Product Quality Eng Sr

Ashley Furniture Industries•Arcadia, WI

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Product Quality Engineer works within the Continuous Improvement: Product Quality Group to advance enterprise quality and increase customer satisfaction by reducing product defects. Operating with a high degree of latitude, you will act as a U.S. Champion, leading product development and launch processes to proactively address quality. This role provides daily oversight and guidance to overseas Vendor Champions, QA Teams, and Quality Control personnel. You will drive continuous improvement efforts across the global supply chain utilizing Ashley's proprietary systems: Quality Dominator for daily quality assurance, the Quality Intelligence System for tracking improvement projects, and the Concept Launch System for new product development and launch activities.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, or equivalent work experience required.
5+ years of experience in quality improvement and process design within a manufacturing environment required.
Strong understanding of Lean processes and basic Theory of Constraints.
Working knowledge of one or more Continuous Improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma).
Experience with Quality Management Systems (QMS) and supply chain systems.
Familiarity with effective change management strategies.
Ability to read and interpret product drawings, layouts, and Bill-of-Material (BOM) structures.
Strong documentation management strategy and workflow concepts.
Excellent platform skills for conducting formal and informal training.
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and time management skills.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment, handling multiple projects simultaneously.
Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite.
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to display empathy, understanding, and patience when responding to difficult employee, vendor, or customer inquiries.

Responsibilities

Drive Continuous Improvement: Utilize Six Sigma, Lean, Statistical Process Control (SPC), and Theory of Constraints to define and execute improvements across the global supply chain.
Act as a Change Agent: Coach, mentor, and teach leaders and personnel to build a strong, organization-wide culture of quality assurance.
Lead Quality Teams: Advise and lead quality improvement teams to enhance departmental communication processes, methodologies, and procedures.
Manage Projects: Efficiently manage multiple concurrent global quality improvement projects, communicating constraints effectively and achieving timely project closure.
Coordinate Supplier Quality: Drive data-driven quality improvements across the global network of internal and external suppliers.
Analyze & Report Data: Gather, document, and report quality data at the supplier, product, process, and attribute levels.
Manage Corrective Actions: Identify, issue, track, and verify the closure of supplier-level corrective action requests on an item-by-item basis.
Collaborate Globally: Communicate directly with Vendor Champions (VCs), supplier quality personnel, and management to identify and act on improvement opportunities.
Monitor Overseas Trends: Track quality trends and patterns from overseas teams to create directed work for improvement efforts.
Lead Product Launches: Provide quality leadership during new product development and launch processes.
Develop Testing Protocols: Create test requirements, methods, and protocols; document test results and follow-on activities.
Establish Process Controls: Participate in design reviews, establish process controls, and work with suppliers to develop mutually beneficial quality plans.
Implement Quality Systems: Develop key pieces of the quality system, including the disposition of non-conforming product, Production Part Approval Processes (PPAP), and First Article Inspection (FAI) criteria.
Voice of Customer (VOC) Action: Lead communications and corrective actions based on data supplied by HomeStore operations and VOC feedback.
Define Key Metrics: Assist in defining and reporting key measures for organizational dashboards to provide visibility and predictability for the Product Quality Improvement system.
Standardize Procedures: Work with technical personnel to create standard policies, update the quality manual, and approve critical quality and engineering documentation.