Product Quality Engineer

KION•Grand Rapids, MI

About The Position

The Product Quality Engineer ensures quality is built into global product-development projects from concept through launch and sustained production. Working across Product Management, R&D, Manufacturing, Validation, Program Management, Project Execution, and Quality teams, this role identifies risks early, defines quality expectations, ensures effective validation, and provides an independent view of product readiness. Focused primarily on AMCS new developments, the role drives a proactive approach centered on prevention, early risk detection, and lessons learned. The role serves as the Product Quality representative and Quality sub-project lead for assigned global product-development programs, coordinating quality activities, deliverables, achievements, and reporting across required functions. It defines and monitors measurable product-quality requirements and acceptance criteria, facilitates product-risk activities, assesses milestone and launch readiness, and coordinates launch and manufacturing-readiness expectations. The role also supports root-cause analysis and corrective actions, transfers lessons learned into new programs, and provides clear, data-based visibility of readiness, risks, and issues to collaborators and leadership across regions. The position requires regional travel of up to 30%. The estimated base pay range is $84,750–$124,300; final compensation depends on factors including work location, education, experience, knowledge, and skills.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Mechanical, Electrical, Industrial, or Quality Engineering, or a related technical field.
Minimum five years of professional Quality experience in a product-, project-, or engineering-based business.
Practical experience with product-development quality and several of the following: APQP, DFMEA/PFMEA, PPAP, Control Plans, RCA, 8D, CAPA, validation, lessons learned, and launch-readiness reviews.
Ability to interpret engineering requirements, drawings, specifications, risk analyses, test plans, and validation evidence, and translate gaps into clear actions and needs for addressing blocking issues.
Strong analytical capability and evidence-supported decision making, including the ability to distinguish product nonconformances from improvement opportunities.
Strong interpersonal, facilitation, negotiation, presentation, and technical/business English abilities, including effective communication across functions and organizational levels.
Established skill in directing and aligning work in an international matrix organization while preserving transparent accountability across Product Management, Engineering, Program Management, and Quality.
Willingness to travel regionally up to 30%.

Nice To Haves

Experience with automated material handling or mechatronic products is preferred.

Responsibilities

Serve as the Product Quality representative and Quality sub-project lead for assigned global product-development programs, coordinating quality activities, deliverables, achievements, and reporting across required functions.
Define, align, and monitor Product Quality requirements and measurable acceptance criteria, including expectations for reliability, maintainability, serviceability, and validation before testing begins.
Lead or facilitate product-risk activities, including DFMEA/PFMEA and technical risk assessments; ensure significant risks, Critical-to-Quality characteristics, and mitigation actions are documented, assigned, and tracked.
Perform independent pre-milestone and launch-readiness assessments and verify evidence supporting Tollgate, Alpha/Beta, special-release, and commercialization decisions.
Coordinate launch and manufacturing-readiness expectations with R&D, Manufacturing Quality, Supplier Quality, and Validation, including Control Plans, PPAP/initial-sample activities, and product ramp-up controls.
Support structured root-cause analysis and drive targeted CAPA/8D actions for significant or systemic product and Beta issues, verifying containment, corrective action, and effectiveness.
Transfer lessons learned from development, manufacturing, suppliers, project execution, and field performance into new R&D programs and continuously improve Product Quality methods and achievement expectations.
Provide clear, data-based visibility of product readiness, unresolved risks, action ownership, and critical issue needs to collaborators and leadership across regions.
Travel regionally up to 30%.