Senior Quality Engineer

Senior Quality Engineer

Join Komatsu and Be Part of Something Big! Job Overview The Senior Quality Engineer is responsible for leading quality improvement initiatives, managing quality systems, and ensuring products and processes meet company, customer, and regulatory requirements. The role drives the reduction of quality-related costs through root cause analysis, corrective and preventive actions, auditing, and continuous improvement efforts while supporting ISO 9001 compliance and regional quality management objectives. This position serves as the primary quality engineering resource for Homer City Operations, providing technical guidance, performance reporting, warranty and failure analysis support, and cross-functional leadership to improve product reliability, manufacturing quality, and customer satisfaction.

Key Job Responsibilities Provide leadership for the site's quality management system by driving quality initiatives, measuring system effectiveness, and implementing improvements that support business objectives and ISO requirements. This includes monitoring quality metrics, facilitating quality improvement teams, and ensuring alignment with regional and corporate quality strategies. Reduce the total cost of quality by identifying and resolving product, process, supplier, and customer-related quality issues. Lead investigations using structured problem-solving methodologies such as RCCA, 3L5Y, and 8D to prevent recurrence and improve overall product reliability. Serve as the primary quality engineering resource for operations, manufacturing, engineering, suppliers, and customers by providing technical guidance on quality standards, inspection requirements, manufacturing processes, welding quality, and regulatory compliance. Ensure products meet established quality standards through inspections, audits, pre-paint and final quality reviews, internal ISO audits, and compliance evaluations. Support regional audit programs and verify adherence to quality procedures throughout the manufacturing process. Lead customer complaint investigations, warranty return analysis, equipment disassembly reviews, and failure analyses. Coordinate corrective actions and communicate findings to internal stakeholders and customers to improve customer satisfaction and product performance. Create, update, and improve quality procedures, work instructions, process controls, inspection criteria, and documentation systems that ensure consistent execution of quality requirements and support ISO 9001 certification. Collect, analyze, and report quality performance data to management, providing visibility into quality trends, warranty performance, nonconformances, audit results, and continuous improvement opportunities. Use data-driven recommendations to support business decisions and strategic objectives. Develop and deliver quality-related training while working closely with operations, engineering, suppliers, management, and regional quality teams to implement improvements, strengthen quality culture, and achieve organizational goals.

Qualifications/Requirements Required Skills Education required: A Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in science, business, mathematics or Quality technical discipline is desirable or an Associate's Degree and 5 years quality experience. Experience required: A minimum of 5 years' experience in Quality Control or Quality Assurance field that can demonstrate the skills required as listed above. Certification required: This position may require attainment of ASQC certification as a Quality Engineer and/or equivalent certifications. Travel requirements: Up to 10% as required to conduct quality audits, perform inspections, provide regional technical support, conduct training, facilitate customer visits. Common destinations will be manufacturing facilities, vendors, sales offices and mines. Preferred Skills Comprehensive knowledge of Quality Management Systems (QMS), ISO 9001 standards, auditing practices, compliance requirements, and continuous improvement methodologies. The role is heavily responsible for maintaining system effectiveness, conducting audits, supporting certification activities, and ensuring adherence to quality standards. Advanced ability to investigate quality issues, identify root causes, and implement effective corrective and preventive actions using structured methodologies such as RCCA, 8D, and 3L5Y. Success in the role depends on reducing warranty, rework, and other quality-related costs through data-driven problem resolution. Strong technical understanding of manufacturing processes, welding, machining, fabrication, inspection methods, and engineering drawings. The position provides technical quality leadership and evaluates product and process compliance throughout production and field applications. Ability to collect, analyze, interpret, and communicate quality metrics and performance trends. This includes using quality systems, SAP, Salesforce, audit findings, warranty data, and statistical methods to drive decision-making and measure organizational performance. Excellent interpersonal, facilitation, training, and influencing skills with the ability to work effectively across operations, engineering, suppliers, customers, and management. The role requires leading projects, driving quality initiatives, resolving conflicts, and influencing improvements without direct supervisory authority.