Quality Engineer Lead

We are seeking an experienced Quality Engineer Lead to support and lead quality initiatives within a high-volume manufacturing operation. This position will play a key role in maintaining product quality, improving manufacturing processes, resolving customer and production quality issues, and supporting the facility's ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.

The ideal candidate will have a strong manufacturing quality background and be comfortable working directly with production, engineering, customers, and suppliers in a hands-on plant environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead quality engineering activities supporting manufacturing operations and customer requirements.

• Maintain and continuously improve the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System.

• Investigate internal and external quality issues and drive corrective and preventive actions.

• Lead root cause analysis using tools such as 5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, and corrective action methodologies .

• Develop and maintain control plans, inspection procedures, work instructions, and quality documentation .

• Support quality requirements for manufacturing processes including heat treating, forging, forming, machining, coating, and fabrication.

• Analyze scrap, defects, rework, customer complaints, and process data to identify opportunities for improvement.

• Partner with Production and Engineering to improve process capability and reduce variation.

• Lead or support internal, customer, and third-party quality audits.

• Ensure proper product and material traceability throughout the manufacturing process.

• Oversee measurement systems, calibration requirements, and inspection equipment.

• Review customer drawings, specifications, and quality requirements to ensure manufacturing compliance.

• Support new product introductions and process changes from a quality perspective.

• Work directly with customers to resolve quality concerns and communicate corrective actions.

• Provide technical guidance and leadership to quality technicians, inspectors, and production personnel.

• Drive a culture of continuous improvement and accountability for quality throughout the facility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Industrial Technology, or a related technical field preferred.

• 5+ years of quality engineering experience in a manufacturing environment.

• Experience working within an ISO 9001 Quality Management System.

• Strong knowledge of root cause analysis, corrective actions, process improvement, and problem-solving methodologies.

• Experience with SPC, capability studies, control plans, PFMEA, MSA/Gage R&R, and quality data analysis preferred.

• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, tolerances, and customer requirements.

• Experience with precision measurement and inspection equipment.

• Strong understanding of manufacturing processes and process controls.

• Steel, metal fabrication, forging, heat treating, machining, or other heavy industrial manufacturing experience is highly desirable.

• Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with production employees, engineers, management, suppliers, and customers.

• Demonstrated ability to lead quality projects and drive issues through resolution.

Ideal Candidate

The strongest candidate will be a hands-on Quality Engineer who enjoys spending time on the manufacturing floor, can quickly identify the source of quality problems, and has the leadership ability to drive corrective actions across multiple departments. Experience in steel processing, heat treating, forging, machining, or metal fabrication would be particularly valuable.