Plant Technical/Quality Manager

Owens Corning•Summit, IL

14h

About The Position

The Plant Technical/Quality Manager reports to the Site Leader and oversees the Quality Technical Team, with up to five direct reports. The role partners daily with the Operations Leader and Maintenance Leader, and weekly with division Engineering, Supply Chain, and Sales. It is accountable for ensuring finished goods meet or exceed customer and industry expectations; improving quality control, process control, structured problem solving, and product composition; leading product and process stability in a 24/7 manufacturing facility; and reporting relevant quality and plant metrics to business leadership. Primary metrics include customer complaints, product downgrades and scrap, quality and process control KPIs, material productivity, and team development and engagement KPIs. As needed, the role may support the corporate engineering leadership development program by coaching new part-time or full-time engineering hires. The position leads and sustains quality control, process control, material composition, and focused improvement efforts. It provides safety and environmental leadership; drives process control improvement, cost reduction, and employee training; leads quality control and customer/regulatory compliance activities; and manages quality reporting, customer engagement, technical documentation, and audit readiness. The role operates in a 24/7 manufacturing facility and may require travel of up to 10%.

Requirements

Proven leadership within a relevant discipline, with the ability to engage and develop team members.
Ability to learn quickly, adapt to and embrace change, use data to make business decisions, challenge the status quo, and minimize the risk of producing off-quality material.
Data management and statistical analysis skills.
Structured problem-solving and continuous improvement skills aligned with Six Sigma concepts.
Ability to work effectively in teams and influence and motivate peers and employees on other teams.
Solid verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical information to peers and employees.
Self-motivation and ability to work toward goals without daily intervention.
Ability to quickly grasp and gather new information from a variety of sources.
Ability to travel up to 10%.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical, Electrical, or Chemical Engineering and five years of relevant manufacturing and leadership experience; alternatively, a high school diploma or GED equivalent with 10 or more years of relevant manufacturing experience, including leadership and technical/engineering experience.
Ability to use Microsoft 365 products.
Ability to use statistical analysis software to identify data trends, shifts, or other patterns, such as Minitab, advanced Excel, BrainCube, Ignition, or Seek.
Ability to work up to 12 hours in a non-climate-controlled manufacturing environment.
Ability to use required PPE, including safety-toed shoes, hearing protection, eye protection, and hand protection.
Ability to sit or stand continuously for up to 12 hours.
Ability to lift up to 40 pounds without assistance.
Visual acuity.
Ability to routinely ascend and descend stairs and ladders as required by the work area.

Nice To Haves

Graduate of Owens Corning’s development program.

Responsibilities

Model Safer Together standards and lead or support safety initiatives and programs, including behavior-based safety, PPE standards, and job hazard assessments.
Lead or support investigations related to technical safety or environmental incidents.
Ensure quality testing and practices are designed and executed safely, and ensure equipment and process changes meet or improve safety and environmental requirements.
Certify on Ladder and Roof-Access Safety to conduct customer claim investigations safely.
Use performance metrics to lead process control improvements that reduce product or process variation and maximize first-quality output at the lowest unit cost.
Train new and existing employees on process and equipment theory of operation, setpoints, Quality Management (QM), and Focused Improvement (FI) pillar work.
Lead QM and FI pillars in structured problem solving and improvements addressing process and material losses.
Partner with Operations and Finance to optimize product quality, process control, material construction/composition, and material cost.
Work with division subject-matter experts to research and trial raw materials, process controls, or equipment components to improve quality or process control and/or minimize cost.
Review plant- and division-level capital projects, equipment, and process designs for quality or process impacts, and manage changes to minimize negative plant impacts.
Lead the technical team, primarily shift quality technicians, in reviewing quality control metrics and ensuring compliance with customer FFUs, product specifications, and industry standards.
Train new and existing employees on customer and industry product requirements, product construction, and quality testing.
Investigate customer claims, material downgrades, and other quality losses; determine root causes and identify detective and preventative actions.
Review laboratory standards and ensure equipment is calibrated and functioning properly and that technicians and operators use approved test methods.
Ensure proper disposition of claim returns, hold material, trial material, and obsolete inventory.
Partner with the warranty department and local sales team to support roof inspections for warranty claims.
Review incoming raw materials for quality to minimize the risk of defects.
Develop business cases for quality-related capital projects and manage projects from scope through start-up.
Build an engaged, high-performing technical team that can lead product quality and process stability on shift and collaborate without daily intervention.
Use TPM-aligned systems to manage tactical KPIs and action items for process and quality control and structured problem solving; partner with other pillars (AM/PM/T&D) to drive toward zero losses.
Maintain technical documentation in line with audit requirements, including product and process specifications, quality test methods, and critical-to-quality equipment standards, using proper change management.
Report regularly, daily or monthly, on product defects, product quality, process control needs, actions, and best practices to plant and division leadership and support teams.
Align plant strategy with improvements in the plant TPM governance system and ensure compliance with internal and external TPM and Quality audits.
Partner with the local sales team to review customer feedback and support on-site customer training.
As needed, coach new part-time or full-time engineering hires through the corporate engineering leadership development program.