Lead- Quality Control Engineer

Hitachi Rail is a global leader in digital transformation and technology within the transportation sector. With operations worldwide, we focus on sustainable and innovative solutions to connect people and communities. This role contributes to our mission by ensuring quality and compliance in Rolling Stock operations.

About the role

Hitachi Rail USA is seeking a Lead - Quality Control Engineer to oversee all quality control and quality assurance activities within Rolling Stock operations. This position ensures compliance with customer, contractual, regulatory, and company requirements while providing technical and people leadership. The role involves managing quality personnel, driving continuous improvement, establishing quality standards, and ensuring the delivery of high-quality products and services. The Lead - Quality Control Engineer collaborates with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Management teams to develop and maintain effective quality systems, monitor performance, and support operational excellence and product reliability.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and complete action plans to identify and resolve operational problems.
• Participate in internal and external quality audits to determine system improvements and achieve continuous improvement objectives.
• Lead and coordinate the Quality Control team across manufacturing, incoming, in-process, and final inspection activities, ensuring resource allocation, communication, compliance, and achievement of milestones.
• Set quality control/assurance performance objectives by identifying contract requirements, estimating results, analyzing variances, and initiating corrective actions.
• Develop quality control/assurance plans by conducting quality analyses, identifying critical control points, preventive measures, critical limits, and monitoring procedures; implement corrective actions for nonconformities.
• Validate quality processes by establishing customer and product specifications, measuring production, documenting evidence, determining operational and performance qualification, and updating quality assurance procedures.
• Develop and review quality inspection and test plans for new product development and legacy production parts.
• Coordinate the review and resolution of non-conformances, liaising with internal stakeholders and suppliers to develop, implement, and monitor corrective and preventative action plans.
• Enhance the company’s reputation by accepting ownership for new requests and exploring opportunities to add value.
• Review and approve supplier quality documentation, including inspection/test reports, certificates of conformity, and process validations.
• Coordinate with suppliers to resolve quality issues, track corrective actions, and ensure timely delivery of conforming products.
• Travel as required to supplier facilities and customer sites to perform First Article Inspections (FAI), in-process inspections, and pre-shipment inspections.
• Ensure all inspection activities defined in the Manufacturing Inspection Plan (MIP) are executed, verifying compliance with approved procedures and product specifications.
• Serve as the primary liaison with customer resident inspectors, coordinating schedules, preparing inspection teams, and providing documentation and technical explanations.
• Address and resolve issues raised by customer resident inspectors, ensuring timely response, corrective documentation, and clear communication.
• Monitor and support continuous improvement of internal inspection processes to enhance consistency, reliability, and compliance with evolving requirements.

Requirements

• 6–10+ years of experience in quality control/quality engineering, including supervising quality inspections or managing quality assurance in manufacturing (aerospace, automotive, or passenger transportation industries).
• Demonstrated experience leading quality teams, managing complex quality projects, and driving cross-functional quality improvement initiatives.
• Experience or training in process controls, improvement methodologies, data analysis, strategic planning, and interpreting engineering and management reports.
• Strong understanding of ISO 9001:2015 quality requirements.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and time management abilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to prioritize tasks and delegate appropriately.
• Good supervisory and leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) for reporting and data analysis.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Industrial, Manufacturing, Quality Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) certification is preferred.
• Experience with database management, project tracking software, and ERP systems such as SAP is preferred.
• Ability to conduct investigations, perform root cause analysis, and develop effective solutions.

Physical Demands

• Frequently required to walk; occasionally required to stand, sit, use hands, reach with hands and arms, climb, balance, stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• Must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds, frequently lift and/or move up to 40 pounds, and occasionally lift and/or move up to 75 pounds.

Work Environment

• Warehouse/production environment with occasional exposure to moving mechanical parts.
• Noise level is usually loud.
• Occasional travel required for supplier visits and inspection activities.

Benefits

• Competitive pay.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Short- and long-term disability, life, and accident insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Paid vacation.
• Flextime and work/life programs.
• Training and development opportunities.

Pay

The salary range for this position is $97,952 to $146,929 per year. Final pay is determined by the candidate’s experience, skillset, ability level, internal equity, and location.