Quality / Quality Head

Company Profile

Gridcrest is a next-generation energy and water technology company, part of the publicly listed Kaynes Technology ecosystem, delivering end-to-end smart metering and digital utility solutions. It combines advanced hardware design, scalable manufacturing, and integrated software platforms including HES and MDM. GridCrest's portfolio spans smart electricity and water meters, communication modules, and utility-grade analytics systems. With strong capabilities in metrology, embedded systems, and cloud integration, the company enables utilities to improve efficiency, reduce losses, and enhance customer engagement.

Job Purpose

Lead end-to-end quality operations for Smart Electricity Meter manufacturing, ensuring compliance with product, process, regulatory, customer, and quality standards. Drive defect prevention, process control, reliability improvement, audit compliance, and customer satisfaction across manufacturing, supplier, and field quality functions.

Key Responsibilities

Quality Leadership & Strategy

• Lead plant-wide quality functions: IQC, PQC, FQC, OQC, Supplier Quality, Customer Quality, Reliability, Calibration, and QMS.
• Define quality strategy, KPIs, quality roadmap, and improvement targets aligned with business goals.
• Drive cross-functional quality initiatives with Production, Engineering, R&D, SCM, Testing, and Service teams.
• Ensure readiness for NPI, process changes, customer audits, and regulatory inspections.
• Promote a defect prevention and continuous improvement culture.

Product Quality Management

• Ensure end-to-end quality compliance from incoming material to final dispatch.
• Monitor assembly, soldering, calibration, testing, firmware programming, sealing, and packaging quality.
• Validate metrology accuracy, communication reliability, tamper detection, firmware performance, and safety compliance.
• Approve quality plans, control plans, inspection standards, sampling plans, and test procedures.
• Reduce defects related to PCB assembly, soldering, relay failures, display issues, communication failures, and field returns.
• Maintain product traceability through serial tracking, calibration records, ERP/MES/QMS systems.

Process Quality & Manufacturing Control

• Implement SPC, FMEA, MSA, CAPA, 8D, RCA, Six Sigma, Pareto, 5 Why, and Poka-Yoke methodologies.
• Establish quality gates for PCB assembly, soldering, calibration, burn-in, functional testing, and final inspection.
• Improve FPY, process capability, yield, and reduce scrap, rework, and recurring defects.
• Ensure control of non-conforming materials through segregation, analysis, and corrective action closure.
• Support productivity improvement without compromising quality standards.

Regulatory & Compliance Management

• Ensure compliance with IS 13779, IS 16444, IS 15959, IEC 62052, IEC 62053, BIS, CEA, STQC, and DISCOM requirements.
• Coordinate with NABL labs, certification bodies, inspection agencies, and regulatory authorities.
• Maintain type test, routine test, FAT, and inspection documentation as per statutory norms.
• Manage certification renewals, audits, approvals, and compliance reporting.

Quality Management System (QMS)

• Maintain ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, and ISO/IEC 17025 compliance.
• Lead internal, supplier, customer, product, and process audits.
• Ensure effective document control, CAPA management, risk management, and change control.
• Drive digitization using ERP, MES, QMS, LIMS, and quality dashboards.
• Publish MIS, KPI reports, trend analysis, and management review reports.

Customer Quality & Field Failure Analysis

• Reduce customer complaints, warranty failures, and field rejection rates.
• Lead RCA, containment, corrective and preventive actions for customer issues.
• Analyze failures related to metrology, communication, relay, firmware, battery, LCD, tamper, and terminal block issues.
• Coordinate with field service and design teams to implement permanent corrective actions.
• Represent quality during customer reviews and escalations.

Supplier Quality Management

• Define supplier quality standards, scorecards, audits, and incoming inspection criteria.
• Drive supplier development, CAPA closure, and incoming defect reduction.
• Monitor supplier-related line rejections and field failures.
• Audit suppliers for PCBs, relays, CTs, communication modules, batteries, LCDs, terminal blocks, and enclosures.
• Partner with SCM and Purchase for supplier qualification and risk mitigation.

Testing, Calibration & Reliability

• Ensure calibration and maintenance of test benches, reference standards, jigs, and fixtures.
• Oversee metrology, firmware, communication, environmental, endurance, burn-in, and tamper testing.
• Maintain calibration records, test traceability, and data integrity linked to serial numbers.
• Support NABL and laboratory compliance requirements.

Continuous Improvement & COPQ Reduction

• Lead Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, DMAIC, 8D, and CAPA projects.
• Reduce COPQ, scrap, rework, warranty costs, and customer returns.
• Improve process capability, automation, mistake-proofing, and data-driven quality monitoring.
• Drive best practices in QA, QC, and process improvement.

Team Management & Development

• Lead and mentor quality engineers, auditors, inspectors, and lab personnel.
• Define KRAs, competency development plans, and succession planning.
• Conduct technical training on quality tools, standards, audits, and problem-solving techniques.
• Build a quality-first, ownership-driven culture across the plant.

Technical Competencies

• Smart Electricity Meter manufacturing quality management
• PCB assembly, soldering, calibration, firmware validation, and reliability testing
• IQC, IPQC, FQC, OQC, Supplier Quality, Customer Quality, and Field Quality
• IS 13779, IS 16444, IS 15959, IEC 62052, IEC 62053 standards compliance
• BIS, STQC, NABL, DISCOM audit and inspection processes
• ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO/IEC 17025 systems
• SPC, FMEA, MSA, APQP, PPAP, CAPA, 8D, RCA, Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen
• Environmental, endurance, burn-in, tamper, and accelerated life testing
• ERP, MES, QMS, LIMS, traceability systems, dashboards, and analytics
• Supplier audits, supplier development, and customer complaint management

Preferred Certifications

• Six Sigma Green Belt / Black Belt
• ISO 9001 Lead Auditor
• ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 Internal Auditor
• Training in FMEA, SPC, MSA, 8D, CAPA, RCA
• NABL / ISO 17025 awareness
• Lean Manufacturing / Kaizen Certification
• Smart Meter Standards & Regulatory Compliance Training