The Warranty & Quality Manager (m/f/d) will play a pivotal role in establishing and managing our comprehensive warranty program and driving product quality improvements across the European market. This individual will be responsible for developing robust warranty policies and systems from the ground up, meticulously analyzing warranty and quality data to identify trends, and collaborating closely with central engineering, manufacturing teams, and our technical center in Birmingham (UK), to enhance product reliability. This is a key leadership position ensuring customer satisfaction, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence in a start-up environment.
Key Responsibilities:
Warranty Management:
* Policy Development & Refinement: Develop, implement, and continuously refine European warranty policies, terms, and conditions, ensuring clarity, competitiveness, and compliance.
* Claims Management Oversight: Oversee the entire warranty claims management system, including claim processing, adjudication, system integrity, and timely payment.
* Data Analysis & Insights: Analyse warranty data to identify failure trends, emerging product issues, potential fraudulent activities, and opportunities for cost optimization and process improvement.
* Cross-Functional Liaison: Liaise directly with engineering, manufacturing, and internal quality teams to provide actionable feedback on product issues identified through warranty data.
* Parts Return & Inspection: Manage and optimize warranty parts return, inspection, and analysis processes to provide swift feedback to quality and engineering teams.
* Compliance: Ensure full compliance with all relevant warranty legislation, consumer protection laws, and industry standards across all European markets.
* Dispute Resolution: Act as the primary point of contact for handling and resolving escalated warranty disputes and complex cases.
Quality & Field Actions Management:
* Data Aggregation & Analysis: Aggregate and analyze quality data from diverse sources, including warranty claims, technical support escalations, parts failure analysis, and customer feedback, to build a holistic view of product performance. Identify emerging quality trends, potential systemic issues, and root causes of product quality problems affecting vehicles in the European market.
* Advocacy for Improvement: Liaise directly and systematically with the company's central Engineering, Manufacturing Quality, and R&D departments (including Changan's central teams) to provide detailed field quality feedback and and be the gatekeeper to secure product improvements and resolutions.
* Impact Assessment: Prepare thorough technical and financial impact assessments for potential service campaigns, recalls, or other field actions based on identified quality issues.
* Campaign Recommendation: Make data-driven recommendations on the necessity, scope, and urgency of proposed campaigns from an aftersales perspective, in collaboration with market teams (e.g., P&O specialists, warranty specialists, technical field engineers).
* Technical Procedure Development: Develop clear and concise technical instructions and service procedures for approved campaigns, in collaboration with the Technical Support & Training Manager and the UK technical center.
* Parts Coordination: Work closely with the Parts team (or central functions covering parts) to ensure timely parts availability and forecasting for campaigns and quality resolutions.
* Campaign Rollout & Monitoring: Collaborate with Aftersales Managers and Directors on the logistical rollout of campaigns, closely monitoring completion rates and overall effectiveness.
* Effectiveness Tracking: Continuously monitor the effectiveness of implemented fixes, campaigns, and quality improvement initiatives.
* Reporting: Provide regular, consolidated reporting on field quality performance, campaign status, and key warranty metrics to aftersales leadership and relevant central departments.
Competency & Qualifications
* Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Engineering, or similar qualification.
* Proven experience in a warranty management and/or automotive quality role, preferably within an OEM or automotive supplier at a European level.
* Strong understanding of automotive warranty systems, policies, and claims processing.
* Demonstrable experience in analyzing complex data sets to identify trends and drive decision-making.
* In-depth knowledge of automotive quality management principles, root cause analysis techniques, and field corrective action processes.
* Familiarity with relevant EU warranty and consumer protection legislation.
* Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders across different cultures.
* Experience in developing and delivering training programs.
* Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive, hands-on approach, particularly valuable in a start-up environment where you will be building processes.
* Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced setting.
* Proficiency in data analysis tools and warranty management software.
* Fluency in English is essential; proficiency in other European languages (e.g., German) is a strong asset.
* Willingness to travel occasionally within Europe as required.