Personnel Management And Changing Innovation: Quality Technician Job Analysis, Description, Specification, And Essay Design.

Discuss about the Personnel Management and Changing Innovation.

Flextronics International Limited is a multinational supply chains management solutions company of American origin in electronics manufacturing and original design manufacturing company. The company offers design, manufacturing and after-sale services to original equipment manufacturers. The company is the second largest multinational electronics manufacturing company, with manufacturing operations established and running in over 40 countries with as many as 200,000 employees worldwide, and over 5,000 in Singapore.

The company established in Singapore in 1990 after shifting base from Silicon Valley where it was founded in 1980. The company’s dominance in the electronics industry in Singapore is not in question. The company was ranked third by IndustryWeek under “100 Best Managed Companies”. the company prides itself as ” a leading “sketch-t-o-scale” solutions company that designs and builds intelligent products for a connected world”. The company is looking to hire a Quality Technician in the manufacturing department. The candidate is required to qualifications, responsibilities and duties of the Quality Technician are outlined in the succeeding chapters.

The job analysis, or human resource edit, details the performance elements that constitute employee role, limits within which they are performed and the job requirements in terms of aptitudes, attitudes, knowledge, skills and physical abilities of the candidate employee (Wilson, 2007). The purpose of the job analysis is to provide information enable the organization and the candidate employees to understand the important duties of the job, how they are to be undertaken and the necessary human abilities and skills necessary for the role.

Level:  Senior Executive

Reports to:  Production Superintendent

Salary: $5000-8000(SGD)

Flextronics Limited is looking for a thorough Quality Technician to be charged with the responsibility of maintaining the product and services quality at a consistently satisfactory standard by establishing and overseeing checking procedures.

As a quality technician, you will be attached to both quality control and quality assurance and other positions relating to these roles are in the engineering and manufacturing departments.

The goal is to maintain the products in the best possible quality as per customer requirements.

• Visual inspection of products in-production and after-production.
• Compilation of inspection and technical reports, and report abnormalities to engineers.
• Report non-conformance of products in line with customer specifications
• Identification of opportunities for future expansion.
• Enforcement of quality standards in the manufacturing department.

• Proven practical experience as quality technician in an electronics manufacturing company.
• Basic understanding of electrical and electronics engineering
• Knowledge of general quality control and assurance processes and practices
• Working knowledge of tools, common electronics and electrical appliances
• Manual skillfulness and problem-solving skills.
• Good physical stamina and strength with willingness to work overtime.

Process Improvement, Data Processing and Interpretation, Communication and Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork and Leadership Skills, Quality Engineering, Excellent Attention to Detail, Mental and Physical Toughness.

Job description, however, does not solely provide explicit guidance to both the organization and candidate employees on how to conduct the whole recruitment and selection process. Another data set is necessary to create fit between position, qualifications, and talent, evaluate performance and estimate training requirements for this position (Todaycut). 

• A minimum of two years of experience is required in quality assurance or quality control with a renowned electronics company.
• Experience in QA/QC processes
• Experience in Performance Testing is an added advantage.

• Candidate MUST have a Bachelor’s degree in Quality Assurance/Testing and Control.
• Knowledge in ISO 9001 requirements
• The candidate must have a regular MBA from a reputable institution

• Knowledge in Failure Analysis and Reporting
• Knowledge in Quality tools such as SPC, FMEA, GDT & other related tools.
• Knowledge in Java programming will be an added advantage. (JobStreet International).

Job Description

It also of prime importance to explicitly define the responsibilities of the Quality Technician. This is to ensure that candidate employees are well aware of what’s expected of them in their capacity as Quality Technician.

Job design is also an essential factor in the recruitment process. A job design details the responsibilities and duties of a position in line with they key roles outlined in the job description. Consider the following illustration:

“Edgar had just completed college where he’d studied hotel management and catering. His first job  was working at a popular tourist resort. He was excited to earn his first paycheck. His excitement was however short-lived as he was fired two weeks later. The reason? Edgar thought his only duties were serving drinks and meals to revelers and clearing the tables afterwards. He never understood that he also had to present the bill to the customers, cleaning and arranging furniture after his shift and restocking supplies” (Nemetz, 2003).

Edgar’s misfortunes resulted because the human resource department didn’t provide him with a job design. A job design specifies the responsibilities and qualifications required for a position. A job description also helps with recruitment short-listing because candidate employees will be able to shape their expectations from the position. 

A suitable approach for creating the job design section is the job enlargement by rotation (or cross-training for short). Here, the Quality Technician is rotated through various sections or stations of the manufacturing department at different times (Job Design: Definition and Purpose). He, for instance, may be tasked with raw material specification and mixing during the first quarter of the year, then be in the in-production section during the second quarter. He could then proceed to the end-product quality assurance, control during the third quarter, and finish off at the product quality compliance testing section in the fourth quarter. The job design, then, is structured to prompt applications from candidates who have had previous experience in raw materials specification, electronics manufacture as well as testing. This  approach is very effective in ensuring the candidate is not only aware of his responsibilities, but it saves future conflict on employee duties.

Another approach that could be adopted is the job enrichment. In this approach, performance is calibrated vertically with the Quality Technician given a clear career path from entry-level to senior level with clear milestones for promotion and recognition. This approach however has the disadvantage of creating single-mindedness and narrowness in scope at the workplace as the Quality Technician is focused on getting better at his specific roles and moving upwards in the career ladder.

Quality Technician Job Responsibilities

A blend of these two approaches however creates an approach that creates an excellent job design for objective recruitment. This is because it borrows from Hackman and Oldham’s job characteristics model with a promise of improved general performance and boosted employee moral (Hackman & Oldham, 2010).

The following responsibilities set, derived using the two approaches, is included as job design.

• Participate in pre-production quality planning
• Technical and administrative support as and when required
• Preparation of bill of quantities and technical report
• Development of control strategies and polishing existing ones
• Implement strategies for lean management
• Analysis and reporting of external and internal quality status.
• Recommend quality improvement measures
• Co-ordination of audit by external parties, organizational preparation for said audits, and oversees all quality control/management matters.
• Instigation of quality non-conformity prevention measures for production process as well as products.
• Liaison with Safety Engineer to ensure quality standards and safety standards are complimentary.  (Editor, 2015).

The combination of job description, job design and job description are important aspects of a position advertisement in that they attract the best qualified persons for the position of Quality Engineer. Further, the candidates are fully aware of the job duties should they be shortlisted.

After a clear and concise job analysis has attracted the right candidates, then comes the process of selection and recruitment. What are the best selection and recruitment strategies to ensure the best-fit candidate (or candidates) is selected for the position?

Selection and recruitment criteria are the ultimate determinants for the correctness in choice for filling the position of Quality Technician. Depending on the target qualities and constraints like time, number of applicants, the hiring manager needs develop an objective Recruitment Plan that would enable them to hire the right candidates.

“Recruitment activities could be technical and vocational events, mass media advertisements, as well as organizational internal affairs (for instance employee referral or internal advertisement)” (Sulich, 2016). As this is a middle-level position, employee referral and internal recruitment will be best for filling this position.

Further, the documented Recruitment Plan shall  have all the necessary elements like adequate posting period, placement goals, additional advertising sources, diversity agents and résumé banks. Adequate posting period for candidates to view the advertisement and prepare applications while placement goals included in the recruitment plan helps to narrow the selection. Additional advertising sources help with message broadcast to ensure the recruitment meets the diversity UCR values in its workforce” (Nick, 2012).

Conclusion

This paper has also argued for the importance of a job design in recruitment. In our illustration, Edgar wouldn’t have applied for the position if he didn’t expect to clean up, re-arrange furniture, and restock supplies after his shift. Even better, he would have understood these responsibilities as part of his overall job description. Evidently, this approach helps save future problems in job performance or need to re-hire had the job design not been presented during recruitment. 

Further, a well-designed, unambiguous job design decreases workplace dissatisfaction and turnover in the organization because the Quality Technician is fully aware of his/her responsibilities upfront.

Job rotation implies a U-shaped production machinery orientation where the Quality Technician is able to experience and work in various section within manufacturing department. This not only creates a multi-skilled worker but also helps eliminate boredom and complacency that may result due to repetitive tasks.  Further, it boosts the employee’s morale and overall performance.

On selection, the Recruitment Plan has all the values to ensure diversity in selection while at the same time going for the best fit. The use of résumé banks to select qualified candidates, as well as internal advertisement will guide the organization towards selecting a candidate that is familiar with Flexitronics Limited, thus lowering the training costs.

References

Editor (July 15, 2015) “What is an employee referral program?” www.businessdictionary.com Accessed August 31, 2016.

Erble, R. F. (1989). “Personnel Management and Changing Innovation in Recruitment”. Journal of  Contemporary Education 39(6). p.277-281.

Lombardo, J. “Job Design: Definition and Purpose” www.study.com/academy/lesson/job-design-definition-and-purpose.html  Retrieved August 30, 2016.

Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (2010) “Not What It Was And Not What It Will Be: The Future of Job Design Research”. Journal of Organizational Behavior 31, p. 463-471.

Nemetz, P. N. (2003). “Basic Concepts of Sustainable Development for Business Students”. pp. 1-4. Journal of International Business Education.

Nick, D. (2012) “Hays Quarterly Report”. Sharing Our Recruiting Know-How. 

“People Fitting Positions.pdf” Retrieved August 30, 2016.

QA Engineer Job – Molex Singapore Pte Ltd  - 5422900 www.jobstreet.com.sg/en/job/qa-engineer-5422900?fr=J&data-src=2

Sulich, A. (2016) “Mathematical Models and Non-mathematical Methods in Recruitment and Selection Processes”. Reviewed Papers from the 17^th international Conference. Mekon 2016.

Wilson, M. (2007). A History of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.