Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.
Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.
We are seeking an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) Connectivity Leader for our First Quality Tissue SE, LLC facility located in Anderson, SC. This position will design, guide, and implement architectures that connect industrial devices, sensors, and systems while driving effective IT/OT convergence. This role partners closely with engineering, operations, and IT teams to enable secure, scalable, and reliable connected-device solutions that improve visibility, control, and operational performance across industrial environments.
Primary responsibilities include:
Design end-to-end IIoT solutions that bridge Operational Technology (OT) systems (PLCs, SCADA, DCS, historians, industrial networks) with IT systems (cloud platforms, enterprise data platforms, analytics, and applications).
Define reference architectures, standards, and patterns for connecting industrial devices, edge computing, gateways, and cloud/edge data pipelines.
Lead IT/OT convergence initiatives: assess current state, identify integration points, mitigate risks (security, latency, reliability, change management), and create roadmaps for unified architectures.
Collaborate with engineering teams and assist with the device connectivity strategies, protocol selection (e.g., OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, proprietary industrial protocols), data models, and edge-to-cloud data flows.
Design secure architectures aligned with industrial cybersecurity best practices (network segmentation, zero-trust principles for OT, identity and access management across IT/OT boundaries).
Evaluate and recommend platforms, edge hardware/software, connectivity technologies, and integration tools that support reliable, scalable connected-device deployments.
Partner with engineering, OT, IT, and cybersecurity stakeholders to ensure solutions meet operational requirements (availability, determinism, safety) while enabling enterprise data use cases.
Develop technical documentation, architecture decision records, standards, and guidelines for consistent implementation across projects and sites.
Provide architectural guidance during solution design, proof-of-concept, pilot, and production rollout phases; support troubleshooting of complex connectivity and integration issues.
Stay current with evolving IIoT, edge computing, industrial networking, and IT/OT convergence technologies and translate relevant advancements into practical recommendations.
The ideal candidate should possess the following:
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical/Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
Significant hands-on experience designing or implementing IIoT, industrial connectivity, or OT systems architectures.
Strong understanding of OT environments (industrial control systems, field devices, industrial networking) and IT systems (enterprise networking, cloud, data platforms).
Proven experience with IT/OT convergence challenges and solutions, including secure integration patterns.
Familiarity with common industrial protocols and connectivity approaches (OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, etc.) and edge computing concepts.
Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity considerations and practices relevant to connected devices and converged environments.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to translate between engineering and IT/OT audiences.
Experience producing clear architecture documentation and guiding cross-functional technical teams.
Relevant professional certifications (e.g., in architecture, cloud, cybersecurity, or industrial systems).
Experience with major industrial platforms, edge runtimes, or IIoT platforms (examples include, but are not limited to, common commercial or open-source solutions used in manufacturing and process industries).
Background in manufacturing, process industries, energy, or other OT-heavy environments.
Experience with data modeling for industrial systems, time-series data, and integration with analytics/AI use cases.
Familiarity with standards and frameworks related to industrial IoT, secure remote access, or ISA/IEC 62443 concepts
Will require some travel.
What We Offer You
We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:
Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
Paid time off (three-week minimum)
Medical, dental and vision starting day one
401(k) with employer match
Paid parental leave
Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
Tuition assistance
Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
...and more!
First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.
First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.
Skills Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience
- Significant hands-on experience designing or implementing IIoT, industrial connectivity, or OT systems architectures
- Strong understanding of OT environments, industrial control systems, field devices, industrial networking, enterprise networking, cloud, and data platforms
- Experience addressing IT/OT convergence challenges and implementing secure integration patterns
- Familiarity with OPC UA, MQTT, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, and other industrial protocols
- Knowledge of industrial cybersecurity practices for connected devices and converged IT/OT environments
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills across engineering and IT/OT audiences
- Experience producing architecture documentation and guiding cross-functional technical teams
- Experience with major industrial platforms, edge runtimes, or IIoT platforms
- Background in manufacturing, process industries, energy, or other OT-heavy environments
- Experience with industrial data modeling, time-series data, and analytics or AI integrations
- Familiarity with industrial IoT, secure remote access, or ISA/IEC 62443 standards and frameworks
- Relevant certifications in architecture, cloud, cybersecurity, or industrial systems
First Quality Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about First Quality and has not been reviewed or approved by First Quality.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Compensation is described as competitive across many hourly, technical, and engineering roles, with pay often characterized as good or fair for the job. Market-aligned base rates are reflected in recent postings and salary entries across multiple functions.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Quarterly bonuses, shift differentials, and overtime opportunities are commonly cited and meaningfully boost total earnings. Bonus eligibility appears to be a consistent feature in many roles.
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Parental & Family Support — The package includes paid parental leave, a year of free diapers for new parents, and employer-matched dependent care assistance. These family-focused additions complement core offerings and signal an emphasis on supporting caregivers.
First Quality Insights
What We Do
First Quality was founded over 30 years ago and has grown to become a diversified family of companies with over 4,000 employees. Manufacturing Adult Incontinence Products, Feminine Hygiene Products, Baby Wipes, Adult Washcloths, and Consumer Paper Products, we serve institutional and retail markets throughout the world. Our trusted, household brands include Prevail®, Cuties®, Plenty®, Panda®, and Incognito® Our facilities operate independently to maintain focus on the markets they serve, but benefit from being a part of the First Quality family of companies. We may be spread out across 9 locations and 2 countries, but we are one team! With our focus on innovation, technology, and sustainability, we strive to create the best products that stand out and make a real difference in people’s lives without ever sacrificing quality for affordability. If advanced technology, innovative thinking, and a passion for challenging the status quo excite you, come join our team at First Quality! When you look at one of our job listings what you’ll find is an opportunity: to meet teams who challenge each other to improve, encounter leaders who empower you to experiment, and discover work that inspires you. As a new employee in our FQ family your training begins day one and continues throughout your career as you learn and grow with our organization. Be part of making things better – apply today to join our team at www.firstquality.com/join-us!
