Quality Manager
Smurfit Westrock · Winston-Salem Manufacturing, NC
- Level
- Manager
- Team
- Quality
- Experience asked
- 7+ years
- Industry
- Packaging
- Posted
- 11 days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A management quality role at Smurfit Westrock (packaging) in Winston-Salem Manufacturing, NC. Track, analyze, and lead initiatives for all internal quality and customer complaint issues.
- They ask for
- 7+ years
- Tools it names
- Six Sigma, SPC, CAPA, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ)
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of November 2, 2026
Quality Engineer roles in North Carolina: typical posted base $96k–$143k.
Median of the low and high ends of 21 live postings that list pay, out of 62 quality engineer openings in North Carolina, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
North Carolina plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 61 other live quality postings in North Carolina.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (7+ vs 5+)
Typical $96k–$143k, from 20 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Root cause 56%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 45%
- New product launch 37%
- ✓ Six Sigma 35%
- FMEA 34%
- Lean 34%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Quality team at Smurfit Westrock
Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
- 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- Which standards drive the work here: ISO 13485, IATF 16949, AS9100?
- How much of the job is customer complaints versus prevention?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Smurfit Westrock in Winston-Salem Manufacturing
3 other open roles at this site.
- Electrical Maintenance Technician · Reliability · Technician
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- Electrical Maintenance Technician - 2nd Shift · Reliability · Technician
Quality Manager at Smurfit Westrock in other locations
Smurfit Westrock lists this title in 6 places. Pick the plant you can get to.
Full description from Smurfit WestrockAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
requirements
- ✓Coordinate and execute internal, customer, supplier, subcontractor, and regulatory audits
- ✓Deliver executive level presentations for customers and internal stakeholders
- ✓Work closely with production managers to maximize product quality and reliability and minimize cost
- ✓Coordinate and direct customer incident reviews
- ✓Manage the CAPA (Corrective Action Preventative Action) system
- ✓Execute facility improvement initiatives as determined from performance data
- ✓Provide daily quality data and feedback to facility and regional leadership
- ✓Ensure that Safety Quality Foods (SQF) documents and revisions are kept up to date and that the plant is in compliance with regulations
- ✓Coordinate and execute investigation of detected risks or failures, complaints, and corrective/preventative actions
- ✓Determine, document, and approve site-specific or one-time occurrences such as protocols (reworks, validations, etc.), deviations (planned or unplanned), waivers, or releases for materials and products as required
- ✓Leverage enterprise technology to analyze quality complaints, track corrective and preventive actions, and use data to isolate and track defective parts per million, over shipments, and resolve issues related to rejected products when applicable
- ✓Lead team of quality technicians and Safe Quality Foods (SQF) readiness resources, ensuring that processes are efficient and work is appropriately prioritized
- ✓Provide tools and training for quality management and quality improvement to the facility staff
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
The Opportunity
The Quality Manager ensures that quality standards are met and maintained by understanding, implementing, and enforcing compliance with Customer, Regulatory, and Smurfit Westrock processes, policies, and procedures. The Quality Manager is accountable for internal and external quality complaint resolution, execution of audits, and ensuring efficient and smooth operations within the production facility.
How you will impact Smurfit Westrock
- •Track, analyze, and lead initiatives for all internal quality and customer complaint issues
- •Review, approve, and execute facility and corporate standard operating procedures for site
- •implementation
- •Monitor and ensure compliance with current policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and customer
to succeed
- •5 to 7 years work-related production/manufacturing experience
- •3 to 5 years’ experience in production supervisory role preferred
- •Well-versed in analytical and statistical applications that support quality such as Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Statistical Quality Control (SQC)
- •High School diploma or G.E.D
- •ISO certification experience
- •Six Sigma Certification preferred
- •Courses for SQF Practitioner – Safe Quality Foods
- •Courses for Hazardous Analysis for Critical Control Points
What we offer
- •Corporate culture based on integrity, respect, accountability and excellence
- •Comprehensive training with numerous learning and development opportunities
- •An attractive salary reflecting skills, competencies and potential
- •Benefits package to include medical, dental, vision, life insurance, 401k with match, tuition reimbursement, employee discounts, employee referral bonus, and much more!
- •A career with a global packaging company where Sustainability, Safety and Inclusion are business drivers and foundational elements of the daily work.