Manufacturing Quality Engineer - NPI/APQP

ARi

$75K — $95K *
Manufacturing & Automotive
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of progressive experience in Quality, Manufacturing, or Product Engineering
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related technical field
  • Strong experience with APQP, PFMEA, and Control Plans
  • Proven analytical and structured problem-solving skills
  • Ability to drive risk identification and preventive quality actions
  • Strong cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills
  • Excellent communication and influencing ability across all organizational levels

Responsibilities

  • Lead APQP execution for NPI and NCI programs
  • Drive proactive quality planning from concept through production launch
  • Develop and support PFMEA for early risk identification
  • Create and maintain Control Plans aligned with customer requirements
  • Serve as quality lead for new product and capital programs
  • Lead process validation activities including capability studies
  • Collaborate with manufacturing, operations, and engineering teams

Benefits

  • Group health, dental, and life insurance coverage
  • Vision coverage available after one month
  • Paid time off, sick days, and company holidays
  • Maternity/paternity leave and bereavement time
  • 401(k) program with specific eligibility
  • Commitment to a diverse workplace culture
Full Job Description
Job Description

Duties / Responsibilities
  • Lead APQP execution for NPI and NCI programs, ensuring readiness reviews, validation planning, and audit strategies are in place
  • Drive proactive quality planning from concept through production launch using Caterpillar APQP and NPI frameworks
  • Develop and support PFMEA, ensuring early risk identification and mitigation
  • Create and maintain Control Plans aligned with PFMEA, process capability, and customer requirements
  • Serve as quality lead for new product and capital programs, ensuring design readiness, manufacturability, and error-proofing
  • Lead process validation activities including capability studies, production trials, and run-at-rate evaluations
  • Collaborate with manufacturing, operations, and engineering teams to ensure process readiness
  • Support early production launches, monitor quality metrics, and drive preventive actions
  • Lead structured problem-solving and ensure lessons learned are fed back into APQP documentation
  • Define and track quality metrics focused on risk prevention and launch robustness
Required Skills
Technical Skills (Required)
  • Strong experience with APQP, PFMEA, and Control Plans
  • Proven analytical and structured problem-solving skills
  • Experience with process validation, capability analysis, and quality metrics
  • Ability to drive risk identification and preventive quality actions
Technical Skills (Desired)
  • Experience supporting NPI and/or NCI programs
  • Knowledge of error-proofing (Poka-Yoke) and process capability methods
  • Familiarity with Caterpillar quality systems (AQE, MESA, deviation management)
  • Certifications such as ASQ-CQE or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt
Soft Skills (Required)
  • Strong cross-functional leadership and collaboration skills
  • Excellent communication and influencing ability across all organizational levels
Education / Experience
  • Minimum 7+ years of progressive experience in Quality, Manufacturing, or Product Engineering
  • Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, or related technical field
  • Internship experience will not be considered


The Benefits of Working at ARi

If you work for ARi, we ensure the benefits extend beyond the workplace. From day one, we offer our full-time employee's group health, dental, and life insurance coverage. Vision coverage is available on the first of the following month.

We also understand the importance of recharging your batteries, and that is why we offer paid time off, sick days, company holidays, maternity/paternity leave, and bereavement to full-time employees. We also maintain a 401(k) program for all employees that meet specific eligibility requirements.

We hire talented people from all walks of life because we believe it strengthens our company. If you want to join a team with a diverse culture that strictly upholds and fulfills employee needs, please apply today!

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