Quality Assurance - Lab Supervisor

POSITION SUMMARY:


Reporting to the Quality Assurance Manager, the Lab Supervisor is responsible for overseeing daily product quality for all shifts in the molding department, ensuring that customer specifications are met. The incumbent will be a technical resource for supervision in the molding department and ensure that all products made and shipped to our customers meet design intent for fit, form and function. The incumbent has primary responsibility to manage and supervise all QA Lab Technicians and will plan and allocate resources to product analysis performed for other departments. Responsibilities in this role extend to supporting the Quality Engineering function and proactively identifying and driving Continuous Improvement projects to increase product quality, overall manufacturing efficiency and productivity while reducing cost and waste.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES:


• Manage the Quality Laboratory Technicians
◦ Be responsible and accountable for supervision of lab technicians, all shifts.
◦ Maintain lab technician job descriptions.
◦ Set objectives and expectations for technicians.
◦ Manage vacation schedules to ensure production is not adversely affected.
◦ Provide coaching and feedback to team members on performance and establishing Performance Improvement Plans where appropriate
◦ Communicate daily with auditors and team to evaluate and determine follow up actions, with factual details gathered.
◦ Identify vacancies and work required, discuss with Manager and HR to recruit and hire people as required.
◦ Ensure Lab Technicians perform daily duties as assigned.
◦ Provide timely feedback to auditors in a respectful, consistent, and appropriate manner
◦ Ensure Lab Technician training and back-up support is adequate and maintained.
◦ Complete necessary administrative functions for Lab Technicians, including payroll, attendance, and vacation needs.
• Achievement of Quality Performance Targets
◦ Participate in determining quality assurance objectives and be accountable for ensuring projects are properly planned out, executed and documented as per planned deadlines.
◦ Lead initiatives to recommend, develop and implement Continuous improvement projects within the QA function.
◦ Work with Tooling Management to analyze and report known issues and trends in tool outputs.
◦ Utilize Quality Engineering expertise to support the QA Engineer in solving quality and technical issues; ensuring that the Plant and its Quality Systems evolve and continuously improve as it relates to Quality and Food Safety requirements.
◦ Support the QA Engineer in achievement of Plant Continuous Improvement objectives and providing leadership in ensuring projects are supported with technical and troubleshooting assistance.
◦ Develop a thorough understanding of injection molding, thermoforming and IML technologies as well as dry offset plastic printing and shrink sleeving technologies.
◦ Support the Quality Engineer in working with stakeholders to ensure proper execution of all Test requirements (including sign off) for new equipment/products/processes for Molding and Printing
◦ The incumbent is backup for the QA Engineer
• Manage the Quality of Products
◦ Ensure that product quality inspection and test procedures are in place and are being properly executed to minimize defects and protect internal and external customers.
◦ Ensure timely and effective follow-up on customer product quality issues backed by thorough communication and reporting to stakeholders
◦ Support the Quality Manager and Quality Engineer by responding thoroughly to customer product quality issues within the 10 day PQI timeframe
◦ Conduct thorough investigations and root cause analysis of molding issues and internal problems within quality, using the Polytainers problem solving model, to effectively correct deficiencies and prevent reoccurrence. Assist auditors in investigating / troubleshooting product quality issues.
◦ Access daily quality reports ie. Daily PHR- Product Hold Report to determine any necessary follow up actions.
◦ Coordinate provision of technical information to internal customers such as Maintenance and Tooling, Molding, Printing, and Engineering, e.g. product measurements, evaluations of competitor products.
◦ Work with Engineering and Operations to assist in provision of technical data for external customer quality issues.
◦ Support external customer quality incident investigations through customer visits when requested.
• Report and Communicate
◦ Report on quality issues and any other issues of significance to the Quality Manager and QA Team.
◦ Ensure Quality Manager is kept