JobsMercury Marine

Program Manager, Fleet Quality

Mercury Marine · Mettawa, IL

Posted Aug 16, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Sep 20, 2026

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Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

Behavioral

Tell me about a time you had to get a group of people to change how they worked without having any authority over them.

evidence of real influence-without-authority skill, since this role has no direct reports and depends entirely on persuasion

Tell me about a time you had to escalate a roadblock that a local team or regional leader wasn't going to fix on their own. How did you handle that conversation?

comfort with conflict and knowing when to escalate versus when to keep pushing for consensus

What's your experience working in a multi-site environment where the business challenges show up messy and undefined rather than already scoped for you?

comfort operating in ambiguity, which the posting flags explicitly as a requirement

Give me an example of turning a pile of messy operational data into a short list of priorities that leadership actually acted on.

ability to translate analysis into decisions, not just produce reports

What experience do you have in fleet, rental, service, or manufacturing environments where physical assets take a beating, and how does that shape how you'd think about boat condition here?

relevance of prior asset-intensive operating experience to this specific problem space

Technical

Walk me through how you'd build a decentralized quality operating model across 400-plus club locations that all run a little differently.

whether the candidate can design a system that balances standardization with local flexibility rather than defaulting to one-size-fits-all mandates

How would you use trend, Pareto, and root-cause analysis to figure out which locations need attention first when you're looking at damage and deterioration data across the whole fleet?

actual fluency with the analytical tools named in the posting, not just familiarity with the terms

Describe a quality management system or process documentation effort you built from scratch. What did you include and what did you leave out?

whether they've actually built QMS infrastructure versus operated inside one someone else designed

Tell me about a corrective and preventive action process you've run. How did you make sure the fix actually stuck instead of the same defect coming back?

depth of hands-on CAPA experience versus surface knowledge of the acronym

How do you decide what belongs in a location-level risk repository, and how would you keep that information current across hundreds of sites?

practical thinking about data governance and sustainability of a reporting system at scale

Situational

Say you roll out a new fleet-quality metric and three months in, half the regions are ignoring it. What do you do?

how they diagnose adoption failure and adjust an operating model rather than just re-issuing the same mandate louder

Imagine a regional leader pushes back hard on a new incident-reporting process, saying it doesn't fit their club's situation. How do you respond in the room?

whether they can hold a standard firm while still respecting legitimate local variation, the core tension of a decentralized model

How would you improve the current incident-reporting process without knowing yet what's broken about it?

their approach to diagnosing an existing process before redesigning it, versus jumping straight to a solution

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The full job description

As published by Mercury Marine.

Are you ready for what’s next?   Come explore opportunities within Brunswick, a global marine leader committed to challenging conventions and innovating next-generation technologies that transform experiences on the water and beyond.  Brunswick believes “Next Never Rests™,” and we offer a variety of exciting careers and growth opportunities within united teams defining the future of marine recreation.  Location: Mettawa IL or Tampa, FL Workplace Category: Hybrid Travel Required: Yes - 25% Direct Reports: No Pay Range:  $87,000.00 - $128,750.00 Visa Sponsorship: Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States.  This position is not eligible for employment visa sponsorship now or in the future.   Relocation: No Innovation is the heart of Brunswick.  See how your contributions will help transform vision into reality: Position Overview :  As part of the talented fleet quality team, you will improve fleet condition by building a strong quality culture and a scalable, decentralized quality operating model across Freedom Boat Club. The individual in this role will lead fleet-quality programs, establish standards and governance, and mobilize operating teams to own issue identification, reporting, corrective action, and continuous improvement. They will create visibility to fleet condition, translate operational data into priorities, and drive action across stakeholders This role will report to VP, Fleet Strategy and Business Intelligence, and work closely with Freedom Boat Club regional leadership and club teams, and Operations teams. At Brunswick, we have passion for our work and a distinct ability to deliver.  Essential Functions:   • Build and embed a decentralized quality operating model • Establish fleet-quality standards, measures, and governance routines and create greater organizational awareness and ownership of quality across the local teams • Equip local teams with practical tools, training, metrics, and examples of best practice, while allowing execution to be adapted within defined guardrails • Set fleet-quality priorities and plan and execute quality-improvement programs that reduce failures and defects, and improve fleet condition • Design and implement core elements of a scalable Quality Management System, including metrics, process documentation, root-cause analysis, corrective and preventive action. • Drive cross-functional action through influence and insight • Lead cross-functional quality governance, establish baselines and priorities, assign owners, remove barriers, escalate roadblocks, and monitor progress • Direct analysis of fleet condition, and related operational data; use trend, Pareto, severity, recurrence, and root-cause analysis to identify priorities • Create consistent visibility to fleet condition through location-level risk repositories that identify major damage or deterioration drivers • Ensure product-related feedback is transferred through the common intake process to Product Strategy & Assurance • Oversee Incident Reporting Process • Oversee efficient functioning of the incident-reporting process, and drive efficiencies in the current process Diversity of thought and experiences is fundamental when imagining the unimaginable. Certain skillsets/experiences are necessary; however, others can be developed along the way. Required Qualifications:    • Bachelor's degree in Operations, Engineering, Business, or a related field. • 3-5 years of experience in quality, operations, service delivery, program leadership, organizational change, or a related function. • Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, and change leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to influence outcomes and drive action without direct authority. • Ability to work effectively in an unstructured, multi-site operating environment and translate broad business challenges into clear ownership, scalable processes, and measurable execution plans. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to synthesize operational data, identify trends and root causes, and translate insights into actionable priorities and results. Preferred Qualifications:   • MBA or other advanced degree in Business, Operations, or a related field. • Experience in marine, fleet, mobility, rental, service, manufacturing, or other asset-intensive operating environments. • Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional operational improvement, process transformation, or continuous improvement initiatives across multiple locations. Working Conditions: • This is a hybrid, full time position. The anticipated pay range for this position is  $87,000.00 - $128,750.00. The actual base pay offered will vary depending on multiple factors including job-related knowledge/skills, relevant experience, business needs, and geographic location.    This position is eligible to participate in valued Brunswick benefit offerings including 401k (up to 4% match), wellbeing program, and product purchase discounts.   Why Brunswick:   Whatever tomorrow brings, we’ll be at the leading edge.  As the clear leader in the marine industry, we’re committed to our values and supporting our exceptional people. We offer and encourage growth opportunities within and across our many brands. In addition, we’re proud of being recognized for making a splash with numerous awards !  About Freedom Boat Club Freedom Boat Club – the world’s largest members-only boat club – was founded in 1989 in Sarasota, Florida. Today, the Clubs 400+ locations welcome hundreds of members to its docks each day to enjoy a day on the water while we take care of the rest including fueling, cleaning, maintenance, and more.  With over 30 years of Boating Made Simple®, Freedom Boat Club (a division of Brunswick Corporation) continues to be a passionate group of individuals who focus on raising the bar in everything that we do.  We are always looking for hardworking, motivated and competitive people who share our passion for getting others out on the open waters.  To learn more about open positions within the Freedom Boat Club, please visit the  Brunswick Corporation Careers page .  Next is Now!   We value growth and development, recognizing that people come with a wealth of experience and talent beyond just the technical requirements of a job. If your experience is close to what you see listed here, please still consider applying. Brunswick is an Equal Opportunity Employer and considers all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.  Diversity of experience and skills combined with passion is key to innovation and inspiration and we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.  If you require accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact hrsharedservices@brunswick.com  for support.  For more information about EEO laws, - click here Brunswick Corporation participates in E-Verify as part of our commitment to a lawful and transparent hiring process. For additional information click here: https://www.brunswick.com/e-verify . Brunswick and Workday Privacy Policies Brunswick does not accept applications, inquiries or solicitations from unapproved staffing agencies or vendors. For help, please contact our support team at: hrsharedservices@brunswick.com or 866-278-6942. All job offers will come to you via the candidate portal you create when applying through a posted position through https:///www.brunswick.com/careers .  If you are ever unsure about what is being required of you during the application process or its source, please contact HR Shared Services at 866-278-6942 or HRSharedServices@brunswick.com . #Brunswick Corporation

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