Handling

• Physically verify the receipt of raw materials and validate associated documentation.
• Also physically verify the receipt of other materials procured from Store, as and how required.
• Oversee accurate quality grade labelling of finished goods as well as the interim storage and eventual allocation of the same for dispatch orders.
• Oversee the adherence to BIS and other regulatory compliances while testing finished goods and assigning quality grade to the same.
• Monitor the dispatch process and ensure appropriate/ necessary documentation (quality certificates, purchase orders, etc.) are provided along with each dispatched order.

General Administration

• Prepare, maintain, and appropriately execute shift schedules and ensure appropriate manpower availability at all times for uninterrupted quality testing of SIU materials.
• Prepare and submit daily manpower utilization reports to relevant stakeholders.
• Oversee the shift-wise data entry and documentation of all quality tests performed and their results.
• Collate shift-wise quality tests data sets to prepare daily QC reports to be shared and analysed at daily review meetings (DRMs).
• Represent SIU Quality lab at CRM, TOCs, MAT, and SCM events and present the same data sets for further analysis, as required.
• Ensure all quality lab workforce always adheres to safety and regulatory compliances, SOPs, and procedures, and perform SOP defined activities in cases of emergencies
• Perform any additional tasks as requested by senior management.

Preferred candidate profile

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or related field.
• Masters preferred.

Desired Experience

• 8+ years of experience in raw material testing role, preferably in steel plant or manufacturing industry.
• 2+ years of leadership experience.

Functional Skills

• Excellent knowledge and experience of leading quality testing in steel processing industry.
• Strong experience of various quality tests, standards, and associated activities.
• Good experience of leading quality team operations.
• Comfortable with MS Office, especially Excel, and other office productivity tools.
• Understanding of reporting and documentation practices.

Behavioural Competencies

• Leadership skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Strong Work management skills
• Keen eye for detail
• Stakeholder Management
• Analytical mindset and problem-solving skills
• Team player