Director of Process Engineering

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking an experienced Director of Process Engineer (Northeast) for our First Quality facilities located in McElhattan, PA and Lewistown, PA.

This position will be responsible for leading and implementing process engineering system management, principles, and best practices at all AbHy sites. These efforts include driving changes to align with all cross-functional departments to Process Engineering best practices and implement productivity improvement efforts that ensure we are the highest quality, lowest cost producer in the market. In addition, will provide systems, methods, and trainings to ensure teammembers have the appropriate information, knowledge, and skills to deliver best in class safety, quality principles, machine equipment, cost and system reliability to the marketplace.

Principal Accountabilities/ Responsibilities:

• Works closely with the cross functional Operations, Planning, Quality, Maintenance, and Engineering leaders to drive divisional alignment and projects for the Northeast sites of the AbHy division. 

• Drives efficiency improvement and scrap reduction efforts through the application of continuous improvement tools consistently across all plants.

• Provides roadmap and training for the effective implementation of reliability, center lining, pinning, and run to target processes using all available systems and resources across all plants.

• Sets standards for engineering systems and practices and drives these across the AbHy divisions of the company.

• Drives and owns productivity projects and involves plant personnel to achieve targets across all departments consistently across all plants.

• Provides specific expertise, training, and guidance on software, data analytics, SPC, and best practices using industry standard tools and processes.

• Builds a team to provide excellence in service and management of system and process reliability across the division.

• Plays a key role in partnering with cross functional teams to ensure raw materials and processes are meeting specifications and design parameters consistently at all sites.

• Ability to operate as an individual contributor and leader as needed based on business dynamics and facilitation needs.

• Supports and promotes safe practices and environmental commitments in alignment with company commitments, policies, and compliance requirements. 

• Develop proposals, budgets, CERs, and purchase recommendations as needed.

• Develops, implements, and facilitates training programs in engineering practices.

• Develops engineering improvement objectives and content to meet the needs of the team members.

• Facilitates and performs process engineering workshops.

• Additional duties as required.

Qualifications/ education and experience requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering

• Minimum of ten years of experience in a high-speed manufacturing environment and leading rapid continuous improvement.

• Minimum of five years of all business-related software systems experience.

• Black Belt/Six Sigma certification preferred.

Skills/ competencies requirements:

• Exceptional analytical problem solver and has training in SPC and DOE with demonstrated successes applying these principles.

• Proven track record of implementing new systems and procedures.

• Strong personal computer proficiency with MS Office and all related software

• Excellent communication skills both oral and written with executive presence.

• Demonstrated ability to act as a business partner.

• Data-driven, disciplined, objective and detail oriented. 

• Strong experience with lean manufacturing strategies used to reduce waste (i.e. - material pull system).

• Strong experience with Error Proofing and Design principles.

• THIS ROLE REQUIRES 20% TRAVEL TO OTHER FQ SITES AND SUPPLIERS.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities

• Paid time off (three-week minimum)

• Medical, dental and vision starting day one

• 401(k) with employer match

• Paid parental leave

• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)

• Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)

• Tuition assistance

• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums

• ...and more!