Advanced Quality Engineer- Cooking

GE Appliances • LaFayette, GA

20h • Onsite

About The Position

The Advanced Quality Engineer (AQE) leads quality activities for new parts, new processes, equipment installations, and New Product Introductions (NPI) across U.S.-based refrigeration manufacturing sites. This role is responsible for ensuring new equipment, processes, and product changes are properly qualified, successfully launched, and transitioned to the plant with sustainable long-term ownership. The AQE serves as a key technical resource for manufacturing quality, applying strong engineering, problem-solving, data analysis, and refrigeration assembly knowledge to address complex quality and process challenges. The ideal candidate is highly analytical and uses data-driven insights to improve process capability, reduce manufacturing variation, and deliver sustainable quality improvements. This role primarily supports plant operations in LaFayette, GA, with travel to supplier and manufacturing locations as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Engineering or a related technical field.
• 2+ years of experience in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Process Engineering, or a similar technical role.
• Experience defining, implementing, troubleshooting, or improving manufacturing processes.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to use data to make sound technical decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to lead projects and influence cross-functional teams, including manufacturing and hourly production employees.
• Strong project management, planning, organization, and follow-through skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in a high-volume manufacturing environment, preferably appliance or refrigeration manufacturing.
• Experience with CMM, 3D scanning, metrology systems, or other dimensional measurement technologies.
• Experience programming and/or interpreting CMM and 3D scanning equipment.
• Experience with PolyWorks or similar dimensional analysis software.
• Experience with vision inspection systems, including Cognex or Keyence.
• Strong Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement experience.
• Six Sigma Green Belt or higher certification.
• Experience with Minitab or other statistical analysis tools.
• Knowledge of PFMEA, Control Plans, process capability studies, measurement systems, and structured problem-solving methodologies.
• Experience interpreting GD&T, MBD, and engineering drawings.
• Experience with torque, drive, strip, or joint capability studies.

Responsibilities

• Lead quality activities for new products, parts, processes, and equipment from development through production launch.
• Serve as the process quality expert for assigned equipment, parts, joints, and manufacturing processes.
• Partner with Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (AME), Design Engineering, Plant Quality, suppliers, and manufacturing teams to ensure successful and sustainable launches.
• Lead cross-functional PFMEA activities to identify process risks and ensure appropriate mitigation actions are implemented prior to launch.
• Develop and execute qualification plans for new equipment and manufacturing processes in partnership with AME and equipment suppliers.
• Review equipment qualification results and provide technical recommendations and approval for equipment readiness prior to shipment and installation.
• Travel to supplier and manufacturing sites for planning meetings, equipment runoffs, production trials, and launch support.
• Act as a liaison between Product Design and Manufacturing to identify and resolve quality concerns early in the development process.
• Ensure new processes and products are fully transitioned to plant ownership with appropriate documentation, controls, and standard work in place.
• Own and lead equipment and process qualification activities within the assigned area of responsibility.
• Provide technical leadership in the investigation, development, procurement, installation, and implementation of manufacturing equipment and processes.
• Qualify in-house equipment with minimal direction and ensure equipment is capable and ready for production use.
• Lead dimensional and process capability studies to validate equipment and process performance.
• Execute drive, strip, and torque studies on new joints to validate capability, performance, and process robustness.
• Identify opportunities to improve process capability, reduce variation, and establish sustainable manufacturing controls.
• Partner with equipment suppliers to resolve quality and capability issues prior to production launch.
• Lead gage development for production, including specifications, design reviews, supplier coordination, and final buyoff.
• Facilitate gage kickoff meetings with AME, Plant Quality, Design Engineering, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Use CMM, 3D scanning, hand gages, and other measurement systems to analyze and validate parts and processes.
• Perform dimensional analysis and communicate findings to Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and leadership.
• Interpret GEA technical drawings, including Model-Based Definition (MBD), GD&T, and linear dimensions, and ensure quality plans align with design requirements.
• Perform part scanning, CMM analysis, caliper measurements, and other dimensional evaluations as needed.
• Identify measurement system or dimensional concerns and drive appropriate corrective actions.
• Drive Cost of Quality (COQ) improvements, including scrap reduction, yield improvement, concession reduction, damage reduction, and service call prevention.
• Use data analysis and structured problem-solving techniques to identify root causes and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Monitor process performance and capability to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with manufacturing teams and hourly employees to troubleshoot process issues and implement improvements.
• Apply Lean and Six Sigma principles to improve quality, process capability, and manufacturing performance.
• Develop and maintain appropriate quality controls to prevent recurrence of manufacturing issues.
• Partner with Team Leaders and manufacturing teams to develop job instructions, define critical process requirements, and establish standard work.
• Develop and maintain Manufacturing Control Instructions (MCIs), Manufacturing Control Plans (MCPs), forms, and other required Quality Management System (QMS) documentation.
• Ensure process documentation and quality controls are established prior to production launch and maintained throughout the life of the process.
• Ensure applicable quality and process requirements are aligned with ISO standards and GEA quality systems.
• Support the transition of new processes and equipment from Advanced Manufacturing into sustainable plant operations.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to manufacturing and quality teams as needed.

Benefits

• GE Appliances is a trust-based organization. It is important we offer our employees the flexibility they need to do their best work while balancing the needs of the business and individuals. When you join GE Appliances, you will have the opportunity to work with your leader to create a flexible work arrangement that balances the needs of the individual, team, and organization.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level