Job Title: Process Quality Engineer
Location: Oakville, ON,
Department: Quality
Status: Full-time
Work Arrangement: In-Office

The Company:
Polar Performance Materials was founded in 2012 and produces ultra-high purity alumina (HPA) using a proprietary low-carbon process. The factory, located in Oakville Canada is powered with electricity generated by Niagara Falls. Polar’s HPA is increasingly necessary to manufacture products used in high growth, high purity semiconductor applications. Other applications include LEDs, lithium-ion batteries, thermal management materials, and technical ceramics utilized in aerospace, medical and industrial systems.

Company Values:

1. Quality is our signature
2. Act with respect. Period
3. Foundation of Safety
4. Winning with Customers one solution at a time
5. Be Real
6. Positive intent
   
   

Position Overview:
The Process Quality Engineer is responsible for driving process quality improvement, statistical quality control, and quality compliance within the manufacturing environment. This role focuses on improving process capability, consistency, and reliability by identifying sources of variation, analyzing production and quality data, conducting process audits, and implementing sustainable process improvements.

The Process Quality Engineer maintains a strong presence on the production floor and works closely with Production, Engineering, Supply Chain, R&D, and Product Management to identify improvement opportunities, resolve process and quality issues, strengthen process controls, and ensure compliance with customer requirements and internal quality standards.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Process Quality Improvement
   • Identify opportunities to reduce process variation, waste, and costs while improving product quality, process capability, and operational reliability.
   • Drive continuous improvement initiatives through process audits, data analysis, and consistent floor presence to observe and evaluate manufacturing processes firsthand.
   • Collaborate with Production, Engineering, and other cross-functional teams to identify root causes of process and quality issues and implement sustainable solutions.
   • Monitor process performance and identify opportunities to strengthen process controls and prevent recurring quality issues.
   • Support the implementation and verification of corrective and preventive actions to ensure improvements achieve the intended results.
   • Promote a culture of data-driven decision-making, process discipline, and continuous improvement across the organization.
     
     
2. Data & Statistical Quality Control (SQC)
   • Analyze quality and production data to identify trends, detect process variation, and recommend corrective or preventive actions.
   • Apply statistical quality control techniques to monitor process performance, identify abnormal variation, and support process improvement activities.
   • Collaborate with Manufacturing and Engineering teams to ensure data integrity, accessibility, and effective use in operational decision-making.
   • Support the design, execution, and analysis of experiments aimed at improving product consistency, process capability, and operational predictability.
   • Translate quality and process data into actionable recommendations for manufacturing and cross-functional teams.
   • Develop and maintain appropriate quality metrics, trends, and statistical analyses to support continuous improvement activities.
     
     
3. Continuous Improvement
   • Lead the Management of Change (MoC) process, ensuring product and process changes are appropriately reviewed, validated, approved, and robustly documented.
   • Manage the Non-Conforming Material (NCM) system, including root cause investigations, corrective actions, disposition activities, and trend analysis.
   • Partner with Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, R&D, and Product Management to ensure compliance with customer requirements and internal quality standards.
   • Coordinate the resolution and closure of findings resulting from Management Reviews and Process Audits.
   • Ensure quality documentation and records are accurate, complete, and maintained in accordance with established quality requirements.
   • Support quality investigations and corrective actions by providing process, statistical, and technical analysis.
     
     

Required Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 3+ years of experience in quality engineering, process engineering, manufacturing engineering, or continuous improvement within a manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience identifying and implementing process improvements in a manufacturing or production environment.
• Strong understanding of process variation, process capability, statistical process control (SPC/SQC), root cause analysis, and corrective action methodologies.
• Experience with quality systems and processes such as Management of Change (MoC), CAPA, Non-Conforming Material (NCM), process audits, and corrective/preventive actions.
• Strong statistical and analytical skills with experience using tools such as Minitab, JMP, Excel, or similar software.
• Experience supporting or conducting process audits and analyzing manufacturing processes to identify improvement opportunities.
• Experience with ERP and Quality Management Systems (QMS), such as Odoo, SAP, Oracle, ETQ, or equivalent, is considered an asset.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, DOE, or other continuous improvement methodologies; certification is considered an asset.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively on the manufacturing floor and collaborate with operators, technical teams, engineers, and leadership.
• Ability to translate process and quality data into practical, actionable improvements.
  
  

What We Offer:

• Competitive compensation and benefits package.
• A collaborative and innovation-driven work environment.
• Opportunities for professional growth and meaningful project involvement.
  
  

Hiring Process Transparency:
This position includes an initial automated screening step based on job-related application questions. Candidates who meet the screening criteria are reviewed by our hiring team. We do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assess or evaluate candidates beyond this initial screening step.

Inclusion Statement:
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and encourage applications from all qualified candidates. Accommodations are available upon request throughout the hiring process.