Senior Automotive Class-A Quality & Craftsmanship Engineer

About the role

This position is focused on ensuring the visual quality, craftsmanship, and design execution of Class-A interior and exterior components throughout the product development lifecycle. The role involves evaluating molded, painted, wrapped, chrome, and appearance-sensitive components to ensure alignment with design intent, visual standards, dimensional stability requirements, and production readiness expectations. The engineer will work closely with Design, CMF, Mastering, Suppliers, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Product Development teams to identify and resolve craftsmanship, tooling, grain, and appearance-related issues before production launch.

Responsibilities

• Design Quality & Craftsmanship Validation
  • Ensure Class-A components meet visual quality, craftsmanship, and design intent requirements
  • Evaluate vehicle and accessory components against appearance and quality standards
  • Support development and maintenance of craftsmanship expectations across programs
  • Drive alignment between design intent and production execution
• Mold & Grain Approval Activities
  • Review molded parts prior to grain application to ensure tool quality meets approval requirements
  • Assess tooling and molded surfaces for cosmetic defects and quality concerns
  • Validate supplier pre-grain approval documentation
  • Approve tooling readiness prior to grain application activities
• Appearance Approval Process (AAR)
  • Review and evaluate appearance approval parts including: Painted components, Wrapped components, Chrome components, MIC components, Other Class-A appearance parts
  • Verify parts meet visual quality standards and dimensional stability requirements
  • Support approval activities required for PPAP signoff and production readiness
• Issue Identification & Resolution
  • Document visual, cosmetic, tooling, and craftsmanship concerns
  • Generate visual reports supporting issue identification and resolution
  • Work directly with suppliers and engineering teams to address identified concerns
  • Support root cause investigations and corrective actions for appearance-related issues
• Supplier Quality Support
  • Support supplier visits and on-site quality reviews as required
  • Collaborate with Supplier Quality Engineers and supplier quality teams
  • Assist suppliers in resolving tooling, grain, and appearance concerns
  • Monitor supplier quality performance related to craftsmanship standards
• Program & Data Management
  • Maintain documentation and records related to grain approvals, appearance approvals, and craftsmanship reviews
  • Track program deliverables and approval status across multiple projects
  • Support timeline management and milestone execution
  • Maintain material development and craftsmanship databases
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Collaborate closely with CMF Design, Studio Engineering, Mastering, Manufacturing, and Supplier Quality teams
  • Support plaque-to-part scaling and design execution activities
  • Participate in design reviews and provide quality feedback throughout development

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Product Development, or a related technical field
• Minimum 8+ years of experience in quality, product development, craftsmanship, supplier quality, or design validation environments
• Minimum 5 years within the automotive industry
• Experience evaluating appearance-sensitive or Class-A automotive components
• Experience working with suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams
• Strong understanding of craftsmanship, cosmetic quality, and visual acceptance criteria
• Experience documenting issues and supporting corrective actions
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools

Qualifications

• Must Have:
  • 8+ years of experience in Quality, Product Development, Craftsmanship, Design Validation, or related disciplines
  • Minimum 5 years of automotive industry experience
  • Experience evaluating appearance-sensitive or Class-A automotive components
  • Experience working with suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams
  • Strong understanding of craftsmanship, cosmetic quality, and visual acceptance criteria
  • Experience documenting issues and supporting corrective actions
  • Strong organizational and project management skills
  • Ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools
• Good to Have:
  • Tooling experience
  • Grain approval experience
  • Appearance Approval Report (AAR) experience
  • Injection molded plastic component experience
  • CMF (Color, Material, Finish) experience
  • PPAP exposure
  • Supplier Quality experience
  • Vehicle launch experience
  • Class-A interior or exterior component expertise