Quality Assurance Specialist

The **Quality Assurance Specialist **in Technical Support (Service and After Sales) is responsible for identifying, investigating, and monitoring quality concerns and improvements for Kia vehicles in the Canadian market. Communicating upstream with areas like the Kia quality offices and downstream in field (dealers) as needed. Ensures that Kia entities like Engineering, Quality and Manufacturing take the necessary actions to implement the necessary corrective or new actions to ensure the highest level of quality of our Kia vehicles.

Position reports to the **Senior Manager, Technical Support**. Position works with other key Kia functions including the Kia Technical Assistance Centre (KTAC), Field Services, Regions (field) and Regional/ Global Quality offices, Manufacturing plants and outside partners/vendors.

**Key Responsibilities**
- Function as focal point for Quality Assurance (QA) at Kia Canada, as well as liaison with other Kia entities such as Engineering, Quality and Manufacturing plants in Korea and North America.
- Identify, investigate, and monitor quality concerns affecting all Kia vehicles in the Canadian market, and ensure proper and timely resolution and deployment for production and in aftersales.
- Ensure Canadian-specific quality concerns (e.g., cold-weather) are visible and prioritized upstream by Engineering, Quality and Manufacturing teams in Korea and North America, as key customer satisfaction driver for customers in Canada.
- Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing and Vendors on technical analysis of quality concerns.
- Foster quality excellence of new Kia vehicles, through early identification of quality concerns and collaborating with Engineering and Manufacturing to ensure findings or results are applied to new product development (i.e., future models).
- Lead the planning and execution of cold-weather investigations for the Canadian market, in collaboration with other Kia functions and partners/vendors.
- Coordinate QA activities at the Kia Canada corporate shop, including analysis and repair of buy-back vehicles, and other tests and investigations as needed.
- Prepare quality reports and analytics, to support prioritization of needs and in making strong business decisions.
- Represent Kia Canada in regional and global meetings with Engineering and Quality, remote and in-person as needed.
- Support new vehicle launches, through quality audits, point of entry inspections, preparation of early warning reports, support to media events, auto-shows, etc.
- Support management in integrating QA with other functions, for better data mining and sharing of information.
- Contribute to process and system enhancements as it pertains to gathering information and managing quality concerns until resolution.

**Skills / Knowledge / Experience / Education Required**
- Engineering or Post-Secondary Degree in a technical area relevant to the position.
- Strong technical background in automotive industry (3-5+ years).
- Knowledge of vehicle diagnostics, mechanical and electrical systems.
- Ability to read and understand vehicle specifications, technical documentation, etc.
- Highly analytical and detail oriented.
- Project management skills, ability to manage multiple, concurrent priorities.
- Advanced use of MS Office Suite, especially Excel.
- Availability to travel, including remote areas for cold-weather investigations.
- Prior experience with QA in Automotive industry is a plus.
- Bilingual (French) is a plus.

**Physical Conditions**:

- Occasional travel to other provinces and/or internationally. Estimated at 25%.
- Light lifting, bending, and twisting related to role.