Quality Engineer

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact this employer to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.

Professional Decatur, AL, US

6 days ago Requisition

Job Title: Quality Engineer

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Overview:

The Quality Engineer is responsible for applying engineering principles and quality methodologies to improve product quality, manufacturing processes, and overall operational performance. This position serves as a technical resource to the Quality, Engineering, Production, and other departments by investigating quality issues, identifying root causes, developing sustainable corrective actions, and implementing process improvements.

The Quality Engineer will focus on preventing defects, reducing process variation, solving recurring quality problems, and improving manufacturing processes rather than solely identifying defects after they occur.

This position requires a strong understanding of manufacturing processes, engineering principles, data analysis, and structured problem‑solving. The Quality Engineer will work closely with employees at all levels and must be comfortable working both independently and cross‑functionally within a manufacturing environment.

Essential Duties: (Additional duties may be assigned as required.)

• Quality Engineering & Root Cause Analysis
  • Lead investigations into recurring or significant product and process quality issues.
  • Identify and validate root causes using structured problem‑solving methodologies such as 5 Why, Fishbone/Ishikawa, 8D, and other appropriate analytical tools.
  • Distinguish between symptoms, immediate causes, and underlying systemic causes when investigating quality problems.
  • Analyze defective products, manufacturing processes, inspection results, and available production data to determine contributing factors.
  • Develop technically sound corrective actions that address the underlying cause rather than relying solely on inspection, rework, or employee retraining.
  • Verify the effectiveness of implemented corrective actions through objective evidence and measurable results.
  • Identify opportunities to prevent similar quality issues from occurring in other products, processes, or departments.
• Corrective & Preventative Action
  • Lead and coordinate corrective and preventive action activities related to significant internal, customer, supplier, or process‑related quality issues.
  • Establish corrective action plans, responsibilities, target completion dates, and effectiveness criteria.
  • Track open corrective actions and follow up with responsible departments to ensure timely completion.
  • Evaluate completed corrective actions to determine whether the identified problem has been effectively resolved.
  • Monitor recurring quality issues and identify trends that may require broader process or system improvements.
  • Maintain appropriate documentation supporting investigations, root‑cause conclusions, corrective actions, and effectiveness verification.
• Manufacturing Process Improvement
  • Evaluate manufacturing processes to identify opportunities to improve product quality, consistency, efficiency, and repeatability.
  • Work directly with Production and Engineering to identify sources of process variation and develop practical solutions.
  • Recommend changes to processes, tooling, fixtures, equipment, materials, or methods when necessary to improve quality.
  • Participate in continuous improvement projects focused on reducing defects, scrap, rework, customer complaints, and process variation.
  • Assist in developing process controls that prevent defects rather than relying solely on final inspection.
  • Evaluate the quality impact of proposed changes to manufacturing processes and recommend appropriate controls.
  • Support the…