Product Development Engineer

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Product Development Engineerfor our First Quality Baby Products sitelocated in Macon, GA.  This position will be responsible for leading product development projects and selecting technologies to use to meet customer demands. Successful candidate will work with and provide technical expertise for continuous improvement activities of the process teams for new and existing products within the FQBP facility. This role will also work in collaboration with each facility’s Quality Manager and Product Development resources (including benchmarking and sharing of best practices). This individual must be able to participate in plant trials and train others in testing methods.

Primary responsibilities include:

• Promotes an action-oriented safety culture, embracing safety as a core value, instilling and exemplifying a safety mindset for all team members resulting in an incident free workplace.

• Works in conjunction with Quality department to ensure finished product satisfies all finished product quality standards.

• Investigates new technologies and applies them to baby diapers and pants.

• Assists in planning, conducting, analyzing, and interpreting technical services.

• Responsible for project planning and execution on commercial and pilot line trials.

• Responsible for evaluating analytical data and relaying the information to non-technical personnel.

• Develops proprietary technology with equipment and/or process changes to meet evolving customer needs with the lowest cost solution.

• Responsible for organizing Product Development pipeline and consumer testing plans.

• Responsible for Product Development capital projects.

• Maintains a high level of professionalism at all times.

• Performs other duties as defined

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or Materials Science preferred.

• Minimum of 5 years in Project or Process Engineering experience.

• Minimum of 5 years in industrial experience.

• Minimum of 2-5 years Product Development experience.

• Experience in a lean manufacturing environment preferred.

• Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

• Ability to develop and organize multiple projects.

• Ability to work with a diverse, cross-functional team of professionals to deliver against key objectives and timelines.

• Knowledge and understanding of nonwovens, absorbent hygiene, and diaper converting processes preferred

• Specific expertise in the following areas:

  • Project Management

  • Consumer Testing

  • Material Testing

  • Equipment design

  • Trial planning and execution

  • Intellectual Property

• Knowledge of material science and analytical testing procedures.

• Knowledge and use of statistical analysis.

• Knowledge and use of Design of Experiments.

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Minitab, as well as other office systems.

• SAP knowledge preferred.

Our work environment includes office, lab, manufacturing, and warehouse settings that may or may not be climate controlled. Successful candidates must be able to work in a hearing conservation environment and around fast moving equipment.

Physical requirements include:

• Walk/stand often during an 8-hour shift.

• Occasional stooping, bending, kneeling, and squatting throughout shift.

• Occasional reaching overhead during shift.

• Occasional pushing and pulling with arms and legs throughout shift, including materials requiring up to 50lbs of force to maneuver.

• Occasional lifting or carrying of boxes weighing up to 50lbs.

• Constant use of hands throughout shift.

• Constant light and firm grasping with hands throughout shift.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities

• Paid time off (three-week minimum)

• Medical, dental and vision starting day one

• 401(k) with employer match

• Paid parental leave

• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)

• Bundle of joy benefit (year's worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)

• Tuition assistance

• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums

• ...and more!