Director, Quality Systems

QuantumScape is on a mission to transform energy storage with solid-state lithium-metal battery technology. The company's next-generation batteries are designed to enable greater energy density, faster charging and enhanced safety to support the transition away from legacy energy sources toward a lower carbon future.

About the team: The Quality & Reliability organization is a five-pillar team - Quality Systems, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Quality, Product Quality & Reliability, and Customer Quality - built to drive end-to-end quality ownership from supplier through process to product to customer. We are a tightly integrated group of quality engineers, reliability engineers, auditors, and methodologists working alongside Manufacturing Operations, Microscopy & FA, and Facilities to enable QuantumScape's transition from R&D to high-volume commercial production. The team prides itself on bottoms-up accountability, prevention over detection, and surfacing problems early so they get fixed once.

What we need: The Quality & Reliability organization is seeking a Director, Quality Systems to own the Quality Systems pillar and serve as the QMS backbone of the organization - owning ISO 9001 / IATF 16949 compliance, CRB/MRB governance, document control, internal audit, and quality methodology. This is a single-pillar leadership role focused on building first-time-right quality systems that scale from R&D into high-volume commercial production. You will partner closely with the Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Quality, Product Quality & Reliability, and Customer Quality pillars to ensure quality standards are consistent end-to-end, but your accountability is clear: own the QMS and make it a value-add to the business, not a compliance overhead. If you have lived in regulated, high-volume manufacturing quality systems and have driven measurable improvements through lean, prevention-first discipline, we'd like to hear from you.

As Director, Quality Systems, you will own QuantumScape's QMS backbone and build the systems and processes that scale from R&D into high-volume manufacturing. Beyond technical QMS depth, you will bring proven experience applying lean principles and waste-elimination discipline inside a quality system - not as bolt-on Six Sigma projects, but as the operating logic of how the QMS itself runs. Critically, you will be a culture leader: positioning Quality Systems as a recognized value-add to the organization rather than a compliance overhead, shifting the team from an auditor mindset to a problem-solving partner, and building the trust required for engineering and operations to bring problems forward early. You will set the tone that quality is everyone's job, and you will do it through clear, concise, direct communication - the kind that cuts through ambiguity, drives alignment in a single meeting, and gives leaders and individual contributors at every level a sharp picture of what good looks like and what we're going to do about it.

What You'll do:

• Own and continuously improve QuantumScape's Quality Management System (QMS) including ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 compliance, internal and external audit programs, document control / PLM-Vault integration, and the Quality Manual - ensuring the system serves the business, not the other way around
• Lead the Change Review Board (CRB) and Material Review Board (MRB) as cross-functional governance bodies with full mandate across all five Quality & Reliability pillars - driving disciplined decision-making on changes, deviations, and non-conforming material
• Own the internal audit program and CAPA system - driving on-time closure, effective root cause, and prevention of recurrence rather than audit theater
• Drive quality methodology, training, and culture across the organization - including 8D, root cause analysis, lean problem solving, statistical methods, and the philosophy of surfacing problems early over status reporting
• Establish and report QMS metrics that connect to corporate priorities (Reliability, Product, Gen 2 Readiness, Commercial, Finance) - making quality performance visible at the executive level and tying it directly to yield, scrap, and shippable output
• Build, develop, and lead a high-performing team of quality systems professionals and auditors - creating clear ownership at every handoff in the quality chain and growing the next generation of talent
• Partner with Supplier Quality, Manufacturing Quality (Spec Development & Process Metrology, Process Quality, ORT, OQA/OQC), Product Quality & Reliability (NPI gates, product FMEA, safety testing), and Customer Quality to ensure system-level quality standards are consistent end-to-end

Skills You'll Need:

• Deep, hands-on expertise in ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 quality management systems - certification, internal audit leadership, document control, CRB/MRB governance, and CAPA discipline
• Working knowledge of supplier quality fundamentals (APQP, PPAP, IQC) sufficient to partner effectively with the Supplier Quality pillar on incoming-material acceptance and excursions
• Demonstrated proficiency with core quality tools - 8D, root cause analysis, FMEA, SPC, MSA, control plans - and the lean problem-solving mindset of waste elimination and prevention over detection
• Proven leadership track record - building and leading multi-disciplinary quality teams of 8+ engineers and auditors, and developing individual contributors and emerging leads
• Highly developed written and verbal cross-functional communication skills - able to engage credibly with executives, suppliers, and shop floor teams, and to surface problems clearly without softening the message
• 12+ years of progressive quality experience in regulated, high-volume manufacturing - with at least 3 years in management or equivalent leadership roles in Quality Systems
• B.S. required in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or related technical discipline; advanced degree (M.S. or MBA) and ASQ CQE / CQM / CQA / Lead Auditor certifications strongly preferred

Nice to have:

• Direct experience in battery, semiconductor, automotive, aerospace, or medical device manufacturing - or another industry where particle control, contamination control, and zero-defect supplier expectations are non-negotiable
• Familiarity with NPI quality gate processes, control plan deployment in dry room / glovebox environments, and the transition from R&D-stage quality systems to high-volume commercial QMS

ONSITE:This position is required to work onsite 5 days per week to meet the minimum essential duties and requirements of this position.  As an on-site R&D and manufacturing operations organization, in-person face to face interaction is essential to building authentic relationships, trust, teamwork, and collaboration.

Compensation & Benefits: Expected salary range for this role is from $179,100 to $250,700 and a final salary will be determined by the candidates experience and educational background. QuantumScape also offers an annual bonus and a generous RSU/Equity package as part of its compensation plan. In addition, we do offer a tremendous benefits plan including employee paid health care, Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP), and other benefits.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request an accommodation.