Quality Engineering Manager

Company Description

INFICON is a leading provider of innovative instrumentation, critical sensor technologies, and Smart Manufacturing/Industry 4.0 software solutions that enhance productivity and quality of tools, processes, and complete factories. These analysis, measurement and control products are essential for gas leak detection in air conditioning/refrigeration and automotive manufacturing. They are vital to equipment manufacturers and end-users in the complex fabrication of semiconductors and thin film coatings for optics, flat panel displays, solar cells and industrial vacuum coating applications. Other users of our vacuum-based processes include the life sciences, research, aerospace, packaging, heat treatment, laser cutting and many other industrial processes. We also leverage our expertise in vacuum technology to provide unique, toxic chemical analysis products for emergency response, security, and environmental health and safety.

Job Description

The Quality Engineering Manager reports to the Head of Operations Engineering and is responsible for overall quality in Operations including Supplier, Internal, and Customer Quality.  This role is a part of the Operations Management Team (OMT) and manages the Quality Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical & Supplier) and Quality Technicians.  The Engineering team is responsible for dispositioning, processing and determining 8D root cause for all discrepancies in production, all quality findings on products returned by INFICON’s customers, and all components from INFICON’s supply base. The Technician team is responsible for incoming material receiving inspection, First Article Inspection, tool/gage calibration processes, and control of inventory and movements for non-conforming material through Material Review Board (MRB) process through to disposition.

This role will need to lead a transition to an analytically based determination of internal, field, and supplier failure rates & failure modes and help INFICON to better leverage ERP system in capturing this critical information globally.  This individual must be a data-driven decision-maker and a driven individual with a proven ability to get collaborative buy-in while driving change within an organization

Essential Job Duties

Specific duties include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• Drive overall ISS Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) for continuous improvement and world class quality performance
• Manage and prioritize a team of Quality Engineers (Mechanical, Electrical, and Supplier) that are responsible for getting to root-cause and solving quality related issues that occur on the production floor & in the field along with performing validation work related to First Article Inspections/Engineering Changes.
• Ensure the team is using robust 8D methodology in performing investigations and is thoroughly documenting ongoing work to drive permanent corrective actions.  Measure and perform verification of the corrective actions to ensure issues are resolved.
• Work with all of Operations, Sales & Engineering functional groups to ensure the Quality Engineering team is providing updates on the status of ongoing investigations along with any temporary solutions that will allow INFICON to ship product while a permanent solution is implemented.
• Be a major contributor to the INFICON Global initiative to utilize the ERP system for collecting all customer field failure issues as well as the creation of a Global Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) metric
• Develop a strategy to optimize ERP system via the SAP Quality Module to drive efficiency and digitalization initiatives into Quality, including managing all QN, 8D Workflows, Material Management & Disposition, Supplier Scorecard Quality data, and intelligent incoming inspection
• Develop systems and analysis to utilize data to drive objective determinations of internal part & field failure rates as well as supplier quality and quality related trends such as Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)
• Work with INFICON’s Design Engineering teams to ensure any solutions involving a potential engineering change is properly vetted and clearly conveyed amongst all relevant groups
• Work with INFICON’s Strategic Sourcing team on developing and implementing a robust supplier selection & evaluation process and develop and implement a strategy for Supplier Quality engineer support to drive proactive quality improvements at suppliers, and optimizes supplier scorecard health
• Utilize Jira to manage the Quality Engineering team’s workload and make visible to the rest of the organization the status of ongoing investigations, including status for open, pending, in process, completed and aging
• Manage and prioritize the work for the team of incoming inspectors and drive an overall dynamic AQL strategy for inspections that optimizes team efficiency (skip lot to supplier hold)
• Work to ensure both internal & external customers are satisfied with the team’s response in dealing with the inevitable quality issues that arise in a manufacturing organization.
• Work jointly on a near-daily basis with INFICON’s Production, Planning, Purchasing, Commodity/Sourcing & Design Engineering teams

Qualifications

Behaviors

Behaviors necessary for this role include, but are not necessarily limited to:

• An analytical and data-driven individual who can utilize data to make objective determinations and communicate convincing stories based on facts and information
• A collaborative individual who will work well with other Global team members in developing solutions that benefit all of INFICON’s Business Units while also clearly articulating convincing arguments for positions on all relevant topics
• A strategic thinker who has a proven track record of being a problem solver and who can help INFICON take the next evolutionary step in the development of the overall Quality department
• Establish credibility & trust from all levels of the organization

Education and/or Experience

• Minimal requirement BS in an Engineering discipline with 5-7+ years’ experience in progressively more responsible engineering and management roles with a strong preference for at  least 5+ years of management experience. A master’s degree is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to implement & drive organizational change on initiatives and software implementations and/or solution upgrades/improvements
• Demonstrated knowledge of 8D process & root-cause analysis along with development of robust supplier quality systems
• Demonstrated history in the assessment, development and fostering of engineering talent
• Experience in high cleanliness, tight tolerance, and high mix manufacturing environments is preferred

Additional Information

For New York, the expected salary range for this position is between $110,000 and $150,000 per year. In addition, INFICON employees are eligible for a profit sharing bonus with a target of 10%.  The actual compensation will be determined based on experience, location, and other factors permitted by law

INFICON provides a dynamic work environment that promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion. Our employees experience ongoing green initiatives, flexible work hours, and a variety of health and wellness programs.

INFICON’s forward-thinking approach offers countless opportunities to design, support, and manufacture a diverse product portfolio that expands globally. Our Lean and Agile work environment offers competitive compensation, relocation assistance, a discretionary bonus, and generous employee benefits; major medical, dental, health, vision, 401K, vacation and sick time, tuition reimbursement, and more!

INFICON is committed to ensuring that our online application process provides an equal opportunity to all job seekers that apply without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, gender, age, protected veteran status, disability status, genetic information, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. A notice describing Federal equal employment opportunity laws is available here and here to reaffirm this commitment. 

INFICON, Inc. strictly complies with all aspects of the Export Administration Regulations ('EAR'), including those sections dealing with deemed exports to foreign nationals.