Definition: Quality Technician Job Description

What are the missions of the Quality Technician? What training to follow to exercise this profession? What are his outlets and his salary? The answers are provided to you by this quality technician job sheet.

Quality technician profession

Guaranteeing the reliability of products in a factory, the quality technician’s mission is to check their conformity with the initial specifications and to guarantee their traceability in the event of a defect. Discover the profession in detail: mission, training, recruitment, retraining.

What is a Quality Technician?

A particularly rigorous professional, the quality of the products that leave a factory largely depends on the quality technician.

Indeed, controlling, certifying the quality and verifying the conformity of the product according to the standards and the legislation in force, this is the daily life of this expert. It controls both physical characteristics, ie shape, appearance, etc., and chemical characteristics such as composition, additives, etc.

To carry out his mission, the quality technician uses various measurement and control tools in order to identify any faults or deviations that could adversely affect the quality of the products throughout the manufacturing process. If the results are not consistent, he identifies the causes and suggests solutions.

Present in all fields (food, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, etc.), the quality technician works both in his research laboratory and on the sites of the various production workshops.

Guarantor of the application of the regulations in force, he makes all employees aware of the quality approach and ensures compliance with the instructions. He therefore works in contact with all departments: operators, technicians and production managers, design office. He writes the compliance control reports, formalizes the certificates of non-compliance and provides reporting for management.

Missions of the Quality Technician

• Define the controls and useful means to ensure the quality of production;
• Analyze the quality specifications of general management, and/or customers while taking into account the constraints of the company;
• Adapt the control, measurement or audit methods to the quality policy;
• Ensure the reliability of the measurement means;
• Promote the quality policy among the teams;
• Raise awareness and train staff, particularly in self-monitoring;
• Write, update, manage procedures, instructions;
• Participate in the tests;
• Monitor the results and propose corrective actions;
• Ensure the traceability and compliance of raw materials, products and processes;
• Participate in internal audits and prepare for external audits;
• Propose, supervise and evaluate corrective or improvement actions;

Where does the quality technician work?

Quality technician jobs are present in all areas of industry: mechanics, metallurgy, electronics, plastics, textiles, automotive, aeronautical or naval construction, construction, food processing, chemicals and also energy including hydraulic, oil, nuclear.

But the quality technician can also work in services (engineering, IT services companies, telecoms) which are recruiting more and more.

Trends in the profession

The evolution of regulations, standards and customer requirements make it possible each year to offer several tens of thousands of positions in France.

Qualifications required to become a quality technician

Guarantor of the quality of the products that leave a factory, this profession requires great rigor, a good analytical mind and methodology. Obliged to produce numerous reports, this professional must have good interpersonal and writing skills.

As control techniques and technologies are constantly evolving, the business requires constantly keeping abreast of various developments.

A strong autonomy and initiative are required as well as reactivity when an incident occurs.

The quality technician does not work alone and must therefore have a team spirit. Obliged to sensitize the various collaborators, he must know how to show pedagogy as well with his colleagues as with the customers.

Finally, this professional must know the tools and measuring instruments but also have skills in the regulatory and environmental field.

Fluency in a foreign language (English in priority) is a plus.

Training to become a quality technician

A minimum licence level diploma is required for a quality career as a technician. But inevitably, the higher the level of qualification, the easier the recruitment and development will be.

Licence level

• BTS Bioquality
• BTS Studies of realization of a project of communication option studies of realization of printed products
• BTS Process management
• DEUST Production and controls of health products
• DUT Quality, industrial logistics and organization

Master level

• Professional license in analysis, quality and control of produced materials
• License pro analytical chemistry, control, quality, environment
• Professional license for quality trades
• Professional bachelor’s degree in industry: industrial production management
• Professional license in instrumentation, measurement and quality control
• Professional license for quality, hygiene, safety, health, environment

Continuing education

The profession of quality technician is quite possible through continuing training offering many possibilities for retraining in this profession.

Among these trainings, we find some of those listed above but also:

• CQPI Quality Technician
• CQPM Technician in organization “quality control and metrology
• Coordinator, quality, safety, occupational health and environment

Possible evolutions of the quality technician

With good field experience and adequate training if necessary, the quality technician can progress to a position of quality assurance manager, quality consultant, method engineer, R&D technician, business manager or even quality director.

Of course, the higher the initial diploma, the faster the development.

Salary of a quality technician

As often, the remuneration depends on the initial level of education, professional status, experience and the sector of activity in which he works.