Contamination Specialist

The Asahi Kasei Group operates with a commitment of creating for tomorrow.  Our business sectors, Material, Homes, and Health Care, contribute to the development of society by anticipating the changing needs of those around the world. We look for candidates that offer a fresh perspective and a variety of skills to help us achieve our commitment.

Company:

Job Description:

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are seeking a Contamination Specialist to be a part of the quality team based in Charlotte, NC. This position directly reports to the Senior Director of Global Quality for Celgard and does not supervise others. Working in a team-centered environment, this role will directly contribute to the goals and objectives of the quality department for the facility by driving continuous improvement regarding contamination activities, ensuring contamination control, cleanroom compliance, and manufacturing readiness.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Support investigations, internal and external audits, training, and continuous improvement initiatives while collaborating with cross-functional teams to maintain quality, operational, and regulatory compliance through effective documentation, reporting, and contamination control practices.

• Create and implement contamination protocol as required by the plant and/or customer and collaborate with the Concord plant to align the contamination program and actions.

• Create and update contamination and other related quality documents.

• Complete monthly particle checks and self-assessment reports as required by customers.

• Track particle meter data, and complete root cause analyses for abnormal contamination events.

• Manage the particle control system which includes setting metrics and tracking those metrics in all areas, as well as Charlotte’s Intellect (formerly Zaptic) Contamination Reporting System.

• Work with different types of Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) camera systems to measure contamination samples.

• Review and report contamination results stakeholder.

• Create standard reporting formats for customer reporting.

• Support customer complaints associated with contamination.

• Analyze contamination reports and material composition data to identify trends and drive process improvements.

• Work with maintenance team to identify and track the metals we use in each process and implement corrective actions associated with metal contamination events.

• Lead contamination reduction projects with cross-functional teams in the Charlotte facility to resolve quality concerns and issues regarding contamination.

• Refine and implement cleaning tools and methods to drive improvements.

• Create Engineering/Capital request projects to help reduce scrap associated with contamination events.

• Track contamination improvements and presenting these to customers and manufacturing sites.

• Help sort and contain non-conforming products in the plant to prevent shipping to the customer.

• Facilitate and track contamination training at Charlotte and Concord plants.

Note: this description is intended to provide a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

QUALIFICATIONS

Combination of Education Background & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering, technology or related field with 2+ years of contamination control, environmental monitoring, or manufacturing quality assurance; 4+ years of professional experience in quality with an associate’s degree in science, engineering, technology or related field; or 6+ years of professional experience in quality with a high school diploma, required.

• Certification through the American Society of Quality (ASQ) in one of the following areas is preferred: ASQ/CQE, ASQ/CSSBB, ASQ/CSSGB, ASQ/CQA; or must be willing to obtain.

Additional Knowledge & Experience:

• Knowledge of qualification and validation (documented testing processes used in regulated industries) and manufacturing quality processes are required.

• Experience working in manufacturing within a cleanroom environment is required.

• Experience in creating and updating quality documents is required.

• Must have experience leading continuous improvement projects.

• Experience with SPC software, such as Minitab or Power BI, is required.

• Experience in conducting investigations, root cause analysis, implementing corrective and preventative actions if required.

Key Attributes:

• Effective planning, prioritization, and organizational skills are required; must be able to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.

• Must possess strong problem-solving and analytical skills with attention to detail.

• Must have a passion for improving the cleanliness of our manufacturing operations.

• Must possess technical aptitude for understanding and using technical tools.

• Ability to work independently under limited supervision is required.

• Must possess strong interpersonal skills that foster teamwork and conflict resolution.

• Strong written and oral communication skills are required, as well as presentation skills.

• Ability to work on a high performing team, contributing to an environment where open and honest communication is the norm, is required.

• Ability to identify and justify cost-effective process improvements through data analysis, trend identification, and fact-based decision-making is required.

ASAHI KASEI AND CELGARD VALUES

• Sincerity – Being sincere with everyone

• Challenge – Bolding taking challenges, continually seeking change

• Creativity – Creating new value through unity and synergy

TRAVEL

• Must be able and willing to travel up to 10%. Most of the travel will be to the Concord plant for training and collaboration. There is potential for traveling to other company sites in the future.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT

This position is in a manufacturing plant setting that would require working in a production environment around chemicals. Work will require standing and walking for up to 50% of the time. Lighting and temperature are adequate. You may be required to lift up to 30 pounds and/or force necessary to push, pull, or otherwise move objects.

Celgard manufacturing sites are IATF 16949 and ISO 9001 certified.

PERKS & BENEFITS

• Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits, effective 1st day of the month

• Flexible Spending Account & Health Savings Account

• Vacation + 8 Paid Holidays + 24 Hours of Floating Holidays

• 401K Safe Harbor Contribution + Matching

• Paid Parental Leave after a Year of Employment

• Employee Assistance Program

• Life & Disability Insurances

ABOUT US

For more than 50 years, Celgard has proven itself as a global leader in the development and production of high-performance membrane technology. Celgard specializes in solvent-free, dry-process, microporous membranes used as separators that are a major component of lithium-ion batteries that power a broad range of electric vehicles (EV) and energy storage systems (ESS). Celgard® membrane is also used in specialty applications such as satellites and military installations as well as other barrier-type applications like technical textiles for waterproof and breathable apparel. Headquartered in the United States, we operate manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and China and have sales and technical service staff located strategically throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.

Celgard, LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Polypore International, LP, an Asahi Kasei Company. With manufacturing facilities or sales offices in nine countries serving six continents, Polypore brings advanced development and manufacturing know-how as well as unique problem-solving capabilities to customers' lithium-ion battery development teams. The Asahi Kasei Group is a diversified group of companies led by holding company Asahi Kasei Corp., with operations in the material, homes, and health care business sectors. With more than 46,000 employees around the world, the Asahi Kasei Group serves customers in more than 100 countries. We are Creating for Tomorrow!

LOCATION INFORMATION

Charlotte, NC, known as the Queen City, is a thriving metropolitan area of over 2.6 million people across 15 counties. It is situated just north of the South Carolina border and is close enough to drive to the mountains and the beach in two-three hours. Charlotte brings diversity in people, industries and living, from urban to rural. It is ranked second among 25 largest cities for most desirable place to purchase a home by Nerdwallet.com and is ranked eighth among the top 10 big booming cities by CNNmoney.com. Charlotte is home of one of North Carolina’s largest college campuses, UNC Charlotte. Along with a friendly southern culture, Charlotte offers dining, arts, museums, major league basketball, a national football team, a soccer team, a minor league baseball team, NASCAR, shopping, festivals, a variety of amenities and quick access to several parks for people who love to get outdoors.

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As an equal opportunity employer, Asahi Kasei believes a diverse workforce will provide us with the ability to continuously support the changes in the economy, society, and environment.