Role: IPQC Manager

Location: Hosur Plant, Tamilnadu

Reporting To: IQC / IPQC Lead

Team Name: Manufacturing Operations

About the Team and the Role:

The Quality team at Ather is the gatekeeper of our engineering excellence. As the Quality Manager for Incoming Quality Control (IQC) and In-Process Quality Control (IPQC), you are the primary custodian of product integrity across both Battery and Vehicle assembly. This is a high-impact leadership role where you will bridge the gap between engineering specifications and shop-floor execution. You will be responsible for ensuring that every component entering our facility and every process on the line meets Ather’s world-class standards, driving a culture of "First Time Right" through robust governance, strategic resource planning, and cross-functional synergy.

Responsibilities:

- Operational Governance: Take full accountability for IQC and IPQC activities; ensure all quality standards, practices, and controls are rigorously maintained across Battery and Vehicle Assembly lines.

- Performance Leadership (SQDCM): Lead and align the team to achieve organizational goals through the SQDCM framework:

- Safety: Strive for zero first-aid incidents/accidents by building a proactive safety culture.

- Quality: Pioneer programs to enhance operational quality and process robustness.

- Cost: Identify and execute initiatives to reduce scrap, rejections, and overall operational costs.

- Delivery: Ensure quality operations are perfectly synced with production targets to meet organizational timelines.

- Morale: Foster an inclusive growth culture, maintaining a pulse on the team’s well-being and professional development.

- Strategic Resource Planning: Plan and provide necessary facilities, high-precision equipment, personnel, and systems required to meet evolving quality deliverables.

- Lifecycle Quality Management:



Ensure all quality issues are identified and resolved during X1-build, LVPT (Low Volume Production Trial), and HVPT (High Volume Production Trial) stages; ensure strict adherence to APDS (Ather Product Development System) requirements.

- Change Control & Engineering Integration: Oversee the implementation of Engineering Change Notices (ECN) and manage document change control via Internal Audits (IA) for IQC/IPQC functions.

- Agile & Cross-functional Leadership: Represent the function in various Swimlanes (SwL), ensuring stories are closed on time. Collaborate with Spec-Ops, ME, SQA, Engineering, and Production to align on inspection parameters, AOI (Automated Optical Inspection), and containment actions.

- Continuous Improvement: Partner with the PEX (Process Excellence) team to conduct departmental audits and ensure the timely closure of Non-Conformities (NCs).

- Strategic Direction: Guide the department in terms of the "3Cs"—Culture, Capability, and Capacity—empowering team members to make data-driven decisions in Spec-Ops meetings.

Experience and Qualifications:

- Required qualifications - B Tech / BE

- Experience (no. of years) -7 to 10 Years

Must Have Competencies:

- Total Quality Management (TQM): Expert knowledge of IQC and IPQC frameworks within a high-tech manufacturing environment (Automotive/Electronics/Battery).

- Quality Lifecycle Governance: Proficiency in managing APDS/APQP stages, including trial builds (X1, LVPT, HVPT)



and ECN implementations.

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- Strategic SQDCM Management: Proven ability to lead large teams using SQDCM metrics to drive safety, cost reduction, and quality improvements.

- Advanced Root Cause Analysis: Expert-level application of 8D, 5-Why, and Fishbone analysis to support MQA and SQA teams in achieving SPR (Supplier Performance Rating) targets.

Good to have Competencies:

- Agile/Scrum Methodologies: Experience working within Swimlanes and managing quality deliverables through JIRA or similar story-based systems.

- Competency Mapping: Skill in building and improving competency frameworks for Shift Incharges, Zone Leaders, and Associates.

- Internal Auditing: Knowledge of IATF 16949 or ISO 9001 standards to lead departmental sustainability audits.

Want to know more?

At Ather, we’ve built India’s first intelligent scooter, from scratch. Based on the philosophy of clean design and smart technology, we are transforming the urban commute experience. We are expanding in India, and in the coming years, we look forward to scaling up and launching more products globally.

Today, our product offerings include the Ather 450X, 450S, 450 Apex, and Rizta. Beyond the product, we are also setting up an extensive charging network and re-imagining end-to-end ownership experience. To know more, check out our Careers site and our Substack.

Be You, With Us The Ather story doesn't write itself - our people do. We believe everyone is equal, but not the same. Diversity is our strength, and building an inclusive and equitable workplace begins with acknowledging and embracing our differences. We are an equal chance employer, and our team reflects a wide range of identities, experiences, and perspectives - all united by a shared passion to shape the Ather journey.

📌 IPQC Manager (Tamil Nadu)
🏢 the Team and the Role
📍 Tamil Nadu