Quality Manager

Quality Manager or Quality Assurance Manager is responsible for quality management and coordination across the entire organization. His responsibility is particularly the creation of the quality policy and achieving set objectives of the quality. Quality Manager must ensure that the products or services provided by an organization, are in line with internal and external requirements (customer requirements and compliance with standards and legal requirements). He is responsible for quality in all its phases - defines the quality policy (quality strategy), measures the quality, processes quality plans, manages and monitors the achievement of quality objectives, supports customer needs within the organization, and is responsible for proposing the possibility of improving the quality management system.

Responsibility and activity of quality manager goes across the organizational structure - in terms of quality can thus manage both linear managers and project managers, and focuses on the proper functioning of the organization, i.e. all its processes and activities. An organization may have in place the role of service quality manager or product quality manager - the role of these managers is then concentrated more on products and services quality with an emphasis on the quality perceived by the customer.

Quality Manager coordinates and negotiates with other managers at all management levels in the organization.

Quality Manager position and responsibilities are defined in standards and quality standards, usually in ISO 9001. Quality Manager is not a manager in a proper sense with his own organizational unit. He is usually an employee of the organization that has provided adequate authority and responsibility for establishing the quality management system and its maintenance. Professional competencies of quality manager are concentrated on the knowledge of comprehensive approaches and methods of quality, such as Six Sigma, TQM and Lean approaches.

Recognized certification systems of quality managers (certification of persons) are based on the relevant certification authorities. The best known and most widely used and internationally recognized certifications of quality managers are:

• European Certifcate of Quality Manager EOQ: QM (Quality Manager), QSM (Quality Systems Manager)
• American Certificate of Quality Manager ASQ: CMQ/OE (Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence)

In addition to quality manager, there is also the Quality Auditor.