GrafTech International is a global company with over 130 years of experience in the graphite industry. We are a leading manufacturer of high quality graphite electrode products essential to the production of electric arc furnace steel and other ferrous and non-ferrous metals. GrafTech International is the leader in the graphite industry focused on maximizing customers’ bottom lines and providing unparalleled service, while developing cutting-edge technology that sets the standard in the steel industry.

GrafTech International has an opening for a Quality Assurance Manager. The position will be based out of the facility in St. Marys, PA.

Primary Function:

Manage the development and application of quality systems and process related statistical process control programs at the plant. Guarantees a product at global competitive quality through compliance to quality variables, best practices and continuous improvement. Contributes to implementation of technology development to improve processes, product and / raw materials. Maintains relationship with Production department for Operative conditions and control of process variables. Oversees the lab operations and ensures the integrity and accuracy of data. Supports corporate objectives and worldwide quality organization.

Description of Responsibilities:

• Ensure satisfied customers by maintaining high quality standards of manufacturing systems and products.
• Assure compliance with the procedures of the corporate quality management system (and ISO 9001, as applicable). To guarantee the control of the process and thus comply with the established requirements.

• Supervise and ensure the reliability of the plant laboratory.
• Facilitate the training and development of the personnel of the Quality department.

• Ensure compliance with product traceability and the integrity of the data in our quality database.

Including audits of internal and external quality assurance systems.

• Develop and implement the action plans to solve issues found in the customer and / or corporate quality audits. Work with Customer Technical Service (CTS) to implement approaches for better performing products, assist investigation into troubleshooting or field performance problems.
• Analyze internal and external failures of the product and recommend corrective actions.
• Lead the investigations related to customer complaints in order to find the root cause and establish action plans to avoid recurrence. to eliminate the root causes of customer complaints
• Technical problem solving associated with raw material choices, material substitutions and processing changes.

• Coordinates the planning, implementation and/or interpretation of plant trials and trial results. Participate in GrafTech trials programs aimed at improving product performance.

• Define, adopt and verify the application of process standards. Work with and provide guidance on quality for plant process managers and engineers.
• Maintain compliance with corporate best practices and participate in quality audits.
• Maintain relationship with Production department for operative conditions and control of process variables.
• Support the implementation of technology development in the GrafTech Plant in St. Marys to improve processes, product and / raw materials.
• Plans and controls to assure compliance to quality variables, best practice and continuous improvement written in GrafTech Quality System.
• Works with R&D and Central Engineering on Process Technology.
• Has a high level of skill in interpreting and solving problems. Makes product and process decisions and/or improvement recommendations to management.
• HSEP leader for QA department; primarily quality change management impacting HSEP. Strong support of compliance with all internal GTI and regulatory requirements.

Competencies:

• Customer Focus
• Decision Quality
• Functional / Technical Skills
• Perseverance
• Priority Setting
• Problem Solving
• Technical Learning
• Timely Decision Making
• Integrity & Trust
• Managing Through Systems

Knowledge / Skills / Experience:

• Should have at least 8-10 years’ experience; preferably in the carbon and graphite business
• BS degree in engineering
• Six Sigma (Black Belt strongly preferred)
• Have sound technical understanding of raw materials, processes and facilities
• Strong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to communicate ideas, to implement technology, and to introduce innovative approaches to maintain and then constantly improve product quality.
• Ability to communicate with other GrafTech facilities worldwide.
• Quality management training on SPC, ISO9000, Design of Experiments and Quality Engineering knowledge.
• Experience with Minitab and statistical software tools.