Vice President, Quality – Manufacturing & Supplier Quality- Houston, USA [Hybrid]

Location: Houston, Texas (Hybrid) 
Travel: 30–40% Domestic and International Travel 

About Submer

Submer designs and delivers end-to-end AI datacenter infrastructure built around industry-leading liquid cooling. We help organizations scale AI beyond the limits of traditional datacenters by enabling higher density, greater efficiency and lower environmental impact – accelerating time-to-AI from first deployment to full production.

At Submer, we’re committed to creating a digital world that is safer, more efficient, and environmentally sustainable. Our technologies are addressing the critical challenges faced by data centers, supercomputing, hyperscale, and edge computing. By joining Submer, you’ll be part of a team driving innovation that directly contributes to a greener tomorrow. As we continue to grow our teams and operations in the US, we are positioning ourselves to effectively meet the increasing demand for our solutions.

What impact you'll have:

Submer Group is seeking an experienced and highly hands-on Vice President of Quality to build and lead the quality function across our manufacturing operations, supplier network, and project delivery activities.  

This is a highly visible executive leadership role responsible for embedding quality throughout the entire product and delivery lifecycle — from supplier qualification and incoming inspections through manufacturing, factory acceptance testing, deployment, and final customer delivery. 

This is not a traditional corporate quality leadership role focused primarily on compliance and reporting. We are looking for a builder with an operator mentality — someone who is comfortable on manufacturing floors, inside supplier facilities, directly resolving quality issues, and creating scalable yet practical quality systems that support a fast-growing modular technologies business. 

The successful candidate will combine executive-level leadership with deep operational engagement, partnering closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Construction, and Project Delivery teams to drive operational excellence, continuous improvement, and scalable execution globally. 

The ideal candidate will bring significant experience within modular technologies, data center infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, industrial manufacturing, electrical systems, cooling technologies, or complex engineered infrastructure environments. 

What you’ll do:

Executive Quality Leadership 

• Develop and execute the overall global quality strategy supporting manufacturing, suppliers, and project delivery operations.  

• Build scalable quality systems, governance structures, KPIs, and operational processes aligned with rapid business growth.  

• Establish a culture of accountability, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and customer-focused execution.  

• Partner closely with executive leadership to support operational scaling, manufacturing readiness, and customer delivery objectives.  

• Create practical and scalable quality processes without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.  
• Lead by example as a hands-on executive willing to engage directly in supplier reviews, manufacturing issues, audits, corrective actions, and operational problem-solving.  

Supplier Quality & Manufacturing Partnerships 

• Build and lead the supplier quality management program across key manufacturing and infrastructure partners.  

• Qualify, audit, and approve suppliers, contract manufacturers, and fabrication partners globally.  

• Develop supplier scorecards focused on quality, responsiveness, delivery, corrective actions, and operational performance.  

• Partner closely with Supply Chain leadership to improve supplier performance and mitigate operational risks.  

• Lead supplier corrective action programs, root cause investigations, and continuous improvement initiatives.  

• Support supplier development and manufacturing scalability as the business expands globally.  

Manufacturing Quality & Operational Excellence 

• Establish scalable quality control systems across manufacturing and assembly operations.  

• Define incoming, in-process, and final inspection standards and methodologies.  

• Ensure manufacturing processes consistently meet design specifications, customer requirements, and operational standards.  

• Develop inspection plans, testing protocols, quality standards, and factory acceptance testing (FAT) processes.  

• Analyze quality trends and implement corrective and preventive actions across manufacturing operations.  

• Partner with Engineering and Operations teams to improve manufacturability, reliability, and operational efficiency.  

Product & Process Quality 

• Partner closely with Engineering during product development, design reviews, and product validation activities.  

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action processes for manufacturing, supplier, and field quality issues.  

• Develop lessons-learned and continuous improvement programs across the organization.  

• Ensure quality requirements are embedded into product development, manufacturing, supplier, and operational processes.  

Customer & Project Quality 

• Support customer audits, inspections, factory acceptance testing, and operational quality reviews.  

• Partner with Project Delivery teams to resolve issues impacting project execution, schedule, or customer satisfaction.  

• Lead non-conformance management and corrective action programs.  

• Monitor field quality performance and customer feedback to drive operational improvements.  

• Ensure customer quality requirements are incorporated into manufacturing and operational processes.  

Compliance & Continuous Improvement 

• Maintain scalable quality management systems and support certification initiatives globally.  

• Ensure compliance with applicable customer, regulatory, manufacturing, and industry quality standards.  

• Lead internal quality audits, management reviews, and operational readiness assessments.  

• Develop training programs to improve quality awareness and operational discipline across teams and suppliers.  

Team Building & Organizational Leadership 

• Build and develop a world-class Quality organization capable of supporting significant future growth.  

• Recruit, mentor, and develop quality engineering, supplier quality, manufacturing quality, and operational quality talent globally.  

• Foster a practical, solutions-oriented, and execution-driven quality culture.  

• Balance executive leadership responsibilities with deep operational involvement and hands-on execution.  

What you’ll need

Requirements and qualifications:

Required 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Industrial Engineering, Quality, or a related technical discipline.  

• 12+ years of progressive quality leadership experience within manufacturing, infrastructure, industrial, modular technologies, or engineered products environments.  

• Strong experience leading both supplier quality and manufacturing quality organizations.  

• Demonstrated success building and scaling quality systems in high-growth operational environments.  

• Significant experience leading root cause analysis, corrective action, and continuous improvement initiatives.  

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes, quality control systems, inspection methodologies, and operational execution.  

• Experience conducting supplier audits and managing global manufacturing partners.  

• Executive-level leadership capability combined with a highly hands-on operational approach.  

• Strong builder mentality with the ability to create scalable systems, teams, and operational processes from the ground up.  

Preferred 

• Experience within modular technologies, data center infrastructure, mission-critical facilities, power systems, cooling technologies, or industrial manufacturing environments.  

• Experience supporting fabricated steel, electrical systems, cooling systems, or modular equipment manufacturing.  

• Familiarity with ISO 9001 and relevant global quality standards.  

• Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, ASQ certifications, or equivalent operational quality credentials.  

• Experience working with global suppliers, contract manufacturers, and complex international supply chains.  

What we offer

• Attractive compensation package reflecting your expertise and experience.
• Medical Insurance Plan.
• 401k Employee volunteer contribution Plan.
• A great work environment characterized by friendliness, international diversity, flexibility, and a hybrid-friendly approach.
• You´ll be part of a fast-growing scale-up with a mission to make a positive impact, offering an exciting career evolution.

Our inclusive responsibility

Submer is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable law.