Quality Engineer

Develop and execute quality strategies for specific automotive customer accounts, leading the resolution of customer quality issues and supporting new product launches in a high-volume, highly automated manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a clear quality strategy to manage specific customer accounts and ensure all customer-specific requirements are met.
• Lead the resolution of customer quality issues by coordinating cross-functional teams and driving problems to closure using structured problem-solving tools.
• Interact directly with customers to understand and satisfy their quality and technical requirements, providing effective communication and superior critical thinking.
• Maintain daily quality metrics, including PPM and other key performance indicators, as well as internal and external cost data for all customer requirements.
• Actively engage the site production team to drive manufacturing improvements and support continuous quality enhancement in high-volume automated production.
• Support new business opportunities and new product development programs by providing quality engineering input and risk assessment.
• Gather warranty data for each assigned OEM, generate warranty charts, analyze trends, and prepare warranty reports to reduce warranty costs.
• Support change management programs at both customer and plant levels, ensuring quality requirements are integrated into process and product changes.
• Fulfill and submit all new parts submission requirements, including PPAP documentation, in accordance with customer and industry standards.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to perform Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) for new product launches and Advanced Quality Planning (AQP) for product and process changes.
• Serve as a key member in FMEA development, acting as a liaison between Manufacturing Engineering and Design Engineering to identify and mitigate risks.
• Set clear quality goals and develop improvement plans to achieve and sustain targeted performance levels.
• Document and utilize lessons learned from product launches, quality issues, and process changes to prevent recurrence and improve future programs.
• Review and improve control plans to ensure robust process control and alignment with customer and regulatory requirements.
• Lead and direct customer issues to closure by gathering appropriate teams and applying problem-solving tools such as 8D, 5P, 5 Whys, Fault Tree Analysis, and other customer-specific methodologies.
• Participate in New Product Launch activities, including acting as FMEA moderator when required and ensuring quality deliverables are completed on time.
• Work collaboratively with interdepartmental engineers and technical colleagues in a team environment to manage new product launches and solve product problems for key customer accounts.
• Travel occasionally to customer sites and other global locations to support customer meetings, issue resolution, and launch activities.

Requirements

• Quality engineering or manufacturing engineering experience in an automated high-volume production environment within the automotive industry.
• Strong background in quality management and root cause analysis, including practical use of structured problem-solving techniques.
• High attention to detail and accuracy in data analysis, documentation, and reporting.
• Analytical thinking and working knowledge of problem-solving tools such as Pareto analysis, cause-and-effect diagrams, fishbone diagrams, and 5 Why analysis.
• Core tool knowledge related to automotive quality and manufacturing processes.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills for interaction with internal and external customers.
• Familiarity with the implementation and use of various charts, corrective action programs, simple design of experiments (DOE), and statistical process control (SPC) tools.
• Knowledge of ISO and IATF standards, VDA standards, and IPC-A-610D requirements.
• Strong PC skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and Minitab.
• Expertise in automated assembly processes, specifically laser welding and automated vision inspection systems.
• Strong understanding of end-of-line electro-mechanical testing, including force-displacement testing, contact closure truth tables, and Hi-Pot isolation testing.

Skills

• Technical thinking and core tool knowledge combined with familiarity with plating, plastic molding, metal stamping, and welding processes.
• Limited knowledge of soldering, electronic components, and PCB assembly.
• Experience working with European automotive OEMs such as BMW, VW, Audi, and Mercedes is a plus.
• Ability to work effectively with global teams and occasionally travel to customer and other company locations.
• Ability to document lessons learned and translate them into actionable improvements.
• Experience moderating FMEA sessions for new product launch activities is beneficial.

Work Environment

The role operates within a high-volume assembly environment that utilizes highly automated equipment and advanced automated processes, including laser welding and automated vision inspection systems. Work is performed in a production and engineering setting focused on automotive components, with frequent interaction between quality, manufacturing, and design teams. The environment emphasizes data-driven decision making, structured problem solving, and adherence to automotive quality standards and testing protocols, including end-of-line electro-mechanical testing.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $45.00 - $55.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Schedule

This is a hybrid position in Saint Charles, IL, and is a contract role.