Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

The Manufacturing Automation Programmer is responsible for designing, programming, troubleshooting, and maintaining automated control systems used across manufacturing production lines. This role works closely with engineering, maintenance, and production teams to optimize equipment performance, minimize downtime, and support continuous improvement initiatives across the plant floor.

Primary responsibilities include:

Night Shift – Shift 29: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, plus every other Wednesday, 6:45 PM – 7:00 AM.

• Support daily manufacturing operations by troubleshooting control system faults, sensors, drives, and networking issues to minimize downtime
• Collaborate with maintenance and production teams on assigned shift to identify automation improvement opportunities.
• Program, develop and improve PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) programs for production, process and packaging equipment.
• Program, configure and improve HMI (Human-Machine Interface) screens for operator control and monitoring.
• Maintain, program and support robotics systems integrated into production lines.
• Support installation, commissioning, and startup of new automated equipment and production lines.
• Maintain accurate documentation of control logic, wiring diagrams, and program revisions.
• Perform backups and version control of PLC, HMI, and robot programs.
• Ensure automation systems comply with safety standards and company quality requirements.
• Provide training and technical support to maintenance technicians and operators as needed.
• Participate in root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for recurring equipment issues.
• Stay current with emerging automation technologies and recommend upgrades where applicable.

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

• Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Automation, Controls, Mechatronics, or related field (or equivalent hands-on experience).
• 2+ years of experience programming PLCs (Allen-Bradley/Rockwell, Siemens, or similar).
• Experience with HMI/SCADA software development.
• Understanding of electrical schematics, industrial networks (Ethernet/IP, DeviceNet, Profinet), and motor controls/VFDs.
• Strong troubleshooting and problem-solving skills in a fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical drawings.

• Experience with robotics programming (Fanuc, ABB, KUKA, or similar).
• Familiarity with vision systems, servo motion control, and safety PLCs.
• Experience in a high-speed converting, packaging, or consumer products manufacturing environment.
• Working knowledge of SQL/databases for data collection and MES integration.

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

• Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
• Paid time off (three-week minimum)
• Medical, dental and vision starting day one
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave
• Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $2500)
• Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
• Tuition assistance
• Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
• ...and more!