Quality Engineer - Manufacturing Quality & Process Improvement

Quality Engineer - Manufacturing Quality & Process Improvement

Industry: Manufacturing / Aerospace Quality Engineering

Location: Olney, TX / Greater Fort Worth
Experience: 5+ Years of Manufacturing or Aerospace Quality Experience
Primary Focus: PFMEA, Control Plans, SPC, RCCA & Process Capability Improvement

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Quality Engineer to lead defect prevention, manufacturing process quality, risk assessment, and continuous improvement initiatives within a manufacturing environment.

This position will be responsible for developing and maintaining Process Failure Mode and Effects Analyses (PFMEAs), Control Plans, Statistical Process Control (SPC) systems, and Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) processes to improve product quality, manufacturing consistency, and operational performance.

The Quality Engineer will collaborate closely with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations to identify process risks, analyze quality trends, implement corrective actions, and improve manufacturing process capability.

The ideal candidate will have strong experience in manufacturing or aerospace quality engineering, with demonstrated success in process risk reduction, defect prevention, statistical analysis, and continuous improvement. This individual must be comfortable working with manufacturing data, investigating quality issues, and implementing sustainable solutions that improve production performance.

Key Responsibilities

Manufacturing Quality Engineering & Defect Prevention

• Develop and implement quality engineering initiatives focused on defect prevention and manufacturing process improvement
• Evaluate manufacturing processes to identify potential quality risks and opportunities for improvement
• Establish effective process controls to improve manufacturing consistency and product quality
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations to address process-related quality concerns
• Analyze manufacturing defects and recurring quality issues to identify improvement opportunities
• Support initiatives to reduce product nonconformances and prevent defects from reaching customers
• Develop sustainable quality improvements that support manufacturing performance objectives
• Promote a proactive approach to quality management and continuous improvement

Process Failure Mode & Effects Analysis (PFMEA)

• Lead and facilitate Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA) activities
• Conduct manufacturing process risk assessments to identify potential failure modes
• Evaluate process risks and recommend preventive actions
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations to develop risk mitigation strategies
• Maintain and update PFMEAs as manufacturing processes change
• Ensure identified process risks are addressed through appropriate controls and corrective actions
• Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on reducing manufacturing process risks
• Monitor the effectiveness of implemented risk reduction measures

Control Plan Development & Process Controls

• Develop, implement, and maintain manufacturing Control Plans
• Establish process control requirements to support product quality and manufacturing consistency
• Ensure Control Plans address critical process characteristics and identified manufacturing risks
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to integrate quality controls into production processes
• Evaluate the effectiveness of existing process controls and recommend improvements
• Update Control Plans following process changes, quality investigations, or risk assessments
• Support implementation of preventive controls to reduce manufacturing defects
• Ensure process control documentation supports established manufacturing quality requirements

Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action

• Lead Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations involving manufacturing defects and quality concerns
• Analyze recurring quality issues and identify underlying process failures
• Develop and implement corrective actions to prevent defect recurrence
• Evaluate the effectiveness of corrective actions and recommend additional improvements when necessary
• Investigate quality escapes and manufacturing nonconformances
• Collaborate with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to resolve quality-related production challenges
• Utilize structured problem-solving methodologies to address complex manufacturing quality issues
• Maintain documentation supporting quality investigations and corrective action activities

Statistical Process Control & Process Capability

• Conduct Statistical Process Control (SPC) analysis to monitor manufacturing process performance
• Perform process capability studies, including Cp and Cpk analysis
• Evaluate manufacturing variability and identify opportunities to improve process stability
• Analyze production and quality data to identify trends, recurring defects, and potential process risks
• Develop recommendations to improve manufacturing process capability
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to implement process improvements based on statistical findings
• Monitor process capability performance and evaluate the effectiveness of improvement initiatives
• Support data-driven decision-making throughout manufacturing operations

Quality Data Analysis & Performance Reporting

• Analyze manufacturing quality trends, defect data, and quality escapes
• Develop and maintain quality dashboards, performance metrics, and reporting tools
• Monitor key quality indicators and identify opportunities for corrective action
• Evaluate quality performance trends to support manufacturing improvement initiatives
• Prepare reports summarizing quality performance, process risks, and improvement opportunities
• Communicate quality findings and recommendations to Engineering and Operations teams
• Support quality performance reviews and continuous improvement planning
• Utilize statistical analysis to evaluate manufacturing quality and process effectiveness

Continuous Improvement & Cost of Poor Quality Reduction

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) reduction
• Identify recurring manufacturing defects and develop strategies to reduce associated costs
• Apply Lean manufacturing principles to improve quality and operational efficiency
• Evaluate opportunities to reduce scrap, rework, and quality-related manufacturing losses
• Collaborate with Operations and Manufacturing Engineering to implement sustainable improvements
• Support initiatives to improve First Pass Yield (FPY) and manufacturing process consistency
• Measure the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives
• Promote continuous improvement practices throughout manufacturing operations

Manufacturing Readiness & Process Validation

• Support manufacturing readiness and process validation activities
• Collaborate with Manufacturing Engineering to evaluate process capability prior to production implementation
• Assess manufacturing processes for potential quality risks and control requirements
• Support development of quality documentation for new or modified manufacturing processes
• Evaluate process performance during validation activities
• Identify opportunities to improve manufacturing quality before full production implementation
• Ensure appropriate process controls are established to support production readiness
• Partner with Operations to maintain manufacturing quality throughout process changes and improvements

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, and Quality teams
• Provide quality engineering support for manufacturing process improvements
• Collaborate with technical teams to investigate quality concerns and implement corrective actions
• Communicate quality risks, performance trends, and improvement recommendations
• Support manufacturing teams in understanding process controls and quality requirements
• Participate in cross-functional problem-solving and continuous improvement initiatives
• Provide technical guidance related to PFMEAs, Control Plans, and process capability
• Promote accountability for quality performance and defect prevention

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related discipline
• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing or aerospace quality experience
• Strong knowledge of Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (PFMEA)
• Experience developing and maintaining manufacturing Control Plans
• Working knowledge of Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Experience with Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) methodologies
• Knowledge of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles
• Experience analyzing manufacturing quality trends, defects, and process performance
• Understanding of manufacturing process risk assessment and defect prevention
• Ability to conduct statistical analysis and evaluate manufacturing process capability
• Strong analytical, technical problem-solving, and organizational skills
• Ability to develop and implement sustainable quality improvements
• Experience collaborating with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to interpret manufacturing quality data and communicate technical findings
• Experience supporting corrective action and process improvement initiatives

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) certification
• Direct experience in aerospace quality engineering
• Extensive experience facilitating PFMEAs and manufacturing process risk assessments
• Demonstrated success developing and implementing effective Control Plans
• Experience conducting Cp/Cpk process capability studies
• Experience developing quality dashboards and performance metrics
• Experience leading initiatives focused on Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) reduction
• Demonstrated success reducing recurring manufacturing defects and quality escapes
• Experience improving First Pass Yield (FPY)
• Experience supporting manufacturing readiness and process validation activities
• Advanced knowledge of statistical quality analysis and process improvement
• Experience leading cross-functional corrective action investigations
• Demonstrated success implementing Lean manufacturing quality improvements

Candidate Must-Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related discipline
• Minimum 5 years of manufacturing or aerospace quality experience
• Knowledge of PFMEA development and process risk assessment
• Experience with manufacturing Control Plans
• Working knowledge of SPC and process capability analysis
• Experience with RCCA and structured problem-solving
• Understanding of Lean manufacturing and continuous improvement principles
• Experience analyzing manufacturing defects and quality performance data
• Ability to identify process risks and implement preventive actions
• Strong statistical analysis and analytical problem-solving capabilities
• Experience collaborating with Manufacturing Engineering and Operations
• Strong communication and organizational skills
• Ability to drive sustainable manufacturing quality improvements

Key Performance Indicators & Success Metrics

Success in this position will be measured through improvements in the following areas:

• Customer Complaint Rate (CCR) Reduction: Reduce customer-reported quality concerns and recurring complaints
• Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ) Reduction: Reduce scrap, rework, defects, and other quality-related manufacturing costs
• Process Capability Improvement (Cp/Cpk): Improve manufacturing process stability, consistency, and capability
• Recurring Defect Reduction: Implement effective corrective actions that prevent repeated manufacturing quality issues
• PFMEA Risk Reduction: Reduce identified manufacturing process risks through effective preventive controls
• First Pass Yield (FPY) Improvement: Increase the percentage of products meeting quality requirements without rework