Senior Quality Engineer

Sr. Quality Engineer — Kingsport, TN

Estimated compensation: 80K- 99K + DOE

Position Summary

• Provide technical leadership and quality support for containerboard manufacturing.
• Work closely with Production, Sales, Shipping, Customer Service and Laboratory teams.
• Manage quality systems, laboratory operations, testing equipment calibration, customer complaints, trials and continuous improvement.
• Support product performance and customer satisfaction.

Key Responsibilities

Quality & Process

• Provide daily quality support to manufacturing operations.
• Monitor product quality, trends and process performance.
• Analyze quality/process data and identify root causes.
• Implement corrective actions.
• Lead continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Support grade development, product optimization and specification management.
• Assist with chemical, product-development, customer and process-improvement trials.
• Visit customers when needed to resolve quality complaints.

Laboratory

• Maintain the mill quality laboratory.
• Manage laboratory inventory, supplies and equipment.
• Ensure testing follows mill, TAPPI and customer requirements.
• Provide technical guidance and training to laboratory personnel.

Testing & Calibration

• Maintain quality-testing equipment.
• Coordinate preventative maintenance.
• Ensure laboratory/quality equipment is calibrated quarterly or according to applicable standards.
• Troubleshoot equipment and coordinate outside service when necessary.

Customer Quality

• Investigate customer complaints and quality claims.
• Perform root-cause analysis.
• Develop corrective-action plans.
• Work with Technical, Logistics, Shipping, Production and Sales.
• Track complaint trends and recommend long-term improvements.

Customer Trials/Product Development

• Coordinate customer trials involving new products, grade changes and process changes.
• Analyze trial data and communicate results.
• Support product qualification and customer approval.
• Develop customer-specific quality solutions with Sales and Operations.

Quality Systems

• Maintain quality records, procedures and standards.
• Ensure compliance with internal systems and customer requirements.
• Participate in audits.
• Monitor quality metrics and prepare management reports.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Paper Science, Chemistry, Quality Management or related technical field — equivalent industry experience may be considered.
• 3+ years of quality, process or manufacturing experience.
• Experience with root-cause analysis, statistical data evaluation and process improvement .

Preferred

• 5+ years in pulp, paper, containerboard or packaging manufacturing.
• Knowledge of TAPPI testing methods and paper-testing equipment.
• Customer claims, quality systems and product-development experience.
• Laboratory management and calibration experience.