Quality Engineer

Quality Engineer - Tier 1 Automotive Manufacturing

Position Summary

The Quality Engineer is responsible for supporting product and process quality within a fast-paced Tier 1 automotive manufacturing environment. This position works closely with manufacturing, engineering, suppliers, and customers to resolve quality concerns, improve manufacturing processes, and ensure compliance with customer-specific requirements and IATF 16949 standards.

The ideal candidate will have hands-on automotive manufacturing experience, strong problem-solving skills, and practical knowledge of APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, statistical process control, and corrective action methodologies.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a primary quality contact for assigned products, manufacturing processes, and automotive customers.
• Lead investigations and corrective actions related to internal defects, customer complaints, warranty concerns, and supplier quality issues.
• Prepare and submit customer corrective-action responses using 8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa, and other structured problem-solving methods.
• Support new product launches through the APQP process, including development and maintenance of PPAP documentation.
• Develop and maintain process flow diagrams, PFMEAs, control plans, inspection instructions, and quality documentation.
• Coordinate PPAP submissions and ensure all customer requirements are satisfied prior to production approval.
• Monitor manufacturing performance using SPC, capability studies, scrap data, audit results, and other quality metrics.
• Analyze quality trends and identify opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, customer complaints, and cost of poor quality.
• Partner with production and manufacturing engineering teams to improve process capability and prevent defects.
• Participate in root-cause investigations and verify the effectiveness of corrective and preventive actions.
• Support validation of process changes, equipment modifications, tooling changes, and engineering changes.
• Conduct and support internal process, product, layered-process, and quality-system audits.
• Ensure compliance with IATF 16949, ISO 9001, customer-specific requirements, and company quality procedures.
• Communicate directly with customer quality representatives regarding quality concerns, containment activities, corrective actions, and improvement plans.
• Coordinate sorting, containment, and controlled-shipping activities when required.
• Support supplier quality improvement and corrective-action activities as needed.
• Train production employees and supervisors on quality standards, inspection methods, defect recognition, and updated procedures.
• Participate in continuous-improvement initiatives using Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma principles.
• Maintain accurate quality records and provide regular reporting on key quality performance indicators.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, manufacturing, quality, or a related technical discipline preferred.
• Three or more years of quality engineering experience in an automotive manufacturing environment strongly preferred.
• Experience working for a Tier 1 or Tier 2 automotive supplier is highly desirable.
• Working knowledge of IATF 16949 and automotive customer-specific requirements.
• Strong experience with APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, control plans, MSA, SPC, and capability analysis.
• Demonstrated experience leading root-cause analysis and corrective-action activities.
• Experience responding to customer concerns using 8D problem-solving methodology.
• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, and GD&T.
• Familiarity with automotive customer systems and portals is preferred.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and quality-data analysis systems.
• Strong analytical, organizational, written communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to work effectively across quality, production, engineering, maintenance, purchasing, and supply-chain functions.
• Willingness to provide hands-on support on the manufacturing floor and respond to urgent customer or production issues.

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer or Six Sigma certification.
• Experience supporting automotive product launches.
• Experience with OEM or major Tier 1 customer requirements.
• Knowledge of layered-process audits, error-proofing, gage calibration, and advanced problem-solving tools.
• Experience working with high-volume manufacturing, assembly, stamping, molding, welding, machining, or other automotive production processes.