Performance Leader - Converting

Company Overview

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family‑owned company headquartered in New York and Pennsylvania with manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada. We produce high‑quality personal care and household products, including baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, dishwash solutions and related raw materials. Our values of humility, unity and integrity guide us to leverage advanced technology and innovate to drive growth.

Performance Leader – Converting at First Quality Tissue Facility, Defiance, Ohio.

This position will be responsible for overseeing operators in production control activities to ensure efficient material and workflow to support production plans, promoting an action‑oriented safety culture and managing process improvements.

• Promote an action‑oriented safety culture, embracing safety as a core value, and lead by example to achieve an incident‑free workplace.
• Work with Quality to ensure finished product meets all quality standards.
• Display comprehensive knowledge of the paper‑making process.
• Comply with and model all First Quality safety and handbook protocols.
• Lead troubleshooting initiatives and implement root‑cause corrective actions for process upsets.
• Develop operator troubleshooting guides and write OJT procedures; serve as SME to identify and resolve issues and provide OJT to operators/leads.
• Provide mentoring and training resources to continually develop operator skills.
• Ensure teams audit critical process parameters daily/shift.
• Analyze data to troubleshoot and resolve production problems.
• Assist PE in resolving product specification issues.
• Demonstrate superior leadership in front of all team members, reinforcing FQT management direction and promoting positive change.
• Collaborate with Maintenance for daily, weekly, and monthly outage maintenance work planning.
• Maintain constructive relationships with Quality and Converting to resolve cross‑department issues.
• Support weekend work and alternate shifts as required to fulfill business needs.

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in the paper industry or a related continuous manufacturing process.
• Previous supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience in a lean manufacturing environment preferred.
• Standard knowledge of OSHA laws and regulations in manufacturing.
• Excellent time‑management and organizational skills.
• Above‑average troubleshooting skills.
• Analytical thinking – ability to identify underlying principles, reasons, or facts.
• Good leadership qualities – accountability, credibility, trust.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Intermediate computer skills.
• Detail oriented and thorough in completing work tasks.

First 6 months training in Anderson, South Carolina. Up to 50% travel during the first 24 months.

• 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 $2,500)
• Bundle‑of‑joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers for new‑baby team members)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• And more!

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or protected Veteran status.