Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Quality Supervisor? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today!

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Meet the Recruiter: Eric Laffey

Summary:

Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we’re building the world’s largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you’ll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation.

Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation.

Job Summary:

The Quality Supervisor plays a critical role in driving process improvement, ensuring compliance with quality standards, and supporting the success of the world’s largest lithium-ion battery manufacturing initiative. Reporting to the Quality Manager, this role leads a team of quality technicians, inspectors, and team leads to ensure execution of daily quality objectives and adherence to customer and regulatory requirements. Through cross-functional collaboration with Operations, Engineering, and Maintenance, the Quality Supervisor resolves process issues, implements corrective actions, and prevents defects. By leveraging data analysis and disciplined quality systems, this position drives continuous improvement and ensures delivery of high-quality products to customers.

Essential Duties:

Functional Leadership & Operations:

• Lead daily quality operations, overseeing in-process and final product inspections to ensure conformance to specifications
• Supervise quality technicians, inspectors, and team leads to ensure effective execution of quality control activities
• Monitor and enforce quality control procedures across production lines
• Support and maintain the Quality Management System (QMS), including document control, CAPA processes, and internal audits

Strategic Alignment & Continuous Improvement:

• Analyze quality performance metrics and trends to identify improvement opportunities
• Implement corrective and preventive actions to reduce defects and prevent recurrence
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives aligned with organizational quality objectives
• Ensure adherence to applicable regulatory, industry, and customer requirements

Team Development & Knowledge Sharing:

• Develop, coach, and mentor quality team members to enhance technical capability and performance
• Provide ongoing training on quality procedures, standards, and plant policies
• Promote a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and operational excellence

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement:

• Partner with operations, engineering, and maintenance teams to resolve non-conformities and improve processes
• Communicate quality objectives, performance metrics, and results to leadership and frontline teams
• Support customer and external audit activities as required

Quality, Safety, Compliance, & Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with plant policies, regulatory requirements, and safety standards
• Identify quality risks and implement mitigation strategies to protect product integrity
• Lead internal audit readiness and support external quality and regulatory inspections

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Directly supervises Quality Technicians, Inspectors, and Team Leads, including hiring, training, performance management, and corrective action
• Plans, assigns, and oversees daily work activities to ensure compliance with quality standards, company policies, and operational objectives

Travel Requirement:

• This position is primarily site-based with no regular travel requirements

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements:

• To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator.

The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job.

Requirements - Required and/or Preferred

Education:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent required

Preferred:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality Assurance, Manufacturing, or a related technical field
• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Certified Quality Auditor (CQA)
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher
• ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor Certification
• Hazardous Materials Handling Certification (e.g., OSHA HAZWOPER or equivalent)
• Lean Manufacturing Certification

Essential Qualifications:

• 3+ years of progressive leadership experience in quality assurance or quality control within a manufacturing or distribution environment
• Demonstrated ability to lead, train, and develop quality inspectors and technicians while ensuring adherence to safety, quality, and procedural standards
• Strong working knowledge of Quality Management Systems (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949) and applicable regulatory standards (e.g., UL, CE, RoHS)
• Proven analytical and problem-solving skills with a data-driven approach to decision-making
• Working knowledge of production processes and manufacturing operations
• Effective verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to influence and resolve conflict across teams
• Team-oriented and adaptable, with a proactive, accountable, and continuous improvement-focused mindset
• Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English
• Alignment to Panasonic’s seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude)

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5+ years of supervisory experience in high-volume and/or regulated manufacturing environments (e.g., automotive, electronics, energy storage)
• Experience in battery manufacturing, automotive, or clean energy industries
• Advanced knowledge of statistical quality tools (e.g., SPC, MSA, FMEA, 8D, Pareto analysis)
• Experience applying structured root cause analysis methodologies (e.g., 5 Whys, Ishikawa)
• Experience with quality and manufacturing systems (e.g., QMS platforms, MES, ERP)
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing and Continuous Improvement methodologies
• Familiarity with customer-specific quality requirements (e.g., OEM or Tier 1 standards)
• Advanced Excel skills and/or experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Minitab)

Physical Demands:

Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to:

• Sit: 10%
• Walk: 50%
• Stand: 40%

Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (<1%), Occasional (1-33%), Frequent (34-66%), Continuous (67-100%)

For this position, the required frequency is:

• Up to 10 lbs.: Frequent
• Up to 20 lbs.: Frequent
• Up to 35 lbs.: Occasional
• Team-lift only (over 35 lbs.): Rare

Benefits & Perks - What's In It For You:

Panasonic Energy prioritizes total well-being and offers comprehensive benefits options to support physical, emotional, financial, social, and environmental health:

• Health Benefits – Offering medical, dental, vision, prescription plans, plus Health Savings Account and Flexible Spending Account options.
• Voluntary Benefits – Life, accident, critical illness, disability, legal, identity theft, and pet insurance.
• Panasonic Retirement Savings & Investment Plan (PRSIP) – 401(k) plan with company matching contributions and immediate vesting.
• Paid Time-Off Benefits – Vacation, holidays, personal days, sick leave, volunteer, and parental & caregiver leave.
• Educational Assistance – Tuition reimbursement for job-related courses after six months of service.
• Health Management and Wellbeing Programs –Lifestyle Spending Account, EAP, virtual health management, chronic condition, neurodiversity, tobacco cessation, substance abuse support, and life stage and fertility resources. Available to eligible employees starting the first day of the month following your start date. Eligibility for each benefit may vary based on employment status, location, and length of service.
• Employee Recognition Program - High5 employee recognition and awards platform, quarterly and annual employee recognition
• Annual Bonus Program - Opportunity for an annual performance-based bonus.
• On-site Food Options: Several on-site cafes, plentiful snack and beverage kitchens, revolving on-site vendor visits and employee events.

Where You'll Be:

For our onsite roles, Panasonic Energy is committed to fostering an ideal working environment that goes beyond the conventional. We understand the significance of moments that matter in your onsite experience, and we prioritize creating a workspace that not only promotes productivity but also ensures a fulfilling and positive work atmosphere. Join us at Panasonic Energy, where your onsite presence is valued, and we strive to make each moment count in your professional journey.

Who We Are:

Meet Panasonic Energy! At Panasonic Energy, you'll do work that matters as we are dedicated to transforming the world through the acceleration of sustainable energy. By producing safe, high-quality lithium-ion batteries, you become part of a team that plays a crucial role in creating technologies that move us.

Our journey began in 2017, and now, as the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory, we are expanding operations to De Soto, Kansas, providing you with the opportunity to experience career growth in more ways than one.

As an innovative thinker, you'll thrive here, as we continually push the boundaries of lithium-ion battery technology and production capabilities to enhance efficiency and performance in EVs.

Being part of Panasonic Energy means positively contributing to society, aligning with our commitment to building a better world through sustainable energy solutions.

We care about what you care about, fostering an environment where your contributions make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Join us and be part of a team that values your work, encourages innovation, and actively contributes to a positive societal impact.

In addition to an environment that is as innovative as our products, we offer competitive salaries and benefits.

We Take Opportunity Seriously:

At Panasonic Energy, we are committed to a workplace that genuinely fosters inclusion and belonging. Fairness and Honesty have been part of our core values for more than 100 years and we are proud of our diverse culture as an equal opportunity employer.

We understand that your career search may look different than others and embrace the professional, personal, educational, and volunteer opportunities through which people gain experience. If you are actively looking or starting to explore new opportunities, submit your application!

Supplemental Information:

Pre-employment drug testing is required.

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 law. All qualified individuals are required to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Due to the high volume of responses, we will only be able to respond to candidates of interest. All candidates must have valid authorization to work in the U.S. without restriction.

Thank you for your interest in Panasonic Energy Corporation of North America.

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