The Requirements
To meet the basic qualification for this role, you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. In addition, to be a good fit for the Technical Quality Manager opportunity, you will have:- A bachelor of science degree, preferably in Engineering or Quality
- 10+ years of quality experience with at least 5 years in management roles Quick question for you - click here
- 5 to 7 years of experience with automotive or similar quality system requirements (APQP, PPAP) in a manufacturing environment; Toyota Production system and Toyota SCM experience is strongly preferred
- Experience working with ISO9001 or QS900/TS16949
- Experience working with Japanese customers, preferably in the automotive industry
- In-depth technical analysis experience, including:
- Leading task force teams
- Failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) and fault tree analysis (FTA)
- Design of experiments (DOE/MVT) and Six Sigma
- Root cause analysis (RCA) using 8D, 5-why, and/or similar methods
- Internal auditing experience
- Strong knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and experience with statistical software packages, ideally Minitab
- Proficiency in MS Office applications
- Individual initiative and a sense of urgency
- Strong attention to detail
- Adaptability to rapidly changing conditions
- Strong interpersonal skills, including listening, written communication and public speaking
- Demonstrated team skills, including team organization, leadership and facilitation
- Certifications through the American Society for Quality, such as CQE, CQA, CQM/OE
- Experience with blown film processing, plastics and/or coatings
- Six Sigma black belt certification
- Bilingual skills in English and Japanese
The Role
Reporting to the Director, Global Quality, you will join a quality team that includes 30 professionals in the three plants. Internally you will work with plant Quality Managers and their teams, Engineering, R&D, Sales and other functions. You also will interact extensively with quality engineers in customer organizations. As the liaison among these stakeholders, you will:- Provide expertise in quality systems Quick question for you - click here
- Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting quality issues
- Lead efforts to resolve customer complaints
- Define quality requirements for new programs in the manufacturing process of high-performance membrane separators
Right off the bat you will focus on new programs, helping define requirements and ensuring best practices in advanced product quality planning (APQP) and production part approval process (PPAP). As you focus on tactical elements of new programs, you'll be in a position to see the big picture and identify potential system improvements. You'll share best practices and other learnings across the company.
More specifically, you will:
- Identify and implement best practices globally to drive improvements in systems and process quality in alignment with automotive requirements
- Develop and administer APQP, and oversee the development of PPAPs, part submission warrants (PSWs) and external qualification packages
- Monitor process capability and lead task force teams and implement lean / Six Sigma projects
- Lead investigation of customer complaints, including
- Developing and auditing corrective / preventive actions for customer complaints
- Assuring corrective actions identified through problem resolution efforts remain effective
- Lead the implementation of ISO9001:2015/ IATF standards across the plants, including overseeing preparations for external audits (QMS & EMS)
- Assist with internal audits to assure conformity to ISO-9001, and support / train internal auditors as needed
- Lead customer qualification audits
- Support development of quality metrics (such as COQ) and monitor them globally
What's in It for You
Global impactWe are pursuing an aggressive worldwide growth strategy, and you will play a critical role in that effort. Among other contributions, you'll help standardize quality processes across all three facilities.
Move the needle
As you can see under The Role, this is a broad position that will enable you to make a difference in multiple areas. For example, the position will challenge your expertise in both quality systems and customer quality. While there will be some reactive work, there is also a strong proactive focus.
Professional development
In addition to being involved in our processes from R&D to commercialization, you will interact with a wide variety of internal and external contacts. We support our employees' career aspirations and we are committed to promoting from within whenever possible.
Evolution and innovation
Our products are used in a wide variety of applications, from electric drive vehicles (EDVs) to consumer electronics devices. You can probably find a Celgard membrane in products you own, such as computers, smartphones and other devices. These products are constantly changing and evolving, and you will help ensure we maintain high quality standards as we innovate.
Strong resources for success
You will become part of a large quality organization within Celgard, sharing ideas and insights with other talented professionals. In addition, as we collaborate with Asahi Kasei's vast technical teams and strong technical network, our mission is aggressive growth and innovative technology. Come be a part of that adventure,
Great work environment
We promote a performance culture with high-energy teams that encourage cross-functional collaboration with individual contributions. Continuous improvement is an integral part of that culture.
Green is the present and future
As a technology-driven company tied to the green energy sector, we are poised for ongoing growth as tech products from cell phones to EDVs continue to play an increasing role in people's lives.
Competitive compensation
Celgard is committed to providing competitive pay and benefit programs that meet the needs of our employees and their families. We recognize that our greatest asset is our people and that they deserve the best support. In addition to a competitive salary and bonus potential, we offer comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, a 401(k) plan, holiday and vacation pay, and more.
Pictured: advancements in Li-ion battery technology have charged the electric EDV industry.
Keys to Success
We understand that there will be a learning curve, but we'll also look to you to be proactive about getting up to speed quickly. There will be lots going on at any given time, so you'll need to be adept at managing multiple activities and priorities.As a veteran of change management, you know that it can be challenging, even in a continuous improvement culture. You'll need to help others understand the changes and work to get buy-in. In the process, there will be opportunities for you to coach and educate others. For the most part a collaborative approach will work well, but there may be occasions when you'll need to be assertive.
As you interact with customers and partners, you should make a point of developing solid relationships to facilitate problem solving and other efforts. Our customers, particularly automotive suppliers, have high expectations, and we often have to respond to issues quickly and with short notice. If you have automotive industry experience you're probably used to this; if not, you may need to adjust to the pace.
While you will lead higher-level strategic initiatives, there also will be times when you need to get hands on. In fact, you can expect to spend a good portion of your time out on the production floor. You should be an expert problem solver who is as comfortable leading teams as you are contributing as a team member.
About Us
Celgard is a global leader in the development and production of specialty microporous membranes and is one of the largest suppliers to the lithium battery industry. Our battery separators are among the most highly-engineered and critical components of lithium battery systems. They provide a barrier between the anode and the cathode, preventing short circuits, while enabling the exchange of lithium ions from one side of the battery to the other.Celgard has a long history of supplying separators for portable handheld devices such as notebook computers, mobile telephones, and digital cameras. And because of their unique characteristics and reliable performance, our separators are quickly being adopted into emerging high-performance applications including lithium power tools, backup power and electricity grid management systems, and -- most significantly -- electric drive vehicles (EDVs).
With company headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, and battery separator manufacturing facilities in the United States and Asia, we are ideally positioned to serve the just-in-time needs of a global market.
Celgard is a division of Polypore, an Asahi Kasei Group company. The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. Its electronics operations include a broad range of high-performance energy/electronics materials such as the Hipore™ lithium-ion battery separator, photosensitive dry film used in the production of printed wiring boards, and photomask pellicles used in the production of LCD panels and semiconductors. With more than 30,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries.