Quality Engineer - Manufacturing Operations

Arrow Specialties USA, LLC•Richmond, VA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Quality Engineer supports Manufacturing Operations for the Aramids team (Nomex and Kevlar) at Arclin’s Spruance Manufacturing Plant in Richmond, Virginia. This salaried, exempt role is responsible for implementing and maintaining ISO 9001:2015 and other applicable quality standards, improving the quality management system, supporting customer satisfaction, and preventing quality incidents across supplier and manufacturing activities. The position is full-time, works weekdays, may be on call for troubleshooting, and involves 10–30% travel. The role establishes quality procedures and systems, supports internal and external audits, maintains customer and product specifications, analyzes product-property data and manufacturing capability, and monitors raw-material and product performance. It also manages non-standard production disposition and document control; leads or participates in investigations of internal and customer quality issues; coordinates corrective and preventive actions; responds to customer quality inquiries and complaints; and drives improvement programs aligned with operating tasks and KPI targets. The Quality Engineer shares quality information with leadership and other groups, supports customer interactions in partnership with Technical Marketing, and serves as a subject-matter resource for employee quality training. Success requires clear communication, sound judgment, leadership, and the ability to use quality data and systems to improve manufacturing processes. Arclin describes the role as helping ensure reliable and competitive manufacturing through technical ownership and daily operating discipline. The company states that it offers competitive pay and a comprehensive, integrated total rewards package.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a science-related field, or equivalent experience.
At least 3 years of manufacturing or related experience.
ISO 9001:2015 Lead Auditor Certification; it may be obtained on the job.
Proficiency in Minitab and SAP.
Experience using Microsoft programs, including Excel and PowerPoint, for data analysis and reporting.
Understanding of relevant quality standards and the controls necessary to achieve and maintain compliance.
Ability to understand, calculate, establish, and communicate quality metrics, including complaints, complaint frequency, cycle time, and audit results.
Experience with auditing, root-cause failure analysis, and driving critical corrective and preventive actions to closure.
Understanding and experience in data analysis and its application to improving manufacturing process capability.
Experience in process troubleshooting, operational quality SOP/SP knowledge, and customer quality change management.
Understanding of quality IT systems and tracking, and of operational processes and flow as they relate to quality.
Clear oral and written communication, including the ability to make complex messages understandable to internal audiences and customers.
Demonstrated leadership and the ability to drive quality improvements; required competencies include bias for action, integrity, judgment, strong interpersonal skills, time management, change-agent behavior, and strong communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the Kevlar or Nomex line of business.

Responsibilities

Implement and maintain ISO 9001:2015 and other applicable quality standards at the Spruance Plant.
Identify and carry out corrective and preventive actions to improve the quality management system, customer satisfaction, supplier quality, and manufacturing quality.
Establish quality management procedures and systems to anticipate failure modes and prevent quality incidents.
Conduct or support first-, second-, and third-party quality audits, including ISO and customer audits, and monitor corrective action plans.
Maintain customer and product specifications; analyze property data and assess the capability to meet customer specifications; follow up on requirements that cannot be met.
Organize or support information sharing at standing data-review meetings, including leadership, safety and quality, quality council, management, and vendor-review meetings.
Monitor product properties and control and disposition non-standard production.
Lead or participate in investigations of internal and external quality non-conformances, including customer complaints; coordinate teams using tools such as 5 Whys, FMEAs, and root-cause analysis; and ensure corrective actions are effective.
Coordinate responses to customer complaints and requests from customers, marketing, or sales for quality information.
Initiate, monitor, and execute quality-improvement programs and events aligned with Critical Operating Tasks and KPI targets.
Monitor raw-material performance.
Support or lead manufacturing document control for standard practices, standard operating procedures, check sheets, tests, and related documents.
Serve as a subject-matter resource for quality training for new and existing employees, as needed.
Interface with internal and external customers to handle inquiries, complaints, queries, and issues, and work with Technical Marketing partners to meet customer needs.
Use quality metrics, data analysis, quality IT systems, and knowledge of operational processes to support quality management and manufacturing process capability.
Communicate quality information clearly and succinctly to internal audiences and customers.