Quality Assurance Technician

Shadow Plastics Inc.; Kent (WA); On-site; USD 68,000 - 138,000; Full time

Job summary

Rice Lake Weighing Systems seeks a Quality Assurance Technician to own quality for our Kent, WA facility. You will manage the Quality Management System, perform audits, and work across engineering, manufacturing, and suppliers to ensure compliance.

You’ll interpret drawings, read data, and drive continuous improvement. FAA/ATEX support, AS9100 expertise, and strong communication are valued. This role offers ownership and impact in a 30-person unit.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of AS9100 quality systems.
• Experience in aerospace or FAA environments.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and schematics.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve the Quality Management System and Quality Manuals.
• Coordinate internal and external audit programs and surveillance audits.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings and schematics; analyze quality data for improvements.
• Perform inspections of incoming materials and validate manufacturing processes.

Skills

Quality systems

Auditing

Reading drawings

Supplier collaboration

Problem solving

Education

Associate degree

Tools

Micrometers

Calipers

Digital Multimeters

Job description

At Rice Lake Weighing Systems quality is more than inspecting a product at the end of the line. It's about building quality into the process, protecting our customers, meeting demanding industry standards, and continuously making things better.

We are seeking a Quality Assurance Technician who is ready to take ownership of quality for our Kent, WA facility and make an impact.

If you enjoy solving problems, digging into processes, working with suppliers, interpreting technical drawings, and being the person who makes sure the details are right—we'd like to meet you.

BUILD QUALITY. BUILD THE FUTURE.

For more than 80 years, Rice Lake Weighing Systems has been a growth-oriented leader in the weighing industry and the communities where we live and work.

Measurement Systems International (MSI), a Rice Lake Weighing Systems company, brings that same entrepreneurial spirit to highly specialized products and markets where precision, reliability, safety, and compliance matter.

This is an opportunity to step into a role where your expertise won't get lost in the crowd. You'll have the opportunity to own the quality function, influence how work gets done, and make a measurable difference.

WHY THIS ROLE IS DIFFERENT

You won't be one small piece of a quality organization. You'll be the quality person for a 30-person business unit, working across engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, suppliers, customers, and leadership to ensure our products and processes meet the highest standards.

We design, manufacture, sell and service:

• Electronic and wireless overhead scales used in the material handling industry
• Load monitoring devices used in the helicopter industry
• Products requiring FAA, AS9100, FM, and ATEX compliance

That means your work can span everything from supplier quality and first article inspections to aerospace requirements, audits, continuous improvement, and regulatory certifications.

You won't just inspect quality. You'll help define it.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Quality Management System

• Maintain and continuously improve the business unit's Quality Management System and Quality Manuals.
• Conduct QA system compliance and surveillance audits.
• Coordinate internal and external audit programs.
• Analyze quality data and develop reports to identify opportunities for improvement.

Product & Process Quality

• Perform and/or delegate inspection of incoming materials from approved suppliers.
• Validate manufacturing processes and product quality.
• Perform First Article Inspections as required by customer contracts.
• Participate in Contract Review and identify quality or compliance concerns before commitments are made.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings, schematics, and technical documentation.
• Support supplier quality activities to ensure products meet all requirements.
• Participate in maintaining the Approved Supplier List.
• Work directly with suppliers regarding manufacturing processes, certifications, documentation, and purchase order requirements.
• Promote continuous improvement with approved suppliers.

Aerospace & Regulatory Compliance

• Participate in MSI's Intrinsically Safe Program and help maintain FM product approvals.
• Support the ATEX approval program.
• Support contractual training requirements, including FAA and government contracts.
• Lead and maintain the approved and certified FAA Repair Station.

BRING YOUR QUALITY EXPERTISE. WE'LL HELP YOU USE IT.

We're looking for someone who understands that great quality is a combination of technical knowledge, attention to detail, communication, and continuous improvement.

You'll bring:

• Experience in a variety of quality functions and responsibilities.
• Experience working within an AS9100-certified facility.
• Experience in an aerospace and/or FAA environment.
• Ability to produce and analyze quality-related reports.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings and schematics.
• Experience using quality and measurement tools such as micrometers, calipers, and digital multimeters (DMMs).
• Knowledge of Lean and Six Sigma principles and techniques.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with employees at all levels of an organization.
• A collaborative, team-oriented approach and a willingness to roll up your sleeves and solve problems.
• Associate degree with relevant experience preferred.

THE KIND OF PERSON WHO WILL THRIVE HERE

Notices what others miss.

You naturally look for the root cause—not just the quick fix.

Likes being close to the work.

You don't want to manage quality from behind a desk. You want to understand the process, talk with the people doing the work, and see how things actually operate.

Enjoys solving problems.

You like figuring out why something happened and determining how to prevent it from happening again.

Knows quality is a team sport.

You can hold people accountable while building strong relationships with manufacturing, engineering, suppliers, and leadership.

Believes good enough isn't good enough.

You're always looking for ways to make a process, product, or system better.

Rice Lake Weighing Systems is an Equal Opportunity Employer of Minorities, Females, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.

Rice Lake Weighing Systems is a Substance-Free Workplace and requires pre-employment and for-cause drug screens.

Compensation is based on the candidate's experience; the typical salary range for the position is $80-120k.

If you're ready to put your quality expertise to work in a role with real ownership, real variety, and real impact—we want to hear from you.

Join Rice Lake Weighing Systems. Build quality. Solve problems. Make an impact.

#IND123

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
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.