Job Description
Job DescriptionJob Summary: Quality Engineer:
- Take ownership of quality across the company, with a primary focus on welding and fabrication.
- Responsible for building and enforcing systems that ensure our product meets customer expectations every time—without relying on rework or end-of-line inspection.
- Focus on: process control, consistency, and prevention.
- Work directly with the Lead Quality Engineer
- Drive inspection discipline, improve weld quality, and eliminate variation across operators, shifts, and jobs.
- Hands-on, shop-floor role.
- Expectation is to be in the operation: identifying issues early, supporting the team, and building systems that make quality repeatable.
Core Responsibilities: Quality Engineer:
- Weld Quality Ownership & Process Control
- Own weld quality across all manual and robotic welding operations
- Ensure adherence to welding procedures, safety protocols, and quality standards
- Work with Engineering to improve:
- Weld procedures (WPS)
- Fixturing
- Parameters and sequencing
- Drive consistency in welding, grinding, and finishing processes
- Identify and correct issues before they become production problems
Inspection Development & Oversight: Quality Engineer
- Build and maintain inspection processes, including:
- First Article Inspections
- First-piece inspections
- In-process inspections to support operator self-checks
- Final inspections on high-risk or previously rejected weldments
- Define and update weld inspection criteria to align with:
- Customer expectations
- Internal standards
- Industry requirements Training & Accountability
- Train welders, operators, and frontline leaders on:
- Inspection methods
- Weld acceptance criteria
- Blueprint and weld symbol interpretation
- Reinforce accountability:
- Quality is owned at the process, not just at final inspection Inspection Tools & Calibration
- Support management of inspection tools and calibration systems
- Ensure all equipment is accurate, maintained, and audit-ready Process Improvement & Error Prevention
- Identify opportunities for:
- Fixturing improvements
- Error-proofing
- Process standardization
- Work directly with weld teams to reduce variation and eliminate repeat defects
- Support lean initiatives to improve flow and productivity Documentation & Standardization
- Develop and maintain:
- Weld quality standards
- Visual acceptance criteria
- Work instructions
- Identify knowledge gaps and close them
- Capture and document tribal knowledge into repeatable processes
- Ensure all documentation aligns with ISO 9001 and internal standards Auditing & Compliance
- Support and participate in internal audits across welding and fabrication
- Ensure compliance with:
- ISO 9001:2015
- Customer requirements
- AWS / ASME standards (as applicable)
- Prepare teams for external audits
- Identify gaps early and correct them before they become issues Training & Workforce Development
- Develop and implement a welding test and grading system
- Build structured training programs to improve welding and overall inspection capability
- Mentor and coach:
- Welders
- Operators
- Frontline leadership Robotic Welding Support
- Support robotic welding optimization, including:
- Parameter development
- Weld quality validation
- Troubleshooting
- Work with automation teams to ensure consistent, repeatable output Safety
- Conduct regular safety walkthroughs in welding areas
- Enforce PPE, ventilation, and safe welding practices
- Ensure compliance with OSHA and internal safety expectations
- Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Welding Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Metallurgy, or related field (or equivalent hands-on experience)
- 5+ years experience in: Welding Quality
- Fabrication environments:
- Process improvement
- Strong knowledge of:
- MIG/TIG welding
- Weld defects and root cause analysis
- Blueprint reading and GD&T
- Experience with:
- Robotic welding (preferred)
- First Article and in-process inspection systems
- ISO 9001 quality systems and auditing