Jobs · Quality Assurance · Minnesota

Quality Engineer

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength · Owatonna, MN · 2 mo ago
Quality Assurance$78k–$113k/yrFull-time

About the role

As a Quality Engineer, you'll play a critical role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of industry-leading fitness equipment that serves customers around the globe. Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, Suppliers, and Quality teams, you'll lead problem-solving initiatives, strengthen manufacturing quality systems, and drive continuous improvement efforts that enhance product performance and customer satisfaction. This is an opportunity to make a visible impact in a collaborative, fast-paced manufacturing environment while helping deliver innovative, high-performance workout solutions that customers trust.

Responsibilities

  • Lead structured root cause analysis and corrective action activities using tools such as 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, Pareto Analysis, and effectiveness verification.
  • Partner cross-functionally to identify, contain, and resolve supplier, process, product, and reliability issues.
  • Support and continuously improve the Quality Management System, including ISO 9001 compliance activities.
  • Develop and deliver quality training that improves awareness, problem-solving capability, and consistent execution of quality requirements.
  • Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Purchasing, and suppliers during new product launches and production changes using PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and capability studies.
  • Lead supplier quality improvement initiatives, including supplier corrective actions (SCARs), containment activities, escalations, and effectiveness verification.
  • Drive resolution of nonconforming material through NCR/MRB processes, rework validation, risk assessment, and recurrence prevention.
  • Analyze customer complaints, warranty, and field-quality data to identify trends and implement sustainable corrective actions.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other data-driven methodologies.
  • Provide technical guidance and support to Quality Technicians and other team members.
  • Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor to support operators, supervisors, technicians, and engineers in resolving quality concerns.
  • Own quality issues from containment through closure, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
  • Conduct product, process, and quality system audits while driving corrective actions and continuous improvement.
  • Develop and improve inspection methods, measurement systems, Gauge R&R studies, and capability analyses.
  • Create and maintain quality documentation including procedures, work instructions, PFMEAs, Control Plans, inspection plans, and quality records.
  • Develop and communicate meaningful quality metrics and reports, including defect trends, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, PPM, NCRs, customer complaints, and supplier performance.
  • Utilize statistical analysis and manufacturing data to identify opportunities for improvement and support business decisions.

Required Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
  • 3-5 years of quality engineering or related manufacturing quality experience.
  • Demonstrated experience leading root cause analysis, corrective actions, nonconforming material investigations, and manufacturing problem-solving efforts.
  • Working knowledge of SPC, process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), measurement system analysis, and statistical methods.
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience analyzing manufacturing and quality data to identify trends and recommend solutions.
  • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities with a proven ability to independently drive results.
  • Effective written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with precision measurement equipment, engineering drawings, GD&T, and dimensional inspection.
  • CMM programming and operation experience, including Calypso and/or PC-DMIS.
  • Experience with Minitab or similar statistical software.
  • Working knowledge of ISO 9001, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and other core quality tools.
  • Manufacturing experience involving machining, fabrication, welding, powder coating, paint, assembly, or related processes.
  • ASQ CQE, CQA, CRE, Six Sigma, or equivalent professional certification.
  • Experience with Power BI, Python, computer vision, or other advanced analytics and automation technologies.

Work Environment

This position is primarily based in a manufacturing environment and may involve exposure to elevated noise levels. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required as applicable.

Similar jobs

Quality Engineer

LVT (LiveView Technologies)Spanish Fork, UT· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on job-boards.greenhouse.io

Quality Engineer

LibbeyToledo, OH· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on ars2.equest.com

Quality Engineer

LegrandKenosha, WI· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on iadugs.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com

Quality Engineer

MolexHudson, WI· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on koch.avature.net

Quality Engineer

BiorceAustin, TX· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on people-jobs.com

Quality Engineer

Precision CastpartsHouston, TX· 3 mo ago
Quality Assuranceapply on pcctalentacquisitionportal.tal.net