WestRock - Quality Manager, Evadale, TX

The Opportunity:

The Quality Manager (I) position serves as an interface between the Evadale Board Mill and its customers and will help drive continuous improvement through various activities. You will lead the investigation of customer complaints to identify root causes/corrective actions and generate technical responses to communicate results. These communications are important, as the information contained within them directly affects the financial status of WestRock and its customers. You will also partner with mill personnel to help implement corrective actions necessary to reduce field complaints and internal off-grade metrics. This will require the individual serving in the role to generate and analyze reports pertaining to complaint data and paperboard quality parameters. Provides technical assistance to WestRock’s Packaging business segment and its customers. This assistance includes emergency troubleshooting calls (on-site and by phone), conducting plant audits, account maintenance, training, and other customer requested technical services.

One of the primary skills necessary to perform this job effectively is good verbal and written communication. Communication will be required at numerous levels ranging from upper-level management to Operations and Technical department employees within the Evadale Mill, other groups within the WestRock system (TS&Q and CQC) and customer/end user facilities.

Understanding papermaking operations and the various converting operations that utilize Evadale’s products is also critical. This allows the position holder the ability to discern whether reported quality/complaint issues resulted from paperboard manufacturing or from downstream converting processes. These findings have to be explained to the mill and customer to help justify payment or rejection of complaints.

This position will also be an active participant in preventing customer complaints through monitoring of process data and machine conditions at the time of manufacture. The successful candidate will be capable of auditing and monitoring machine’s physical conditions as well as process data.

How You will impact WestRock:

• Investigate field complaints to perform root cause and corrective action assessment and generate technical responses to customers and/or WestRock’s Commercial, TS&Q and CQC teams.

• Partner with appropriate mill personnel to help implement corrective actions necessary to prevent recurrence of quality issues.

• Provide accurate and timely service, audit, quality, and technical consultation.

• Provide support and assistance for engineering/design improvements and changes.

• Coordinate correspondence between Evadale Mill and WestRock’s Commercial, TS&Q and CQC teams and/or customers regarding product quality, COA’s and related information.

• Generate, analyze, and report on Evadale’s quality complaint statistics to help mill personnel identify trends and areas for continued improvement.

• Daily/Weekly monitoring of process data and overall machine cleanliness/physical conditions.

• Responsible for conducting business with integrity and respect, being accountable, and actively pursuing excellence to help achieve WestRock’s Path to One goal.

What You need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree in technical discipline strongly preferred, with consideration also given to candidates with work experience in the pulp and paper industry.

• Strong statistical, analytical, and diagnostic problem-solving skills.

• Proficiency with Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Minitab. Knowledge of SAP is a plus.

• Good verbal and written communication skills for dealing with diverse audiences.

• Strong work ethic and desire to improve systems and processes.

• Field service and professional work experience of 5+ years.

• Knowledge of paperboard quality characteristics.

• Experience with sheeting processes and equipment.

• Experience with die cutting and folding /gluing processes and equipment.

• Supervisory experience with a printing or converting operation a plus.

• Aligned with our company values of Integrity, Respect, Accountability, and Excellence

• Travel with some nonstandard work weeks/ hours.

What we offer

• Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability, and excellence.

• Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities

• An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies and potential.

• A benefit package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!

• A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.

WestRock (NYSE:WRK) partners with our customers to provide differentiated paper and packaging solutions that help them win in the marketplace. WestRock's team members support customers around the world from locations spanning North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Learn more at www.westrock.com.

WestRock is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We strive to create and maintain a diverse workforce where everyone feels valued, respected, and included. WestRock does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law.