Quality Engineer

Job Title: Quality Engineer
Job Description
The Quality Engineer will maintain and improve quality systems, investigate and resolve quality issues, support and lead corrective actions, and ensure compliance with customer and regulatory requirements. This role plays a key part in driving process improvements, reducing defects, and enabling meaningful, visible impact on business operations and product performance across multiple facilities and product lines.
Responsibilities

• Maintain, monitor, and improve quality systems to ensure consistent product and process performance.
• Investigate quality issues thoroughly, identify root causes, and develop effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Lead and drive corrective actions across engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and quality teams, ensuring timely and sustainable resolution.
• Ensure compliance with customer requirements and applicable regulatory and industry standards, including those common to regulated environments such as medical devices, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and automotive manufacturing.
• Collaborate with cross-functional stakeholders to implement process improvements that reduce defects and enhance product quality.
• Own issues from initial identification through implementation of solutions, ensuring follow-through and verification of effectiveness.
• Support supplier quality activities by participating in investigations and corrective actions related to supplier performance when needed.
• Apply structured root cause analysis methodologies to complex quality problems and communicate findings clearly to stakeholders.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across multiple facilities and product lines, helping to standardize best practices.

Essential Skills

• 3-8 years of experience as a Quality Engineer or in a similar quality-focused engineering role in a regulated manufacturing environment.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills, with a demonstrated ability to resolve complex quality issues.
• Proven experience conducting root cause analysis and implementing effective corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).
• Ability to confidently drive corrective actions across engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and quality teams.
• Comfort owning issues and driving resolution from identification through implementation and verification.
• Experience in regulated industries such as medical devices, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, or automotive manufacturing (including OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers).
• Experience working within quality engineering and quality assurance frameworks in regulated environments.
• Strong cross-functional leadership skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders toward quality goals.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Engineering degree strongly preferred, providing a solid technical foundation for quality and process improvement activities.
• Experience with supplier quality processes and collaboration with external partners to resolve quality issues is beneficial.
• Familiarity with industry quality standards such as AS9100 and TS16949 is a plus.
• Experience in medical device, aerospace, pharmaceutical, or automotive manufacturing environments is highly valued.
• Demonstrated hands-on approach to problem solving, with ownership of issue resolution rather than a primary focus on reporting or metrics.
• Ability to work across multiple facilities and product lines, adapting to different processes and product requirements.
• Strong communication skills to clearly present findings, recommendations, and action plans to cross-functional teams.

Work Environment
This role operates within a regulated manufacturing environment that may include medical device, aerospace, pharmaceutical, or automotive production settings. The Quality Engineer will work closely with engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, and quality teams, often collaborating across multiple facilities and product lines. The environment emphasizes continuous improvement, cross-functional teamwork, and the ability for individuals to directly influence change rather than being part of a large, impersonal corporate structure. Employees have opportunities for career growth into high-level quality roles and can make a visible impact on business operations and product improvements. Standard professional attire is expected, aligned with a manufacturing and engineering-focused workplace where time is split between office-based analysis and on-the-floor engagement with production and quality processes.
Job Type & Location
This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago, IL.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $36.00 - $41.00/hr.
Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.
Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: • Medical, dental & vision • Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital • 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available • Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) • Short and long-term disability • Health Spending Account (HSA) • Transportation benefits • Employee Assistance Program • Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Aug 31, 2026.
About Actalent


Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.


The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.


If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.



San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.



Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.



Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.