Warehouse Quality Coordinator at NOTIONS MARKETING CORP – Grand Rapids, Michigan

Warehouse Quality Coordinator | Full-time, Onsite | Grand Rapids, MI

About Us

Nicole Tonic Studios, Inc. (NTS), a division of Nicole Craft Brands, specializes in product development, designing, marketing, and innovation for our proprietary product lines in the arts and crafts industry. We offer a comprehensive range of crafting products that bring creativity to the store shelves of retailers. With the continued development of our own products we are seeking a highly organized, self-motivated Warehouse Quality Coordinator to join our growing team.

This role is responsible for overseeing the quality standards within our warehouse and fulfillment operations by ensuring that all incoming inventory meets product specifications, packaging standards, and regulatory requirements. The individual in this role will work closely with Operations, Sourcing, and Quality teams to identify issues, implement corrective actions, and maintain continuous improvement in warehouse quality processes.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Inbound Quality Oversight

• Inspect incoming shipments for product quality, quantity, and packaging compliance
• Verify that overseas supplier shipments meet agreed specifications
• Document and report defects or discrepancies to Sourcing and Quality teams
• Support quarantine, segregation, and disposition of nonconforming materials

Returns & Rework

• Inspect returned products and determine disposition (restock, rework, or scrap)
• Track return trends to identify systemic quality issues
• Collaborate with Quality or Product teams on root cause analysis and corrective actions

Process Improvement & Documentation

• Develop and maintain warehouse quality checklists, SOPs, and audit schedules
• Train warehouse staff on quality standards, processes, and inspection protocols
• Track warehouse quality KPIs (defect rates, damages, returns, mis-picks)
• Recommend process improvements to reduce errors and increase efficiency
• Train warehouse associates on inspection standards, packing/handling to prevent damage, and escalation protocols; perform spot-checks and refreshers.
• Operate within Warehouse Management Systems (receiving, holds, moves), perform basic ERP transactions related to inventory holds/adjustments.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of corrective and preventive actions, nonconforming material control, and basic root cause analysis frameworks.
• Good Communicator – verbal and written communication using Teams, Word, Outlook.
• Highly organized
• Project Management skills including follow up and follow through
• Coachability & Coaching – ability to provide and accept coaching – incorporates and provides feedback and helps others adopt feedback
• Attention to Detail & Consistency - Sustain high accuracy during repetitive inspections; consistently apply acceptance criteria.
• Systems Thinking - See how upstream supplier variation, packaging choices, and handling practices drive downstream defects and returns.
• Prioritization in Fast-Paced Environments - Triage multiple inbound deliveries, quarantines, and return inspections without slowing the dock or missing critical defects.
• Cross-Functional Influence - Collaborate with Operations, Sourcing, and Quality—communicate findings objectively and secure follow-through on actions without formal authority.
• Continuous Improvement Mindset - Identify waste/error opportunities, propose practical fixes, pilot changes, and measure impact.
• Physical & Environmental Readiness - Ability to stand/walk and handle packages during inspections; safely navigate warehouse conditions (PPE, lift limits as per policy).

Required (minimum) Qualifications:

• Associate’s degree in Supply Chain, Logistics, or Operations Management, or a related field.
• 2 years of progressive experience in quality management, inspection, warehouse or fulfillment operations, or a related field.

Preferred Qualifications (used as selection criteria):

• Prior experience with packaging and labeling standards, rework/restock/scrap procedures and/or product-specific regulations.
• Certifications: Lean Yellow Belt, Six Sigma Yellow/Green Belt.
• Prior exposure or experience with ISO 9001.
• Knowledge of quality management - inspection, sampling, acceptance criteria, defect classification.
• Intermediate Excel (lookups, pivot tables, conditional formatting, basic charts); ability to clean and categorize return codes/defect types

Physical and Environmental Conditions:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an associate to successfully perform the key functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the key functions. May be required to lift and/or move up to 50 pounds; may occasionally need to lift over 50 pounds (with or without assistance). The associate is frequently required to stand and walk. While performing the duties of this position, the associate is subject to a distribution setting where temperatures may vary, and the noise level may be moderate to high.