Sr. Quality Engineer

About the role

TrendAI is seeking a Sr. Staff Quality Engineer to own quality oversight of the company's contract manufacturing partner(s) supporting its released hardware appliance product lines and New Product Introductions (NPI). This role is the primary quality engineering interface to Trend's electronics manufacturing services (EMS) partner, driving corrective action on process and quality escapes, ensuring continuous improvements are implemented and validated, leading root cause and failure analysis, and making production hold/release decisions in partnership with Supply Chain.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary quality engineering point of contact for Trend's contract manufacturer(s); issue, manage, and drive closure of Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs) in response to process escapes, nonconformances, or incomplete implementation of engineering changes.
• Review, release, and verify field-level implementation of Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) and Bills of Materials (BOMs) within PLM; resolve part-revision and BOM discrepancies with manufacturing partners and internal engineering.
• Lead root cause investigations and failure analysis on field returns and in-process failures (board- and system-level); determine appropriate disposition — rework, scrap, or salvage — and author corresponding rework/work instructions.
• Maintain and validate the Approved Manufacturer List (AML) / Approved Vendor List (AVL); evaluate and qualify alternate part sources, including technical review of supplier RFQ and quote packages.
• Assess quality risk and authorize production holds or releases on affected hardware lines in coordination with Supply Chain and Dev Engineering.
• Author, release, and maintain quality documentation (work instructions, rework instructions); ensure contract manufacturer personnel complete required training prior to production of updated builds.
• Partner cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Development Engineering, Sustaining Engineering, and Procurement to resolve quality escapes and drive continuous improvement in contract manufacturer performance.
• Represent Quality in supplier/contract manufacturer business reviews and escalations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years of quality engineering experience in electronics/hardware manufacturing, including direct experience overseeing contract manufacturers or EMS providers.
• Strong working knowledge of PCBA/SMT manufacturing processes and industry standards (IPC-A-610, J-STD-001).
• Hands-on experience with PLM systems (Agile PLM or equivalent) and ECO/BOM change control processes.
• Demonstrated experience with structured root cause and corrective action methodologies (8D, CAPA).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including experience managing difficult supplier conversations professionally and constructively.
• Willingness to travel to contract manufacturer site(s) as needed, but typically one 3-day stay per month.

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt certification.
• Experience supporting network security or enterprise hardware appliance product lines.
• ISO 9001 internal audit experience.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Short & Long Term Disability
• Pre-partum, maternity, parental and medical leave
• Mental Health Wellness Program
• Adoption Assistance
• Wellness Incentive
• Pet Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off
• 14 Annual Holidays
• Tuition Assistance
• Employee Resource Groups