Quality Engineer

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Quality Engineer for our First Quality Tissue SE, LLC facility located in Anderson, SC. The Quality Engineer is a professional who understands the principles of product and service quality evaluation and control. This body of knowledge and applied technologies include, but are not limited to, development and operation of quality control systems, application and analysis of testing and inspection procedures, the ability to use statistical methods to diagnose and correct improper quality control practices, an understanding of human factors and motivation, facility with quality cost concepts and techniques, and the knowledge and ability to develop and administer management information systems and to audit quality systems for deficiency identification and correction. This position will be responsible for the implementation, use, compliance and maintenance of quality systems and tools including the Quality Management System.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Understands QA Testing (destructive and NDT) and leads all improvement efforts for methods and procedures.
• Responsible for supporting the day-to-day activities related to the Quality, safety, and efficacy of the product manufactured, including the support of operations for new product introductions, process validation, all production activities, and incoming inspection.
• Works with cross-functional teams to prioritize key site projects and determine appropriate resources and timing; integrate activities using quality principles such as lean Six Sigma with Quality Management System activities such as Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) and Quality Improvements to assure effectiveness and compliance to customer and regulatory requirements.
• Evaluates performance of current operational Quality and Quality Engineering methods (e.g., failure investigation, measurement systems analysis, process development, etc.) and drives best practices throughout the business and transfers that knowledge across the business, as appropriate.
• Ensures that statistical methods are applied to testing, validation, sampling and inspection activities and Quality investigations.
• Participates and conducts internal Quality audits and external audits.
• Devises or revises procedures related to the Quality System.
• Reports significant issues or developments identified during Quality activities and provides recommended process improvements to management.
• Prepares and presents Quality system information and product quality results and analysis to team members and management.
• Becomes proficient in the various business systems used at First Quality, including ERP, MES, quality data collection systems and understands how the systems are integrated with each other and within the business
• Acts as fill in for QA Manager in their absence
• Participates in Weekend Duty rotation

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering discipline or an Associate’s degree scientific/technical field with 2 years of quality or manufacturing experience required.
• Three or more years in quality or manufacturing engineering strongly preferred.
• Highly qualified candidates would have an advanced degree in Analytics and/or ASQ CQA or CQE certification, and/or Lean or Six Sigma certification
• Experience in technical problem solving, statistical analysis, and quality auditing preferred.
• Familiarity with formal Quality System (ISO/QS/9000, GMP/QSR, etc.)
• Strong communication skills.
• Demonstrated team leadership ability.
• Strong knowledge of MS-Office products and proficiency in MiniTab

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (year's worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunityemployer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.