Quality Manager

Job description

General Information

Location:

·  City:Winona
·  Country:USA
·  Region:North America

Job Category: Industrial
Job Type: Regular
Type of Contract: Permanent
Working time: Full-time
Work schedule: Day shift

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program.

Composite Materials is a top-tier supplier to the aerospace engineered materials market known for its expertise in design materials and process engineering. We deliver optimal material
solutions to address our customer’s most challenging demand for new high-performance materials that reduce weight, improve aerodynamics, and ultimately lower the total part costs for customers. The business supplies composites technologies to civil and military aircraft manufacturers which comprises the
majority of sales, with the balance of sales into various industrial markets.

Job Overview and Responsibilities

Manage the Quality function at the Winona, MN facility by continuously improving our quality performance and fulfilling the demanding expectations of our customers.  This position will drive a site wide quality mindset and implement proper process control techniques to control quality at the process line.  In addition this position will be responsible for implementation and maintenance of the sites quality system, which meets customer and internal requirements.  The system shall meet the requirements of AS 9100, NADCAP AC 7124, and NADCAP AC 7122.  The Quality Manager position has responsibility for all aspects of the development and maintenance of an effective quality assurance program to ensure that the composite products meet Cytec, customer, and governmental regulatory standards and specifications. 

(Wt.  20%)1.Manage and refine the site Quality System to ensure both customer and internal requirements are consistently met.  The system must meet the requirements of AS-9100, NADCAP and any additional customer requirements.  Administer and develop assigned personnel: Directs and participates in the hiring and training of Quality Engineers, Lab Supervisor, Configuration and Certification Specialists.

(Wt. 20%)2.  Customer/Vendor Interface – Coordinate the site customer and supplier issues dealing with testing and/or product quality problems.  This may require travel to both customer and vendor facilities to evaluate testing procedures/problems.  The incumbent also handles specification review and customer audits.  Coordinates yearly supplier verification as per established or updated procedures.

(Wt. 20%) 3.  Final Quality Product Certification – The incumbent is responsible for the verification that the final product certification meets the customer’s requirements and overall product expectations.

(Wt. 10 %)4. Product Resite and obsolescence issues – Lead the process of transferring products from one Cytec site to another as well as re-qualification of raw and finished products due to obsolescence issues.

(Wt.  30 %)5. Develop, implement, and review key quality process indicators to ensure manufacturing is producing in spec product with the least waste and cost.  Lead APQP and FMEA analysis of the process and design and implement improvements that drive at the source quality improvements.  Move the organization to quality control at the process line.

Education and Experience

·  BS degree in engineering is required along with 3-5 years of progressive experience in Composite Materials Quality Assurance or equivalent.  
·  Incumbent must have prior experience in supervision and management along with good inter-personal, communication and computer skills. Technical Quality experience is preferred over quality systems experience. 
·  Requires administrative skills to coordinate and facilitate efforts with other departments on site (Technology, Production, Engineering, Sales, Order Fulfillment) as well as other sites within CEM.  Must also have a background in dealing with the budget preparation and cost control, as the incumbent is responsible for both capital and expense budgets related to Quality.
·  An understanding of Quality Systems including but not limited to NADCAP and AS 9100.  Overall, the position requires a combination of managerial, technical, and administrative skills developed from experience in previous lower level jobs.
·  Will manage a staff of 5 Exempt and Non-Exempt employees
·  Directly accountable for testing and certification of more than $100 million in annual sales.

Skills

The Quality Manager must possess strong leadership skills including the capability to be a good listener. The manager must be capable of handling upset customers, remaining calm, and taking an analytical approach to problem solving. The manager must be capable of mentoring and coaching others within the department to guide them in resolving technical issues.  The incumbent must have the ability to lead process and system improvements across the plant pertaining to quality. Must have the ability to accept a high level of accountability with little direction from manager, a self starter.
·  This position will lead the quality engineering group to analyze production processes using tools like Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP), lean and six-sigma to implement process controls at the line that improve quality, reduce waste and increase consistency.  The quality manager will report continuous improvement results to GBU quality organization through the CAB meetings.
·  The Quality Manager interacts with Sales, Production, Order Fulfillment and Technology to ensure testing programs are established that meet both internal and customer requirements.
·  The incumbent is responsible for maintaining and improving upon the Quality system as developed around AS 9100.   This system must meet and exceed both customer requirements and internal requirements.  To ensure compliance, procedures and systems must be internally audited.  The system performance through final product certification is the responsibility of the incumbent.
·  Customer interface regarding specification, testing, contract review specification and product performance problems become the main responsibility of the incumbent.  As most products produced are manufactured to customer specifications, this may require travel to the customer and to the vendor facilities to evaluate testing and product problems. Also expected to manage Customer Supplier Quality Interface System (CARs, QNs, ect) and respond to and complete supplier surveys
·  Many customers annually audit the facility Quality system and associated practices.  The Quality Manager is responsible for coordinating, and hosting these audits.  Audits are typically performed to the customers’ specification requirements.
·  To ensure that products are produced and tested to the highest standards, it is imperative that procedures are constantly reviewed and new procedures implemented when applicable.  The incumbent is responsible through direct and indirect reports in each area to ensure these procedures are reviewed and updated on a regular basis as required.  Sound statistical techniques shall be used to analyze and resolve product issues in a timely manner.  The incumbent shall have final authority when quality standards of a product are in question.
·  The final product certification is the culmination of testing and inspection results.  The incumbent is responsible for insuring that the final product certification customer has been prepared per requirements prior to shipment.  Any major deviations or non-conformance’s are to be documented and brought to the incumbent’s attention.
·  The incumbent is responsible for ensuring suitable FOD, housekeeping and safety programs and policies are maintained and followed in all the quality areas.  This responsibility includes preparation and presentation of safety items in conjunction with the plant SHE Manager and various direct reports. 
PROBLEM SOLVING
A major area of problem solving includes cause and corrective action for materials failing to meet customer specifications.  Sound technical understanding of composites and resin chemistry is a must. The incumbent and direct reports are directly responsible for testing problems and indirectly responsible from a support standpoint in identifying and solving processing problems.  Problems encountered with specifications (both internal and external) are handled and delegated by the incumbent.  

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.