Quality Engineer

Background & Purpose of the Job

The Kilbourn Quality Engineer role provides leadership to ensure the manufacturing process and finished products comply with all applicable regulatory requirements, customer, and company expectations for the manufacturing of quality and safe products. This key Quality role focuses on optimization, digitization, Kaizens, and innovations related to quality and plant initiatives. Reports through Site Quality Leader to Site Director.

Who You Are & What You’ll Do

• Develop, lead, and drive optimization and Kaizens related to top plant and quality losses.

• Maintains, develops, and uses operational knowledge of various IT support systems used for Quality applications.

• Define Statistical Process Control methods for use in setting targets and limits for operational areas.  Manage and train plant in statistical methods for the analysis of production operations.

• Supports innovation funnel activities within the supply chain. Works with internal and external customers of the innovation.

• Assess training and development needs for the Quality Technicians related to quality program.

• Manages and ensures compliance with the quality management system through communication, training, and internal/external audits at all levels.

• Lead data collection, analysis, and assignment to standard Quality loss trees in support of operational KPIs reporting.

• Implement and verify site calibration and maintenance program for inspection, measuring and testing equipment. Coordinate performance of lab equipment capability studies. 

• Co-lead Quality Pillar activities in UMS and provide additional technical expertise to the plant for trouble shooting quality issues.

• Utilizes SAP QM and Unilever specifications including SAP PLM & ECC and supports verification of use for quality purposes.

• Supports the implementation and verification of procedures to control non-conforming materials and products.

• Supports / participates in structured quality improvement activities related to customer, consumer issues and PQS gaps.

• Supports implementation and on-going verification of category / technology GMP as applicable to the site.

• Supports implementing and assessing of on-going compliance to in-take control program for received materials and packaging.

• Track and trend consumer complaint data to ensure focused improvement within gaps.

• Reports and communicates results, issues, and improvements to relevant stakeholders.

• Interprets, applies, and enforces all company policies, programs, regulations, and safety/Environmental rules.

You’re a strategy guru:You drive continuous improvement through UMS programs and direct the team from reactive to preventive approach.

You’re a teacher: You are a SME… a Subject Matter Expert! You have the knowledge and will share that knowledge within Unilever and at our valued manufacturing partners.

You’re a changemaker:You love the concept of continuous improvement. You have the tools to impart significant change for the better

You’re a culture & change champion:Quality must be cultural by nature, and it flows from the highest levels of management in an organization to all staff & personnel. You have a strong desire to be the influencer of change toward quality excellence.

You transform data into actions: Perform required quantitative and qualitative product & ingredient analyses and maintainaccurate reporting. Review, monitor and take appropriate actionregarding production processes to ensure conformance with critical factors, specification and plant and regulatory policies.

You generate breakthrough ideas: Participate on Focused Improvement teams in solving product/process losses with R&D, Engineering, Production supervisors and operators utilizing SPC, UMS or other appropriate problem-solving methods.

What You’ll Need To Succeed

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical/Mechanical/Industrial Engineering, or a related field.

• 1-3 years’ experience in related discipline; management level experience preferred.

• Programming proficient – Power BI, MS Office tools, SAP/ERP, Sharepoint

• Statistics experience – SPC knowledge

• Familiar with Quality/food safety programs including HACCP, SSOP, Integrated Pest Management, FDA cGMP, TPM/UMS

• Ability to apply mathematical operations using algebra, fractions, statistical analysis, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis etc.

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions with minimal guidance.  Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form.