Senior Quality Leader

sylvamo•Eastover, SC

About The Position

The Senior Quality Leader provides strategic and operational quality leadership for assigned manufacturing areas, fostering a customer-focused culture throughout the mill. The role is accountable for improving quality performance, reducing quality costs, maintaining compliance with quality management systems, and leading continuous improvement. It serves as a liaison among operations, customers, technical teams, and corporate functions to ensure products meet customer expectations and business objectives. The position is based in Eastover and Sumter, South Carolina, and reports to the Product Performance Manager. It is responsible for quality performance across more than 50% of mill production operations, supports mill on-call responsibilities—including nights, weekends, and extended hours as required—and travels to customer and downstream converting locations as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or 10+ years of experience in the graphic paper industry.
Minimum 5–10 years of industry experience.
Experience in quality leadership, manufacturing, paper production, or related industries.
Previous leadership experience with responsibility for quality systems and continuous improvement initiatives.
Strong knowledge of quality management systems and manufacturing quality processes.
Experience maintaining and auditing ISO 9001 programs.
Proven problem-solving and root cause analysis skills.
Ability to influence and lead individuals without direct reporting authority.
Knowledge of paper properties, roll testing, and paper manufacturing processes.
Familiarity with manufacturing execution systems (MES), such as PPR Omega.
Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.
Strong communication, coaching, and leadership skills.
Ability to balance customer needs, operational requirements, and business objectives.

Responsibilities

Foster a culture that prioritizes customer satisfaction and product quality throughout the organization.
Influence operational decision-making by communicating customer impacts and quality risks.
Improve quality performance and workmanship standards in assigned operating areas.
Prepare operating areas for customer visits and interact directly with customers as required.
Develop, implement, and sustain practical quality management systems and processes.
Support compliance with ISO 9001 standards and corporate quality requirements.
Lead and participate in internal audits and quality program assessments.
Turn lessons learned from quality events into improved work systems and preventative measures.
Lead investigations, containment activities, root cause analyses, and corrective actions for quality events.
Make timely decisions about quality concerns to minimize business and customer risk.
Monitor emerging operational risks and implement proactive quality improvements.
Balance operational impacts, customer expectations, and business costs when resolving quality issues.
Manage and develop direct reports within the quality organization.
Coach and mentor quality technicians and provide technical guidance to operations and engineering teams.
Promote accountability for quality standards among salaried and hourly employees.
Serve as backup to the Product Performance Manager when needed.
Partner with Manufacturing, Engineering, Sales, Supply Chain, Customer Service, IT, CTS, and corporate teams to address customer concerns and business needs.
Act as the primary quality contact for customer inquiries, investigations, product development initiatives, and follow-up activities.
Communicate quality performance, business impacts, and recommendations to management and operational teams.
Maintain responsibility for quality performance across more than 50% of mill production operations.
Support mill on-call responsibilities, including nights, weekends, and extended hours as required.
Travel to customer and downstream converting locations as needed.