Job Information
Smurfit Westrock Quality Manager Systems Testing and Calibration in St Paul, Minnesota
Quality Systems Testing Equipment and Calibration Manager
Job Description
The Quality Systems Testing Equipment and Calibration Manager is a working manager role responsible for both leading and personally executing the maintenance, troubleshooting, repair, calibration, and continuous improvement of quality testing equipment across mill operations.
This position requires a high degree of mechanical aptitude and direct, hands-on involvement with complex mechanical, electro-mechanical, and instrumentation-based testing systems. Unlike a purely administrative management role, this position spends a significant portion of time in the field actively diagnosing equipment failures, performing mechanical repairs, validating test accuracy, and restoring equipment to service.
The role partners closely with mill quality, operations, maintenance, and engineering teams to ensure testing equipment reliability, compliance with audit and certification requirements, and uninterrupted support to production. The manager leads calibration and testing strategy while setting technical standards through personal execution, coaching, and mentoring of mill personnel.
Key Responsibilities
Act as a hands-on working manager and primary technical authority for testing and calibration equipment
Personally troubleshoot, diagnose, repair, and restore mechanical, electro-mechanical, and instrumentation-based test equipment
Execute and maintain calibration and preventive maintenance programs in compliance with ISO, TAPPI, and internal standards
Verify equipment performance and accuracy following repair or calibration
Lead root cause analysis of equipment failures and implement permanent corrective actions
Manage critical spares, reduce vendor dependency, and support capital equipment planning and procurement
Provide hands-on training, coaching, and technical guidance to mill personnel
Support audits through demonstrated equipment compliance and calibration traceability
Key Characteristics and Attributes
Strong hands-on mechanical aptitude with industrial equipment repair experience
Comfort working directly on equipment in mill and industrial environments
Ability to balance field execution with leadership responsibilities
Strong analytical and root-cause problem-solving capability
Technical credibility that drives leadership effectiveness
Clear communicator with strong organizational skills
Requirements
Bachelor\u2019s degree in engineering, science, or a related technical discipline, or a minimum of 12 years of equivalent industrial experience.
Demonstrated hands-on experience maintaining, troubleshooting, repairing, and calibrating industrial testing equipment is mandatory.
Experience with quality management systems, ISO standards, and audit requirements is required.
Travel to mill locations is required and averages approximately 60%.
Physical ability to work directly on equipment in industrial environments is essential.
Smurfit Westrock (NYSE:SW) is the go-to leader and partner of choice in sustainable packaging. We are dedicated to creating efficient and scalable paper and packaging solutions to help solve complex packaging challenges. Guided by our values of safety, loyalty, integrity and respect, we are committed to delivering meaningful value for shareholders, customers, employees and the communities where we operate.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by state or federal law.