Senior Quality Engineer, Advanced Quality

Proterra offers a dynamic and supportive workplace where our employees can thrive personally and professionally. With cutting-edge facilities and groundbreaking projects, Proterra offers unique opportunities to grow, collaborate, and lead transformative change in the electrification of heavy‑duty transportation and equipment.

Our commitment to innovation extends beyond our battery solutions to our people, where we create an environment where everyone feels valued, supported, and empowered to drive change for the earth. Here at Proterra we strive to foster a culture of inclusivity, valuing diverse perspectives and encouraging bold ideas, allowing our employees to bring their full selves to work. Our employees benefit from competitive total rewards packages, and opportunities to develop professionally.

This role combines advanced product quality and quality management system ownership. You will lead Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) from concept through launch — control plans, MSA, capability studies, and PPAP submission and customer approval — and facilitate the FMEA process, with Design Engineering owning the DFMEA and Manufacturing Engineering owning the PFMEA. In parallel, you will develop, maintain, and improve the Quality Management System (QMS) — documentation control, process standardization, internal audits and audit readiness, and system performance metrics — to ensure full compliance with ISO 9001 and customer‑specific requirements.

• Lead APQP deliverables across all PDP phases from program kickoff through PPAP approval and safe launch, including control plans, MSA/Gage R&R, and process capability studies
• Serve as the FMEA subject‑matter expert — support Design and Manufacturing Engineering in DFMEA and PFMEA development, advise on methodology and risk ranking, and promote consistent FMEA practice across locations
• Compile and submit PPAP packages for customer approval, including the A-10 Control Plan Checklist and APP-E Product Quality Planning form;
• Develop and release Prototype, Pre‑Launch, Production, and Safe Launch Control Plans aligned to each development phase gate
• Lead development, implementation, and closure of the Pre‑Production and Production Safe Launch Plans
• Participate in design reviews, special‑characteristics reviews, and engineering‑change assessments; identify risks and drive mitigation actions across PMO phases
• Lead the customer‑specific requirements self‑assessment and assure compliance
• Developing and maintaining Quality Planning documentation such as Quality Technician work instructions, Quality Acceptance Criteria, and quality inspection lists for product characteristics
• Drive Development Issue closure and support overall launch readiness

• Develop, maintain, and improve the QMS to ensure compliance with ISO 9001 and customer‑specific requirements
• Lead internal audits and support external and customer audits, including schedule visibility and collection of outputs in the system of record
• Drive containment, correction, and risk assessment of audit findings, and report QMS performance and audit trends to top management
• Own document control — hierarchy, revision impact, and storage standards — and expand the QMS to supporting functions
• Facilitate process mapping with cross‑functional teams to standardize processes and remove non‑value‑add steps

• Lead structured problem solving (8D, 5-Why, Ishikawa) on launch and early‑production issues
• Support root cause and verified corrective action for internal and external
• Analyze scrap, rework, warranty, first‑pass‑yield, and audit data to target improvement projects
• Apply SPC and error‑proofing (poka‑yoke) to…