Corporate Quality Analyst

A. O. Smith Corporation•Ashland City, TN

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Corporate Quality Analyst role is described in the posting as the NAWH Quality Engineer. The position ensures products and processes within the division meet established quality standards and customer requirements. It analyzes failure data to identify product and process improvements and works with internal teams and suppliers to reduce warranty costs and improve customer satisfaction. The role helps ensure water heater products meet or exceed performance expectations throughout their lifecycle. The position is based in Ashland City, Tennessee, and is eligible for a hybrid schedule after 90 days of employment. A.O. Smith is a global manufacturer of water heating and water treatment products, headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with approximately 12,000 employees across operations in the United States, Canada, China, India, Mexico, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The role analyzes warranty and field-failure information, supports customer quality concerns and continuous improvement, and maintains quality systems. It reports on quality and warranty performance, collaborates across functions on root-cause investigations, and supports internal and external audits.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Quality, or a related field is preferred; the education section specifies a bachelor’s degree in Engineering or Business Management.
At least 5 years of experience in quality assurance or technical service, preferably in the appliance, HVAC, or plumbing industry.
Experience working with SAP/CRM systems.
Experience with ISO standards, PPAP, APQP, and statistical process control.
Six Sigma Black Belt.
Strong analytical skills and ability to interpret technical failure data.
Understanding of and ability to perform statistical analysis.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables, charts, tables, and macros; Smartsheet; and Minitab.
Excellent communication skills for working with technicians, suppliers, managers, and cross-functional teams.
Ability to create and present Microsoft PowerPoint presentations to groups.
Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
High attention to detail and accuracy in recordkeeping.
Proficiency in quality tools such as FMEA, 8D, SPC, DOE, COQ, MSA, AQP, and PPAP.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of water heater components, operation, and installation practices.
Proficiency in Tableau and/or Power BI.
At least 2 years of experience in warranty administration and claims-processing software.
Experience with tank and tankless water heater products.
Familiarity with plumbing codes and standards related to water heaters.
ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE).
Six Sigma Master Black Belt experience.
Lean Manufacturing/TPS experience.

Responsibilities

Analyze claim data to identify product-failure patterns, components with high replacement rates, and seasonal trends.
Identify installation or usage issues contributing to warranty calls or claims and recommend training or policy changes.
Provide feedback to product development teams on design improvements that could reduce warranty incidents.
Monitor Field Failure Analysis findings and ensure analyses are conducted properly and on time.
Monitor quality metrics including PPM, scrap, rework, warranty costs per unit, and COPQ.
Design and generate weekly, monthly, and quarterly warranty performance reports for management and cross-functional teams.
Provide ad hoc reports for specific components, models, or issues.
Work with IT and Business Analysts to improve data availability and automate reporting and analysis.
Serve as an internal liaison for customer quality concerns.
Lead or participate in Lean/Six Sigma projects to reduce defects and improve efficiency.
Participate in cross-functional root-cause investigations for high-cost failures, such as tank leaks and control board failures.
Facilitate quality-issues meetings to drive awareness and effective action.
Visit customers in coordination with Sales to improve customer experience.
Drive standardization of quality practices across the division.
Ensure quality-function responsibilities are properly executed within the AO Smith New Product Development process.
Maintain and improve the division’s Quality Management System in compliance with ISO 9001 and other applicable standards.
Conduct internal audits and support external audits.