Quality Engineer, Specialty Chemical Manufacturing (First QE Hire, Brand-New Fast-Scaling Plant) | 3655329

𝗔 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁-𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁, 𝗖𝗔 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗔𝗡𝗬

Pave Talent is hiring on behalf of our client, a global specialty chemical manufacturer standing up a brand-new production site in Fremont, CA as part of a major U.S. capacity expansion. The site's output feeds the electronics supply chain, including semiconductor and advanced-packaging customers, where quality is not a checkbox, it is the product.

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲

- Builders who want to help stand up a quality system from scratch, not maintain one that already exists

- Candidates with a genuine chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science background, not a mechanical or finished-component quality background

- People energized by ambiguity, not candidates who need an established playbook on day one

If you have spent years at a large, established quality organization running mature audit programs, this is probably not your next move.

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗢𝗣𝗣𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗬

You would be the first Quality Engineer hired for this product line, reporting to the Quality Assurance Manager and helping shape the quality system itself rather than executing against one already built. The team is expected to roughly double in size over the next year, and there is real room to grow as the site scales.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗜𝗟𝗟 𝗗𝗢

- Review incoming quality data daily across raw materials, intermediates, and finished product, driving root-cause analysis on discrepancies

- Partner directly with manufacturing and operations to solve quality problems on the floor

- Help formalize product and process specifications over time as the team defines what "in spec" looks like for new product lines

- Drive process change notifications through review, tracking, and closure, and communicate key changes to customers

- Support internal audits against ISO 9001:2015 and IATF 16949 as the site matures

- Link Corrective Action and 8-D reports to Process and Product Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (FMEA) and keep them current

- Administer the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and manage electronic certificates of analysis

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗞

Systems here are still being built, so you will not walk into a mature quality department with every process dialed in. Audits are not the primary focus in year one, so this suits someone who wants to build fundamentals first, not lead a certification push on day one.

𝗤𝗨𝗔𝗟𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦

𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱:

- Bachelor's degree in chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science (biology with strong chemistry coursework also considered)

- 2 to 5 years of experience in a quality, engineering, or technical role

- Comfortable building processes and documentation without an established playbook

- Able to work fully on-site in Fremont, CA, five days a week

- Authorized to work in the US without current or future sponsorship

𝗕𝗼𝗻𝘂𝘀 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀:

- Exposure to ISO 9001:2015 or International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949 quality systems

- Experience with a statistical/data analysis tool such as Minitab or JMP

- Familiarity with a LIMS, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, or complaint management software

- Some exposure to internal or customer quality audits

𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗕𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗙𝗜𝗧𝗦

𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: Performance-related bonus plan; medical, dental, and vision coverage; 401(k) with company match; paid time off and holidays; paid parental leave; tuition reimbursement and professional development.

𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲: Five days per week on-site (the facility runs 24/7).

Interested? Apply via LinkedIn and we will be in touch. Confidential search; your application is fully private.

𝗣𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 | 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱