Quality Assurance Technician

Join States Industries as a Quality Assurance Technician in Eugene, Oregon. This is a hands-on, hourly, non-exempt role focused on quality within our hardwood plywood manufacturing process.

About the role

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working on the manufacturing floor, collaborating with teams, identifying problems, and contributing to solutions. You will support quality across the production process, working closely with Production, Engineering, Operations, and other departments to ensure our products meet company and customer requirements.

Responsibilities

• Spend the majority of each shift on the production floor monitoring product quality, manufacturing processes, and compliance with established quality standards.
• Perform quality inspections and testing on raw materials, in-process products, and finished hardwood plywood.
• Conduct testing including moisture content, bond quality, thickness, dimensions, appearance, veneer grading, panel specifications, and other established quality characteristics.
• Collect, prepare, label, retain, organize, and maintain quality samples.
• Identify damaged, mismanufactured, nonconforming, or questionable product and ensure appropriate communication, follow-up, and disposition.
• Communicate quality concerns quickly and clearly to production leadership and other appropriate team members.
• Partner with supervisors, mentors, production employees, Engineering, and Operations to resolve quality concerns while minimizing production disruption and preventing recurrence.
• Serve as a visible quality resource on the manufacturing floor and help employees understand and consistently meet internal and customer quality requirements.
• Accurately document inspection and testing results and maintain required quality records.
• Review quality data and trends to identify recurring defects, process variation, waste, rework, falldown, and other opportunities for improvement.
• Calibrate, maintain, verify, and troubleshoot laboratory, inspection, and testing equipment.
• Help develop and improve quality procedures, work instructions, inspection standards, and SOPs.
• Participate in root cause investigations, corrective actions, Lean Manufacturing initiatives, Kaizen events, 5S activities, and other continuous improvement projects.
• Train and support employees on quality standards, inspection methods, testing requirements, customer specifications, and quality expectations.
• Communicate across shifts and departments regarding testing results, product disposition, process issues, and items requiring follow-up.
• Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work area and follow all States Industries safety, environmental, PPE, and quality requirements.
• Maintain required forklift certification and safely operate applicable material-handling equipment as needed.
• Maintain flexibility to support alternate shifts, overtime, weekends, or holidays when business needs require.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED required.
• Previous Quality Assurance or Quality Control experience in a manufacturing environment preferred.
• Experience in plywood, wood products, or a comparable industrial manufacturing environment is preferred.
• Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Quality, Manufacturing, Engineering, Wood Science, or a related field is preferred, but relevant manufacturing, quality, technical, or wood-products experience may be considered in place of formal education.
• Experience using quality measurement tools, inspection instruments, and testing equipment is preferred.
• Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, Kaizen, 5S, root cause analysis, or other continuous improvement principles is a plus.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to recognize defects, inconsistencies, and process variation.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with production employees, supervisors, managers, and other departments.
• Ability to work independently while also collaborating closely with manufacturing and technical teams.
• Ability to accurately document inspection results and analyze basic production or quality data.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and the ability to learn company quality and manufacturing systems.
• Ability to understand detailed written and verbal instructions and use sound judgment when making quality-related decisions.
• Forklift certification or the ability to obtain certification within the timeframe established by the Company.

Work Environment

This position works primarily in an industrial wood-products manufacturing environment and requires significant time on the production floor. The role involves frequent standing and walking throughout a large manufacturing facility and exposure to normal manufacturing conditions including machinery, forklifts, conveyors, wood dust, adhesives, noise, heat, cold, fumes, and changing environmental conditions. The position requires the ability to perform detailed visual inspections, distinguish colors, safely work around manufacturing equipment and chemicals, use required PPE, and lift and carry materials weighing up to 25 pounds frequently and up to 50 pounds occasionally.

Why States Industries?

Quality isn’t something that happens at the end of our process—it happens throughout it. We’re looking for someone who wants to be part of the operation, build strong relationships with our production teams, solve problems at the source, and help us continue raising the bar. If you have a strong eye for detail, enjoy manufacturing, and want a role where you can make a visible impact every day, we’d love to hear from you.