Continuous Improvement & Quality Manager

SOUTHERN CHAMPION TRAY LLC•Chattanooga, TN

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Quality and Continuous Improvement Manager has a significant organizational impact and is responsible for establishing, leading, and maintaining compliance regarding Quality Management, Continuous Improvement, and Food Safety Compliance. They oversee the implementation, management, and continuous improvement of SCT’s Quality Control programs at all Chattanooga locations. Influences and drives a quality-focused culture that is enthusiastically engaged in upholding and maintaining audit readiness while maintaining best-in-class ratings for food safety and industry-specific certifications. As a leader for Compress and Chattanooga, will be responsible for developing strategic initiatives, programs, and best practices while upholding SCT’s Mission, Vision, & Values. Actively collaborates with leaders, key stakeholders, and plant operations to influence change, increase engagement, and align resources.

Requirements

Minimum 5 years of directly-related experience in a manufacturing, production or operations role; folding carton/paperboard packaging experience is strongly preferred
Demonstrated working knowledge and direct experience with GMP, food safety and quality certifications (BRC, SQF, AIB, etc)
Six Sigma and/or other professional Lean Manufacturing training and/or certifications required; Black Belt certification a plus
Highly relational with ability to engage and influence others towards change within a 24-hour production facility
Excellent presentation and training skills
Must be willing to travel as needed up to10-20%
Must have the ability to read, understand, and communicate to others the meaning of complex documents including legal documents, letters, etc. and write legibly in English. Must be able to understand and speak clearly, and communicate in English.

Nice To Haves

Bachelors degree in Manufacturing / Industrial Engineering, Business, or related field preferred
Print experience a plus

Responsibilities

Owns the development, implementation, and compliance of Quality System for Chattanooga
Develops and deploys adequate internal specifications to meet or exceed customer requirements
Conducts investigations into non-conformities and develops corrective actions to prevent recurrence
Review and analyze quality non-conformances to drive corrective and preventative action and communicate appropriately; partner with Plant Supervisors to communicate out customer complaints; train and coach operators/ plant team members, ensuring adherence to customer specifications.
Tracks, analyzes, and leads initiatives for all internal quality and customer complaint issues
Actively communicate with sales, customers and vendors in developing and communicating corrective actions promptly; facilitate and manage supplier, subcontractor, and customer audits
Lead and develop Root Cause Analysis and rapid response team for quality complaints
Act as liaison between plants and sales team. Engage and communicate with sales team
Develop and implement a Total Quality Management System for all of Chattanooga
Establish acceptable quality limits for defects for all of Chattanooga and communicate across all teams
Develop SOPs for quality processes. Facilitate and manage supplier, subcontractor, and customer audits
Plan and organize plant-wide trainings and programs that promote a customer-centric culture and development of internal “Customer Champions” that are focused on product quality and reliability
Actively communicate with sales, customers and vendors in developing and communicating corrective actions promptly
Facilitate and manage supplier, subcontractor, and customer audits
Serves as a resource to all manufacturing locations to ensure quality standards are being supported and sustained
Collaborate closely with Corporate Shared Services to align and promote org-wide initiatives and utilization of resources for quality and food safety standards and expectations
Support all SCT locations with developing, supporting, and maintaining quality and food safety standards and expectations
Maintains an internal audit system
Acts as Gatekeeper of document control system
Lead, coach, and supervise team of quality support specialists
Overall responsibility for compliance with guidelines established by Local, State & Federal mandates or programs as it relates to Food Safety, Good Manufacturing Practices, HACCP, BRC certification, Workplace Safety and OSHA
Establish proactive measures to instill and maintain a clean and hygienic environment that adheres to the regulations and food safety requirements necessary to produce safe quality packaging
Develop and deliver effective and impactful monthly trainings utilizing various learning methodologies; establish methods to evaluate comprehension and effectiveness; responsible for communicating and educating team members in Food Safety including on-boarding new hires
Develop and maintain robust internal audit system while influencing organizational adherence to SCT’s Quality Management System and compliance with all GMP and food safety certification guidelines
Actively participate in activities to remain current and informed on certification changes, updates, and industry best practices while effectively communicating to all stakeholders
Functions as in-house expert in Lean Six Sigma Methodology and act as change agent to instill a quality-driven culture throughout the organization
Lead Continuous Improvement activities focused on operational excellence to drive results across production, quality and safety while reducing costs and eliminating non-value add activities
Utilize Project Management principles and Lean Methodology to lead projects across all areas of the plant; promote and drive participation of cross-functional, continuous improvement and 5S teams
Actively coach and train team members in aspects of lean manufacturing and continuous improvement; participate in conducting Yellow Belt training and certification of team members
Facilitate and coach projects for yellow belts and green belts
Work with operators on the floor to identify potential continuous improvement projects – update and follow through
Communicate projects up and out, to include improvements, cost savings, and future recommendations
Leads 5S initiatives to facilitate improvement in processes, productivity and quality