Quality Control Specialist I, Hardlines

About our family of companies :

We are on a mission to bring learning to life ! At our family of companies, Learning Resources®, Educational Insights, and hand2mind, we create a unique range of toys, educational products and supplemental curriculum trusted by teachers and loved by families alike. Voted among the Chicago Tribune's Top Workplaces for the last four consecutive years, we are a 350-person strong, family-owned organization dedicated to helping kids succeed in school and develop a love of learning. In addition to high-quality, hands-on products like VersaTiles® and Cuisenaire® Rods, we make award-winning toys, including top sellers such as the Pretend & Play® Cash Register, the Farmer's Market Color Sorting Set and Toy of the Year winner Botley® the Coding Robot as well as Educational Insights top sellers Kanoodle®, GeoSafari® Jr. series, and Playfoam™. We pride ourselves on being committed to our employee's personal and professional development, a thriving culture and a diverse, creative atmosphere. Along with our culture and competitive benefits package, we offer a variety of opportunities for training and development. We are looking for professionals who are truly just kids at heart! We hope you'll come join our award-winning team today!

Team & Position Description :

We are seeking a detail-oriented and analytical Quality Control Specialist I to join our team, specializing in the quality control of consumer goods. The Quality Control Specialist I role is a highly cross-functional role within the organization that has a broad scope of responsibilities revolving around the goal of ensuring that all products meet high-quality standards and arrives to the customer in top condition. Responsibilities for the position include developing data driven product inspection processes, working closely with our manufacturing partners, and risk management. This position requires an independently driven person willing and able to work with others to drive change. Innovation, operating in the gray, being results & process oriented, and attention to detail will be essential in this role.

What we're looking for (Key Performance Objectives) :

• Enhance the Data Driven Risk Management Model

Within the first six months, use data to refine the internal risk management model to support our inspection system, ensuring alignment with company standards. Review and improve the model, reducing defect rates by 10% in the first year.

Over the first 12 months, extend the internal quality dataset to include additional data points across the family of companies. Refine the dataset's model to gain insights and initiate two actionable process improvements per quarter aimed at reducing overall defect risks.

Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for product risk assessments. Complete FMEA for 20 existing products to develop proactive mitigation plans to be implemented in collaboration with manufacturing partners within the first 180 days.

Working hand in hand with on-site team of Quality Inspectors, conduct root cause analysis and initiate CAPA process for all quality rejections within five business days of occurrence. Apply learnings from CAPA to achieve a 10% defect rate for all other similar products across product line.

Standardize current quality documentation across all quality processes (internally and with our manufacturing partners) within the first six months. Ensure these guidelines are adopted across all workflows, achieving a 95% consistency rate in process adherence by year-end.

Requirements / Ideal Attributes :

Physical Demands :

We are a drug-free workplace and an EEO employer.

Please note : This role will be filled by our internal recruitment team, so no assistance is needed from any outside staffing agency at this time.

Compensation Range : $65,000 - $75,000 annual salary - Actual compensation may vary due to other factors such as : years of experience, skill set or location. Total compensation includes profit sharing bonus potential, 401k matching, and a variety of other benefits (details can be found here).

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