SBU Field Quality Engineer

Position Summary

The SBU Field Quality Engineer will influence business bottom‑line results by leading, facilitating, and reporting customer and field‑related quality activities for each of our SBU’s platforms. This new function improves the connection between customers/field and our manufacturing/engineering teams, overseeing all quality aspects for each equipment platform, including failure analysis based on customer feedback and prioritizing programs to improve product performance in the field.

Primary Responsibilities

• Provide field‑quality leadership across assigned products, focusing on reducing cost‑of‑quality expenses.
• Supply data and prioritize improvement opportunities for Product Growth Teams, tracking time to improvement and accountability.
• Conduct site visits, gather information, and respond to direct customers to remediate equipment issues, including root‑cause investigations and benefit calculations.
• Interview and establish field‑service technician communication strategies to clarify issues requiring manufacturing or engineering changes.
• Develop a clearly defined project pipeline with priorities to maximize benefit to customers and the SBU, and hold teams accountable for delivering agreed‑upon quality improvements.
• Build a strong understanding of equipment performance and Critical‑to‑Quality (CTQ) elements that drive the customer experience.
• Facilitate and complete root‑cause analysis across multiple functions to enable corrective actions that improve component reliability and product performance.
• Identify field‑training and customer‑application gaps that contribute to poor customer experience and address them.
• Develop and communicate core messaging about quality‑improvement efforts and cultural change across the business.
• Act as a conduit in key selling situations, providing information about the quality management system that may impact the buying process.
• Utilize tools such as Gemba walks, management reviews, internal audits, warranty data, and traceability to evaluate the effectiveness of the Field Quality function.
• Review, challenge, and simplify existing quality‑driven test systems and procedures to assure products meet intended use and customer expectations.
• Forecast and manage key metrics to align with plant financials and Product Growth Team glide paths.
• Facilitate supplier reliability improvements and feed them back into new product and project introduction phases.

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or a related discipline.
• Professional certification (e.g., CPM, APICS, Six Sigma, CQM, PE) preferred.
• At least 5 years of experience in quality or quality engineering within a design, engineering, or manufacturing environment that utilizes Advanced Quality Planning, DFMEA, and Production Part Approval Processes.
• Strong leadership and applied knowledge of APQP, DFMEA, and PPAP.
• Experience with quality management, lean manufacturing, visual management, and continuous‑improvement methodologies.
• Excellent interpersonal, mentoring, and team‑player skills; ability to interact professionally with customers and suppliers.
• Ability to travel up to 15% (with higher peaks at times).
• Proven ability to influence, motivate, and collaborate across multiple departments.
• Hands‑on, proactive change‑agent mindset with experience implementing lean disciplines.
• Proficiency in problem‑solving techniques, statistical and sampling methods, SPC, process capability, traceability, and control points.
• Project‑management and planning expertise, including measurement, monitoring, and documentation of project activities.
• Proficiency with information‑technology systems used in Quality Management Systems.

Compensation

Annual Base Salary Range: $75,700.00 – $135,834.99 (Salary, incentive‑eligible: No, sales commission eligible: No). Compensation is tailored based on seniority, merit, location, education, experience, travel requirements, and union status.

Benefits

• Health insurance and holistic wellness programs effective on day one for employees and families.
• Family‑building benefits, including fertility coverage and adoption/surrogacy assistance.
• Paid time off: up to 15 vacation days, paid holidays, sick leave, plus options for volunteer and parental leave.
• 401(k) match, educational and training programs, tuition assistance, and student‑debt support.

Additional Information

• Travel requirement: up to 15% of time, with occasional higher peaks.
• Safety Sensitive Role: may require additional drug screening.