Quality Engineer Specialist

Job-ID: 15641; Location(s): McPherson, KS 

JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY

Responsibility includes working with cross-functional teams to support quality for new production, process improvement and development for Metals production; assuring quality through developing and conducting testing, inspection, statistical analysis and reporting; supporting and leading improvement initiatives, projects and workshops; continuous support, auditing and improvement of Viega’s Quality Management System (QMS).

Leading Metals quality lab personnel in implementing and executing inspections, testing and evaluation methods; managing manufacturing quality inspections to ensure that products adhere to company standards and meet conformance to external certifications and quality standards; maintaining metrics, files and records of quality checks in CAQ and QMS systems (managing support of CAQ and associated quality systems); liaison for 3rd party auditing agencies; analyzing data to recognize trends of dimensional data and ensuring maintenance of 6S systems.

JOB DESCRIPTION DETAILS

Leadership

• Ensures company policies and guidelines, as set forth in the Corporate Human Resources Policy manual are followed; maintains a safe and clean work environment; ensures compliance with local, state and federal regulations.
• Continually and proactively demonstrates strong leadership and managerial skills in recruiting, selecting, training, motivating, reviewing, coaching, developing, and retaining a high-performance team.
• Conducts timely and accurate employee performance evaluations; addresses performance issues as needed. 
• Manages timecard activities of direct reports including tracking hours and monitoring/approving vacation and sick leave.
• Meets quality assurance financial objectives by estimating requirements; supporting an annual budget; scheduling expenditures; analyzing variances; initiating corrective actions.
• Analytical critical thinker with problem solving skills to review systems and proactively analyze solution that would meet standards and align with change management processes.
• Provide leadership direction with minimal direction for Change Control, Risk Impact, 8 Disciplines for problem solving.
• Strong discipline of product engineering with principles and practices of product and service quality assurance to lead team on critical judgement decisions.

New Product and Process Development

• Use lean management and process management to build on the quality system to improve efficiency and effectiveness and reduce risk to product quality.
• Lead cross-functional team members supporting corrective actions, FMEAs and Control Plans.
• Work with cross-functional teams to ensure a seamless transfer of new products to production, according to developed standards; ensure products and processes comply with the requirements of the Quality Management Systems (QMS).
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to construct and implement test plans for qualifying new products, process and equipment; detail requirements for First Article Inspection (FAI), Viega Production Approval Process and Supplier Production Approval Process (PPAP) develop ongoing inspection plans for incoming goods and manufacturing processes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on system/product design and production process requirements while performing and facilitating risk analysis, including assisting with Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) and/or other risk analysis for products and processes; follow up to ensure completion of resulting action items
• Conduct research and continually develop knowledge of Viega products and systems, including applicable applications, listings and standards.
• Plan and conduct testing and inspection of new and modified products and processes; review and report result and analysis.
• Assist with the development and validation of Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) programs; collaborate on product design in order to improve current measuring methods and confirm critical parameters on new product development.
• Understands and ensures conformance to current regulations and standards, monitors revisions and leads changes necessary to comply with new/revised regulations and standards.

Quality Inspections

• Manages manufacturing quality inspections to ensure products are manufactured according to quality standards; ensures all inspections are completed for dimensional, functional, and visual checks and ensures quality inspection results are updated in Computer Aided Quality (CAQ) systems.
• Manages incoming goods inspections for both manufacturing raw materials and logistics finished goods products.  Provides support on any issues related to these inspections.  Helps support the supplier complaint process as it relates to Metals production and communication with supplier engineer, purchasing, suppliers, and logistics as necessary.
• Assists in the development, training, and implementation of process control procedures; ensures established procedures and corporate issued Quality Assurance Policies are followed.
• Provides daily leadership to department on questionable products, product holds and Material Review Board distribution.
• Working according to deadlines, ensure tracking of product is maintained throughout manufacturing processing correctly.
• Observe and recognize patterns that may have impact on product compliance, field complaints and COPQ

Data Analysis and Quality Management System Support

• Establish, implement, and maintain QMS procedures, documents, work instructions, plant standards and control plans; follow-up to ensure processes and timelines are being followed.
• Assess product and system development progress through statistical analysis of specific performance and critical requirements as outlined in product literature, received from Product Management and/or associated listing agencies.
• Perform data analysis to improve process stability while supporting cross-functional teams to improve quality throughout the production process.
• Ensures manufactured products at Viega are updated in CAQ and QMS systems to ensure continuous quality improvements.  Researches and analyzes data in CAQ to determine trends of dimensional data.
• Perform reliability and performance testing simulating life cycle and/or real time applications; participate in failure analysis, risk analysis and corrective action investigations.
• Verify overall performance through capability analysis of measurement and production systems. 
• Monitor performance by gathering relevant data and producing various statistical reports.
• Conduct internal, external and supplier audits; complete all necessary reporting; respond to audit findings by proposing and implementing corrective action, as necessary.

3rd Party Audits

• Acts as internal liaison interacting with outside auditing agencies, including but not limited to National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), Internal Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), Underwriter Laboratories (UL), ICC, and Intertek; provides support in reviewing and collecting necessary products and information in order to maintain listings; follows up with corrective action as necessary in response to audit findings.

Computer Aided Quality Maintenance and Support

• Leads implementation, training, and ongoing support of CAQ software in compliance with standards and regulations.
• Leads implementation of new modules within CAQ as required.
• Provides daily support to any issues that may arise with CAQ.
• Understands and ensures conformance to current regulations and standards, monitors revisions and leads changes necessary to comply with new/revised regulations and standards.

Communications

• Communicates any quality issues to the proper personnel.
• Communicates important quality information to quality team; ensures proper communication transfers among all shifts.

Housekeeping

• Ensures 6S activities are followed while continuing to improve lab development and layout.

Other

• Attends meetings as required and/or assigned.
• Performs other duties as required and/or assigned

Special Job Dimensions

• Will be required to travel up to 25% of the time.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
• Knowledge of physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements
• Knowledge and proficiency of Microsoft Office Suite, CAQ, QMS and SAP, Power BI
• Knowledge of RCI, CAPA 8D Systems and root cause analysis
• Working Knowledge of Statistical Process Control
• Excellent time management and problem-solving skills
• Ability to engage in early planning stages to characterize sourcing, manufacturability, or programmatic risk to ensure product quality performance
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Capable of driving a culture of support, learning, continuous improvement and best practices to improve effectiveness of the organization
• Ability to lead and manage others in a team environment
• Ability to plan, organize and prioritize daily work schedules
• Ability to implement and enforce industry standards
• Ability to detect problems and implement best resolution
• Ability to perform with superior service, reflecting a positive company image while sustaining a positive attitude with those you interact with; always going above and beyond to help others out, regardless of their position or department
• Ability to adhere to the highest standards of quality while continually performing at the highest possible level
• Advanced knowledge of quality inspection tools
• Knowledge of math to compute measurements and perform studies
• Advanced Knowledge of GD&T
• intermediate knowledge of CMM programming
• Ability to perform and troubleshoot design and assembly of products for testing

Education, Certification/License & Work Experience

• B.S. degree or equivalent
• 1-2 years in management role (OPS / Quality / Engineering)
• 3-5 years of related experience in plant engineering discipline and leadership role
• 7-12 years of experience leading engineering / quality / manufacturing functional groups
• Experience supervising 12 – 15 direct reports across multiple shift operation
• Professional Engineer, Licensed (preferred)
• HVAC and/or plumbing design experience (preferred)
• ASQ certification for the “Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence (preferred)
• Green Belt Certified, Black Belt Certified (preferred)

Equivalent combinations of education and experience may be considered.

Your contact person:

Kristi Davis  -  Kristi.Davis@viega.us - +1 (620) 798-9010