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 a Mechanical Engineer for our First Quality Tissue location in Lock Haven, PA.
Job Function:
This position will identify key barriers to continuously improve machine reliability through root cause analysis, training, maintenance projects, preventative maintenance planning and promote a fortune 500 maintenance department with 60% of the time focused on the floor working with the maintenance team.
Duties and Responsibilities:
• Promote an action-oriented safety culture embracing safety as a core value, instilling and exemplifying a safety mindset for all team members resulting in an incident free workplace.
• Work with Maintenance management to develop annual goals and KPI’s for continually improving maintenance reliability.
• Lead and perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA). Develop procedures and recommendations for permanent elimination of problems.
• Develop tools and techniques to analyze and develop cost effective preventive maintenance procedures.
• Identify, plan and implement small projects to improve the inherent reliability of equipment.
• Develop and implement standards-based repair procedures, job plans, documenting repairs, developing and implementing OEM standards.
• Be involved in design, engineering, and manufacturing of maintenance projects and take the lead in communicating project status with all stakeholders using proper FQ documentation tool (MOC).
• Support PM Outages, equipment installations, startups, and validations.
• Support the Maintenance/Controls Techs as needed in troubleshooting issues on the converting lines.
• Lead equipment performance reviews to ensure actions are identified and executed, addressing equipment performance gaps and implementing improvements in equipment.
• Prepare and present technical information to team members and management.
• Reduce the incidence of costly breakdowns and develop strategies to improve overall reliability and safety of plant, personnel, and maintenance processes.
• Mentor, train, and develop maintenance teams on new techniques, maintenance processes, strategies met and procedures on engineered changes.
• Promote an atmosphere of continuous improvement among all team members.
• Responsible to develop, analyze and monitor maintenance KPI’s and meet all defined yearly objectives.
• Participate on maintenance team on-call duty rotation.
• Manage contractors to ensure work is completed to design and FQ specifications.
• Certify all precision maintenance work and manage all respective documentation.
• Support and participate in all planning and scheduling meetings
Experience and Education Required:
• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or related field or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Minimum 3 years of industrial maintenance experience preferred in a high-speed manufacturing environment OR Associate’s degree and a minimum of 5 years’ experience in a manufacturing Maintenance environment.
• Familiarity with Computerized Maintenance Management Systems.
• Advanced knowledge of technology and mechanics.
• Knowledge of product specifications, quality specifications, goals, efficiency, scrap and production.
• Knowledge of CAD, Auto CAD, and inventor preferred.
• Personal Computer skills including specific mechanical software and basic e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet applications, and project management software.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Excellent analytical skills & leadership abilities.
• Works well in a team environment, including technicians and management.
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 (year's 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 Mechanical Engineering or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience
- Minimum 3 years of industrial maintenance experience, preferably in a high-speed manufacturing environment
- Associate's degree and minimum 5 years of experience in a manufacturing maintenance environment as an alternative qualification
- Familiarity with computerized maintenance management systems
- Advanced knowledge of technology and mechanics
- Knowledge of product and quality specifications, efficiency, scrap, and production
- Knowledge of CAD, AutoCAD, and Inventor
- Computer skills, including mechanical software, email, word processing, spreadsheets, and project management software
- Excellent communication skills
- Excellent analytical skills and leadership abilities
- Ability to work effectively in a team environment with technicians and management
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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!
