QA Specialist (Chemical Manufacturing)

Leslie's; East St. Louis (IL); On-site; USD 60,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Paid training

Comprehensive benefits package

Team member discounts

Career advancement opportunities

Job summary

Leslie's, via Stellar Manufacturing, seeks a Quality Assurance Specialist to support quality systems in a chemical manufacturing environment and ensure compliance with ISO 9001, GMP, and customer specifications.

The role covers reviews of production records, audits, deviation investigations, CAPA, and cross‑functional coordination with Production, Regulatory, and Supply Chain teams. Compensation ranges from $60,000 to $75,000 base, with benefits included.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Quality Management, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience in quality assurance, quality control, or regulated manufacturing.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, GMP, and related standards is preferred.
• Ability to read technical documents and batch records.
• Proficiency with ERP, LIMS, and document control systems preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform QA reviews of production records and certificates of analysis.
• Monitor manufacturing processes for compliance with procedures and specs.
• Conduct inspections and audits of production areas and documentation.
• Investigate deviations and support CAPA activities.
• Maintain SOPs, work instructions, and controlled documents.
• Prepare for internal, customer, regulatory, and certification audits.

Skills

Quality Assurance

Quality Control

Documentation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or related field

Tools

ERP systems

Laboratory information systems

Document control systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

In September 2022, Stellar Manufacturing was acquired by Leslie's as an affiliate. Stellar Manufacturing is a contract manufacturer of solid particle products and specializes in chemical processing services such as specialty tableting, compaction granulation, and granular filling. We support the manufacturing of a variety of consumer and industrial products including water treatment chemicals, janitorial and sanitation products, agrochemicals, raw materials, and more. With over 30 years of providing best-in-class products and solutions to our customers, there is nothing that we value more than the development and growth of our team. Both Leslie's and Stellar strive to create a positive and fun atmosphere where our Team Members feel valued and are enthusiastic about the contributions they make to the success of Stellar.

Job Overview

The Quality Assurance Specialist is responsible for supporting and maintaining quality systems within a chemical manufacturing environment. This role ensures that raw materials, in-process materials, finished products, documentation, and manufacturing activities comply with company standards, customer specifications, regulatory requirements, and applicable quality management systems such as ISO 9001, GMP, and other site-specific standards.

Compensation within range to be determined by the applicant’s education, experience, knowledge and skills, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Compensation Range: $60,000 - $75,000 /Base Salary

Responsibilities

Core duties and responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Perform quality assurance reviews of production records, batch documentation, laboratory results, certificates of analysis, and other quality records for accuracy, completeness, and compliance.
• Monitor manufacturing processes to ensure adherence to approved procedures, product specifications, safety requirements, and quality standards.
• Conduct routine inspections and audits of production areas, warehouses, laboratories, and documentation practices.
• Investigate deviations, nonconformances, out-of-specification results, customer complaints, and quality incidents; support root cause analysis and corrective and preventive action activities.
• Maintain, review, and update standard operating procedures, work instructions, forms, and controlled documents.
• Support change control processes by assessing quality impact, documenting approvals, and verifying implementation effectiveness.
• Assist with supplier quality activities, including raw material qualification, vendor documentation review, and supplier performance monitoring.
• Coordinate with Production, Quality Control, Regulatory, Environmental Health and Safety, Maintenance, and Supply Chain teams to resolve quality issues and drive continuous improvement.
• Prepare for and support internal, customer, regulatory, and certification audits.
• Track quality metrics, identify trends, prepare reports, and recommend improvements to reduce defects, rework, complaints, and process variability.
• Ensure proper handling, labeling, storage, sampling, release, quarantine, and disposition of materials and finished goods.
• Promote a strong culture of quality, compliance, safety, and continuous improvement across the manufacturing site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Biology, Quality Management, Industrial Technology, or a related scientific or technical field, or equivalent work experience.
• Two or more years of experience in quality assurance, quality control, laboratory operations, chemical manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, food manufacturing, or another regulated manufacturing environment preferred.
• Working knowledge of quality systems, Good Documentation Practices, corrective and preventive actions, deviation investigations, change control, and audit readiness.
• Familiarity with ISO 9001, GMP, Responsible Care, OSHA, EPA, or other applicable manufacturing, quality, safety, and environmental standards is preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret technical documents, specifications, safety data sheets, batch records, test results, and standard operating procedures.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications and experience using electronic quality management systems, ERP systems, laboratory information systems, or document control systems preferred.

Physical Demands

• Work is performed in both office and chemical manufacturing plant environments.
• May require standing, walking, climbing stairs, entering production areas, and wearing required personal protective equipment.
• Must be able to follow all site safety procedures, chemical handling requirements, environmental controls, and emergency response protocols.
• May require occasional shift coverage, overtime, or on-call support depending on production schedules and audit needs.

We offer our employees competitive compensation, extensive paid training, comprehensive and flexible suite of benefits package, 401K with company match, team member discounts, rewards for top performers, and most importantly career advancement opportunities.

Leslie’s recognizes a critical component to our continued success is our people

Leslie’s is proud to have a culture of inclusion that seeks to celebrate and embrace the different backgrounds and perspectives that help drive our success and support team members in developing and growing with us. We aim to create a workplace where all team members feel welcomed and valued and inspire each other every day

Equal Opportunity Employer

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.

For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.