VP of Quality

About Inspiren

Inspiren offers the most complete and connected ecosystem in senior living. Founded by Michael Wang, a former Green Beret turned cardiothoracic nurse, Inspiren proves that compassionate care and technology can coexist - bringing peace of mind to residents, families, and staff.

Our integrated solutions seamlessly fit into existing workflows, capturing everything happening within a community. Backed by nurse specialists and powerful analytics, we provide the data operators need to make informed clinical and operational decisions - driving efficiency, profitability, and better care outcomes.

What You'll Lead

ISO 13485 Certification - Your North Star

• Own the company's ISO 13485 certification roadmap from initial gap assessment through successful third-party audit and ongoing surveillance
• Design and build the QMS, integrating with existing engineering tools and workflows (Linear, Propel, Notion, Hardfin, Logistics+) wherever possible and introducing new systems only where gaps require it
• Leverage your direct, hands-on certification experience to anticipate audit risk, sequence the work intelligently, and lead internal teams with confidence
• Serve as the primary liaison with notified bodies and registrars throughout the certification process and beyond
• Establish and maintain core QMS processes: document control, CAPA, internal audit, management review, complaint handling, and post-market surveillance

QMS Architecture in a PLM Environment

• Partner with engineering leadership to stand up and configure the QMS natively within the company's PLM platform, ensuring quality processes and engineering workflows are integrated rather than siloed
• Define how design controls, change management, document control, and risk management artifacts are structured, owned, and maintained inside the PLM environment
• Establish traceability architecture between requirements, design outputs, verification & validation records, and risk management files - all managed within PLM
• Drive alignment between quality and engineering on data ownership, workflow approvals, and record integrity to support both day-to-day development and audit readiness
• Evaluate and continuously improve PLM-based QMS workflows as the product portfolio and team scale

Hardware, Software & Systems Quality

• Define quality plans, inspection criteria, and V&V strategies for electromechanical and software-embedded products
• Integrate quality activities - FMEA, design reviews, risk management per ISO 14971 - into the product development process without slowing it down
• Define QMS requirements for software quality processes aligned with IEC 62304, and partner with the Director of QA to ensure compliance without duplicating ownership
• Lead root cause analysis and corrective action on hardware quality escapes

Customer Quality

• Act as the primary liaison between Inspiren (Customer Success) and Customer relating to hardware quality issues reported by our customers
• Drive root cause analysis and correct actions, including developing quality reports to the satisfaction of our customers.

People & Team Leadership

• Build, mentor, and develop a lean, high-performing quality team - the people you hire and grow will define the quality functions DNA at Inspiren
• Lead with clarity and psychological safety: set high standards while creating an environment where quality issues surface early, not late
• Coach quality engineers and specialists across hardware, software, and supplier quality disciplines, growing their technical depth and ownership mindset
• Influence without authority across engineering, operations, and product teams - making quality a shared value, not a policing function
• Represent the quality function at the leadership level, advocating for the resources and processes needed to build a world-class QMS

Supply Chain Quality

• Ensure a rigorous manufacturing quality program to embody a zero-defect mindset and outcome across SMT and FA with our JDM partners (6 sigma program)
• Build a supplier quality program appropriate for a scaling company: qualification processes, incoming inspection, supplier audits, and Quality Agreements with critical vendors
• Develop risk-based oversight for key suppliers and CMOs, with scorecards and improvement plans where needed

What You Bring

Must-Haves

• 10+ years of quality experience in medical devices, with increasing leadership responsibility
• Multiple ISO 13485 certifications personally led or co-led - this is the single most important qualification for this role; please be specific in your application about the number, scope, and your direct ownership of each
• Hands-on experience building a QMS from scratch within a PLM environment 
• A proven track record of building, leading, and developing quality teams - not just managing processes, but developing people
• Working knowledge of 21 CFR Part 820, ISO 14971, and IEC 62304
• Experience spanning hardware/systems quality, software quality, and supply chain quality - breadth matters here
• Demonstrated ability to build or significantly mature a QMS at a company that didn't yet have one
• Strong communicator and collaborator who can operate effectively with engineers, executives, and auditors alike

Strong Pluses

• Deep familiarity with PLM-QMS integration - experience configuring or optimizing quality workflows within platforms such as Windchill, Teamcenter, Arena, or Vault
• Prior experience as a Management Representative or Quality System owner at a growth-stage company
• ASQ CQE, CQM/OE, or CQA certification
• Background supporting FDA inspections for 510(k) or De Novo product types
• Experience mentoring early-career quality professionals and building quality team culture from the ground up

Details

• The annual salary for this role is $260,000-$300,000 + equity + benefits (including medical, dental, and vision) 
• Flexible PTO
• Location: Remote, US or Canada - NYC preferred