Senior Manager, Quality Engineering

We are seeking a visionary leader for the Quality Engineering organization. You will define and deploy the comprehensive quality strategy for our advanced operations, owning the end-to-end quality lifecycle from early development through high-volume production. You will establish the quality management system, build the team, and create the standards and systems that ensure our advanced hardware products meet the highest quality bar.

Responsibilities

• Quality Systems & Standards
  • Build the Quality Management System (QMS) from the ground up, define quality policies, procedures, control plans, and inspection standards that scale from pilot through high-volume production.
  • Develop and maintain quality control plans for all processes, right-sized for both pilot line development and high-volume operations.
  • Establish standards and processes for Incoming Quality Control (IQC), in-process inspection, and final product acceptance.
  • Define sampling plans, inspection methods, and escalation protocols.
  • Own the Material Review Board (MRB) process, assess, disposition, and manage non-conforming material, escapes, and quarantines with clear data-driven decision making.
  • Implement and manage quality data systems for tracking defects, yields, escapes, and corrective actions. Use data to identify trends, drive improvements, and report quality performance to leadership.
• Design & Process Quality
  • Coordinate and facilitate Design FMEAs (DFMEAs) and Process FMEAs (PFMEAs) during product and process development. Ensure cross-functional participation and rigorous risk assessment.
  • Influence product and process designs through data-driven arguments, provide quantitative feedback on manufacturability, process capability, tolerance stack-ups, and quality risk to design teams.
  • Ensure designs and production processes are entitled to meet quality standards before production release.
  • Lead quality readiness for New Product Introductions (NPI), driving design-for-quality and design-for-inspection principles early in the development cycle.
  • Define and execute measurement system analysis (MSA), process capability studies (Cpk/Ppk), and validation protocols to qualify new products and processes.
• Supplier Quality & Incoming Quality Control
  • Lead the Supplier Quality Engineering function, ensure suppliers complete Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) and meet our quality requirements before parts are released for production.
  • Set and enforce IQC standards for all incoming materials and components. Define inspection plans, sampling strategies, and acceptance criteria based on part criticality and supplier performance history.
  • Manage supplier quality performance through scorecards, corrective action requests (SCARs/8Ds), and periodic business reviews. Drive supplier improvement and development.
  • Lead first article inspection (FAI) and qualification processes for new supplier parts, engineering changes, and sourcing transitions.
  • Collaborate with Supply Chain and Process Engineering to assess and mitigate supplier quality risks for new product introductions.
• Metrology Lab & Measurement Systems
  • Own and operate the metrology lab, manage CMM (Coordinate Measuring Machine) programming, optical measurement systems, gauge calibration, and precision measurement capabilities.
  • Ensure measurement systems are validated (MSA/Gage R&R) and capable of detecting variation at the level required by product specifications.
  • Provide metrology support to product development, process engineering, and supplier quality teams for dimensional analysis, root cause investigations, and process capability studies.
  • Maintain calibration programs for all production gauges, fixtures, and measurement equipment in compliance with quality standards.
• Operations Quality & Root Cause Analysis
  • Own quality performance in production; quality technicians execute the control plan, partner with the operations team, and escalate non-conformances through established mechanisms.
  • Drive rigorous root cause analysis (RCA) using structured methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, fault tree) for internal defects, customer escapes, and supplier quality issues.
  • Aggressively manage the escape and quarantine process, rapidly assess impact, contain affected product, govern quarantine inventory, determine disposition, and implement corrective/preventive actions to prevent recurrence.
  • Establish quality metrics (DPPM, first pass yield, scrap reduction, escape rate, cost of poor quality) and drive continuous improvement through data analysis and cross-functional problem solving.
  • Partner with other teams as their quality interface — ensuring production teams have the quality support, data, and feedback loops to deliver product at standard.
• Team Building & Leadership
  • Hire and develop the best: build the Quality Engineering organization from the ground up, including Quality Control Engineers, Supplier Quality Engineers, Metrology specialists, and Quality Technicians.
  • Manage team structure and operating model to support both development (FMEA facilitation, design reviews, qualification) and sustained production (inspection, RCA, MRB, continuous improvement).
  • Create training programs for quality technicians on inspection methods, measurement equipment, control plan execution, and non-conformance reporting.
  • Develop and deliver quality awareness training for operations and production staff to promote best practices, defect recognition, and quality accountability on the production floor.
  • Champion a "built right first time" quality philosophy. Foster a culture of data-driven decision making, relentless root cause analysis, and proactive quality prevention.
  • Integrate quality into the company culture — not just within your team but across operations, process engineering, and design, ensuring quality awareness and accountability are embedded at every level.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 10+ years of experience in quality engineering within environments producing complex electromechanical or precision hardware products.
• 5+ years in a leadership role, with demonstrated experience hiring, scaling, and managing quality engineering teams from the ground up.
• Deep expertise in APQP/PPAP processes, DFMEA/PFMEA facilitation, control plan development, and core quality tools (SPC, MSA, 8D, 5-Why).
• Experience managing a metrology lab or dimensional inspection function (CMM, optical measurement, gauge calibration).
• Experience managing Material Review Board (MRB) processes and non-conformance disposition.
• Demonstrated ability to influence product and process design through data-driven quality arguments.
• Experience in high-mix or evolving product environments where quality systems must adapt to frequent design iterations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering or equivalent.
• 15+ years of experience in quality engineering with progressive leadership responsibilities, including experience launching operations for new products under compressed timelines.
• Experience in automotive, aerospace, medical devices, or other advanced hardware environments.
• Six Sigma Black Belt or Green Belt certification; CQE (Certified Quality Engineer) or CQM credentials.
• Deep understanding of GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing) and its application to complex mechanical assemblies.
• Experience with quality data systems, production analytics platforms, and statistical software (Minitab, JMP, or equivalent), including advanced SPC application.
• Knowledge of relevant quality standards (ISO 9001, IATF 16949, AS9100) and their practical implementation.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present data-driven quality insights and risk assessments to executive leadership.

Pay

USA, TX, Austin - $179,700.00 - $243,100.00 USD annually

Benefits

• Sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).
• Comprehensive health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans).
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line.
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.
• 401(k) matching.
• Paid time off and parental leave.

Learn more about our benefits at amazon.jobs/en/benefits.