Contamination Specialist

Asahi Kasei•Charlotte, NC

5d•Onsite

About The Position

Celgard is seeking a Contamination Specialist for its quality team in Charlotte, North Carolina. In a team-centered manufacturing environment, the role contributes to quality department goals by driving continuous improvement, contamination control, cleanroom compliance, and manufacturing readiness. The position reports directly to the Senior Director of Global Quality for Celgard and does not supervise others. The specialist supports investigations, audits, training, customer complaints, and quality improvement initiatives. The role develops and maintains contamination protocols and quality documents, monitors particle-control data and contamination events, uses Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) camera systems to measure samples, and reports findings to stakeholders and customers. It also leads cross-functional contamination-reduction projects, supports corrective actions and process improvements, and facilitates contamination training at the Charlotte and Concord plants. The position is based in a manufacturing plant setting and involves work in production areas around chemicals. Standing and walking may be required for up to 50% of the time; lifting up to 30 pounds and/or applying force to push, pull, or move objects may also be required. Travel of up to 10% is required, primarily to the Concord plant.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, technology, or a related field and at least 2 years of experience in contamination control, environmental monitoring, or manufacturing quality assurance; or an associate degree in a related field and at least 4 years of professional quality experience; or a high school diploma and at least 6 years of professional quality experience.
Knowledge of qualification and validation processes and manufacturing quality processes.
Experience working in manufacturing within a cleanroom environment.
Experience creating and updating quality documents.
Experience leading continuous improvement projects.
Experience with SPC software, such as Minitab or Power BI.
Experience conducting investigations and root-cause analyses and implementing corrective and preventive actions, as applicable.
Effective planning, prioritization, and organizational skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
Strong problem-solving and analytical skills and attention to detail.
Technical aptitude for understanding and using technical tools.
Ability to work independently under limited supervision.
Strong interpersonal skills, including teamwork and conflict-resolution abilities.
Strong written, oral, and presentation communication skills.
Ability to contribute to a high-performing team with open and honest communication.
Ability to identify and justify cost-effective process improvements through data analysis, trend identification, and fact-based decision-making.
Ability and willingness to travel up to 10%, primarily to the Concord plant for training and collaboration.
Ability to stand and walk for up to 50% of the time and lift up to 30 pounds and/or apply the force needed to push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Nice To Haves

ASQ certification in one of the following areas is preferred: ASQ/CQE, ASQ/CSSBB, ASQ/CSSGB, or ASQ/CQA; alternatively, the candidate must be willing to obtain certification.

Responsibilities

Support investigations, internal and external audits, training, and continuous improvement initiatives in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
Develop and implement contamination protocols to meet plant and/or customer requirements, and align the contamination program and actions with the Concord plant.
Create and update contamination and related quality documents.
Complete monthly particle checks and customer-required self-assessment reports.
Track particle-meter data and conduct root-cause analyses for abnormal contamination events.
Manage the particle-control system, including setting and tracking metrics across all areas and managing Charlotte’s Intellect (formerly Zaptic) Contamination Reporting System.
Use different Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) camera systems to measure contamination samples.
Review and report contamination results to stakeholders.
Create standard formats for customer reporting.
Support customer complaints associated with contamination.
Analyze contamination reports and material-composition data to identify trends and drive process improvements.
Work with maintenance to identify and track metals used in each process and implement corrective actions for metal-contamination events.
Lead cross-functional contamination-reduction projects at the Charlotte facility to resolve quality concerns and contamination issues.
Refine and implement cleaning tools and methods to improve cleanliness.
Create engineering and capital request projects to help reduce scrap associated with contamination events.
Track contamination improvements and present them to customers and manufacturing sites.
Help sort and contain non-conforming products in the plant to prevent shipment to customers.
Facilitate and track contamination training at the Charlotte and Concord plants.