Quality Lab Manager Jobs in Kansas (NOW HIRING)

Owens Corning is investing in excess of $200 million to transform our Kansas City Fiberglass Insulation Plant-adding jobs, expanding capabilities, and shaping the future of manufacturing at a facility that has been a cornerstone of building products production for 80 years. We're looking for a Quality Lead who thrives on challenges, inspires teams, and delivers results that matter.

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The Quality Leader is responsible for ensuring our products meet our customers' exact requirements and that our processes are capable and consistent.  The position leads our plant Quality Systems ,the Quality Lab, QM Pillar, and customer interaction. The successful candidate will have demonstrated people leadership in prior roles and will continue to develop leadership skills in this role.

The Quality Leader demonstrates Owens Corning leadership capabilities by acting with accountability, delivering results through others, and applying strong technical judgment to ensure safe operations, capable processes, and consistent customer performance at the Kansas City plant.

This role integrates Quality and Process Engineering responsibilities to translate strategy into execution, enable plant capability, and drive continuous improvement through collaboration, disciplined problem solving, and databased decision making.

Reports to: Plant Technical Leader

Span of Control: 4 + Quality Lab Technicians

What You'll Do 

Live the OC Safety Stand and adhere to Employee Safety Responsibilities

• Demonstrates personal ownership for safety outcomes and reinforces accountability through actions and expectations
• Builds a culture where employees are empowered to identify risk, stop unsafe work, and improve processes
• Ensures quality and process changes follow disciplined risk assessment and MOC practices
• Models ethical decision making and compliance in all Quality and Process Engineering activities

Customer Focus

• Translates customer requirements into clear process controls, specifications, and standards
• Ensures Kansas City plant processes consistently meet customer performance expectations
• Leads customer interactions related to quality, process capability, and corrective actions
• Uses data to prioritize improvement opportunities that protect customers while supporting plant business objectives
• Actively work with OC Sales and S&T to stay current with customer needs, product performance in the field, and opportunities for expanded product offerings or performance

Technical Excellence

• Understand current manufacturing process capability, drive to reduce variation, and ensure product quality and consistency to improve the overall customer experience
• Ensure nonconforming products are not shipped to our customers and leads root cause analyses
• Ensure that all Customer Complaints and Hold tags are thoroughly investigated (root cause analysis), and eliminate repetitive issues
• Participate in TPM initiatives as QM Pillar leader and in other areas as necessary
• Ensure Insulation Operations maintains process standards and leverages knowledge for rapid deployment of best practices
• Promote a data-driven approach to all process and quality related problems
• Determine process consistency and capability (Cpk) in partnership with process engineers/manufacturing engineers and eliminates special causes of variation.
• Provide technical leadership for the Quality Lab.
• Serves as the plant Process Engineering point of contact for crossfunctional initiatives and improvements
• Actively participate in the manufacturing and quality engineering network and be a conduit for best practice sharing in the plant with respect to product quality and quality assurance

Leading and Developing Talent

• Facilitate quality related training to ensure understanding of customer requirements, process variables, SPC, procedures and practices, TPM, ISO management systems (as applicable) for all employees in the plant.
• Create and sustain a culture where Manufacturing Engineer talent is developed through effective technical training and provide appropriate feedback on individual performance and talent evaluation
• Act as Development Coach when appropriate for early career development participants
• Leads the plant quality lab technicians, developing capabilities and ensuring a high performing work group

K6 Product Qualification and Start up

• Collaborate with capital delivery and the K6 process engineer to ensure the quality lab includes all the necessary equipment
• Coordinate all calibration of new equipment and create standards to follow for calibration
• Create training material and standards for all new equipment added to the quality lab
• Coordinate and train all quality lab technicians and operators on all new quality test methods specific to K6
• Organize and coordinate all quality testing including sample coordination for product qualification

What We're Looking For / Job Requirements

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering or related discipline
• Six Sigma Green Belt and/or Lean Manufacturing experience and/or TPM

EXPERIENCE:

• Five years technical experience as a Manufacturing Engineer, Quality Engineer, or in technical environment.
• Proven results in driving product and/or process improvement in the manufacturing environment

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES:

• Utilizing TPM, data systems, SPC and Six Sigma methods to eliminate manufacturing losses and unnecessary costs
• Impactful verbal and written communications
• Business and financial acumen
• Strong planning, resourcing, and delegation skills
• Ability to engage and care for others, starting with safety
• Ability to achieve results quickly, both individually and through teams
• Demonstrates and inspires company spirit
• An inspirational leader

Candidates must be able to meet the physical and environmental requirements of working in a manufacturing setting at Owens Corning. This includes supporting a 24/7, fast-paced, and ever-changing environment in a non-climate-controlled facility. Essential physical capabilities include but aren't limited to the ability to lift up to 40 pounds, maneuver up and down stairs, and perform continuous standing, lifting, bending, and other physically demanding tasks.

Why Owens Corning?

• Be part of a $200M state-of-the-art transformation that will help shape the future of manufacturing in Kansas City.
• Lead in a plant with a proud 80-year history and a bold future.
• Join a global building products leader committed to innovation, sustainability, and being a strong community partner.

Experience a culture that prioritizes people and progress, grounded in values of caring, curiosity, collaboration, and commitment.

A bright future for Kansas City

In 2024, Owens Corning announced a major investment in a new fiberglass insulation production line at our Kansas City manufacturing facility. Scheduled to come online in 2027, this expansion strengthens our U.S. fiberglass insulation network and adds versatile capabilities for both residential and non-residential applications. The new line incorporates advanced technology to drive improvements in product quality, consistency, innovation, and sustainability. This investment underscores our commitment to serving customers, reinforcing our leadership in the market, and supporting economic growth in the Kansas City community.  

About Owens Corning  

Owens Corning is a residential and commercial building products leader committed to building a sustainable future through material innovation. Our products provide durable, sustainable, energy-efficient solutions that leverage our unique capabilities and market-leading positions to help our customers win and grow. We are global in scope, human in scale with more than 25,000 employees in 31 countries dedicated to generating value for our customers and shareholders and making a difference in the communities where we work and live. Founded in 1938 and based in Toledo, Ohio, USA, Owens Corning posted 2024 sales of $11.0 billion. For more information, visit www.owenscorning.com. 

Owens Corning is an equal opportunity employer. Except in limited circumstances such as formal apprenticeship programs, Owens Corning does not employ anyone under the age of 18.