Quality - Quality Technician

Job Description:
The Quality Control Technician manages the Optical Emission Spectroscopy (OES) Lab and is responsible for the facility gage calibration system and ensuring the accuracy and integrity of the product quality measurement data. The Quality Control Technician provides support for the Quality Management System (QMS) through auditing and documentation development and supports process improvements through a cross-functional team-based approach.

Qualifications:
Education- High School Diploma or Equivalent
Experience- 2 Years Manufacturing Experience
Certifications- N/A
Job Specific Knowledge and Skills-
Absolute commitment to an incident-free, safe working environment. Demonstrated ability to work in a cross-functional improvement team environment. Drive to learn and apply continuous improvement techniques such as Lean and Six Sigma. Strong ability to drive positive change and continuous improvement. Excellent verbal/written communication, coaching, and mentoring skills.

Job Responsibilities:
1. Assist in identifying chemistry-related causes of defects
2. Provide real-time quality feedback to production during abnormal conditions
3. Assist with customer or internal investigations related to chemical composition or measurement data
4. Support preparation of quality data for customer submissions or inquiries
5. Maintain and execute preventive maintenance schedules for OES, gages, and lab equipment
6. Identify adverse trends and escalate concerns before product nonconformance occurs
7. Support customer, internal, and third-party audits related to laboratory and measurement systems
8. Participate in corrective action development and effectiveness verification
9. Support standardization across shifts by identifying gaps in work instructions or training
10. Support trials, process changes, and new product introductions from a quality measurement standpoint
11. Monitor and trend data using statistical tools to evaluate system performance and proactively identify and address potential failure modes. (rejected logs, UT results, chemical composition, etc.)
12. Maintain required documentation (e.g. laboratory records, test results) in hard copy and/or electronic format according to laboratory work instructions and customer requirements
13. Coach and train operators to provide consistent and reliable test results (e.g. OES spectrometer, facility gaging system, water analysis, etc.)
14. Perform routine spectrometer inspection, calibration, and maintenance
15. Troubleshoot and repair instrumentation, leveraging equipment vendors as needed.
16. Develop and maintain OES testing work instructions and one-point lessons as needed.
17. Maintain retained samples in accordance with work instructions and customer requirements
18. Perform other analytical duties and process improvements as assigned.
19. Lead initiatives and efforts focused on EH&S, quality, and process improvement
20. Leads in the development and management of system documentation including but not limited to: work instructions, one point lessons, preventative maintenance, safety procedures, and others as directed
21. Participation in the implementation and improvement of a quality management system “QMS”
22. All other duties as assigned
23. Must have ability to work Overtime as needed

Communication & Relationships:
Plant Manager - exchanging information regarding quality defects, cast length and other pertinent information. Provide advice on quality matters at the plant level
Plant Employees-Provide training and advice on policy and procedure

Physical Effort:
Occasional lifting of heavy objects, up to 50 Lbs. Regular office work. Data Entry.

Authorities:
Product & Process Control

• Approve or reject material based on OES results, chemical composition, and defined acceptance criteria
• Place material on quality hold and require re-sampling or re-testing when results are nonconforming, suspect, or out of trend
• Stop testing or product release when measurement systems, data integrity, or process conditions do not meet requirements

Measurement Systems & OES Lab

• Authorize calibration status and fitness-for-use of OES spectrometers and facility gaging equipment
• Remove equipment from service when calibration, verification, or performance requirements are not met
• Enforce approved testing methods, sample preparation, and retained sample controls per work instructions and customer requirements

Data Integrity & Documentation

• Validate and release quality measurement data used for production and customer compliance decisions
• Require correction of incomplete, inaccurate, or noncompliant laboratory and quality records
• Ensure proper data retention, traceability, and documentation control within assigned systems

Training & Standard Work

• Train, qualify, and require retraining of operators performing OES testing and quality measurements
• Enforce adherence to standard work, best practices, and approved testing procedures

Quality Management System

• Identify, document, and escalate quality nonconformances related to measurement systems or testing practices
• Initiate corrective actions and participate in root cause analysis and continuous improvement activities
• Support internal audits and verify closure of assigned corrective actions

Continuous Improvement & Safety

• Lead or participate in quality, EH&S, and process improvement initiatives
• Escalate risks affecting product quality, safety, or compliance to the Technical Services Manager
• Engage equipment vendors and technical resources for troubleshooting and system performance support

Working Conditions:
Frequent exposure to molten metal at temperatures reaching 1300°F. Frequent exposure to extreme ambient temperatures depending on the season. Frequent exposure to overhead loads. Occasional exposure to noise. Occasional travel.
Reports to: Technical Service Manager
Number of Direct reports: 0