Quality Engineer II

Novanta•Rocklin, CA

10h

About The Position

Build a career powered by innovations that matter! At Novanta, our innovations power technology products that are transforming healthcare and advanced manufacturing—improving productivity, enhancing people’s lives and redefining what’s possible. We create for our global customers engineered components and sub-systems that deliver extreme precision and performance for a range of mission-critical applications—from minimally invasive surgery to robotics to 3D metal printing. Novanta is one global team with over 26 offices located in The Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific. Looking for a great place to work? You have found it with a culture that embraces teamwork, collaboration and empowerment. Come explore Novanta. Summary The ideal candidate will have significant quality experience in mechatronic and electronic systems. The Quality Engineer II will have a strong customer focus and the desire to drive quality investigations and continuous improvement, and to be a contributor to new product development programs. He/she will be self‑starting, with a strong desire to succeed, and collaborate and grow with others in the organization. The candidate will demonstrate the passion, rigor, and discipline needed to develop and deliver products to market and sustain released products. Key responsibilities include the overall management of incoming, in‑process, and final inspection activities, including hands‑on inspection and metrology support such as CMM programming, operation, and data analysis. The role will support RMA activities and projects, supplier quality initiatives, and ISO 9001 quality system requirements, including audit support. This individual will be responsible for processing and analyzing incoming RMAs from the field, leading root‑cause investigations, applying data‑driven quality methods (e.g., SPC, Cp/Cpk), and driving corrective actions through to effective customer closure. The Quality Engineer II will maintain a strong customer focus while contributing to operational quality, supplier quality, and new product development programs.

Requirements

5-8 plus years working in a manufacturing environment as a Quality Engineer II or equivalent
Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or similar experience
Supplier Quality experience is highly desired
Supplier Audits/Survey
PPAP, APQP, D/PFMEA and Gage R & R
CMM experience is required
Must demonstrate the ability to show initiative and commitment to the company’s goals as well as readily adapt to changing requirements
Able to work from specifications, technical manuals, schematics, and verbal/written instructions
Ability to discuss technical problems encountered with customers, engineering and the senior management team
Experience with ERP systems, Oracle experience a plus
Minimal travel expected to visit customers as required. Expected <20%. Must have a valid passport and be able to travel internationally if required.

Responsibilities

Represent Celera Motion effectively when addressing key customer quality issues.
Ensure timely communication and complete problem resolution.
Present findings and actions from RMA investigations using 8D, 5 Why, or other reporting methods.
Maintain and improve the corporate RMA process to enhance efficiency, reduce warranty costs, and optimize cycle time.
Lead customer complaint investigations, including root cause analysis, corrective actions, and customer communication.
Lead customer audits, scorecard reviews, and recurring quality meetings.
Initiate and implement quality improvement activities (e.g., Novanta Growth System, Kaizen, Six Sigma/Lean).
Support MRB inventory and scrap‑reduction efforts.
Lead complex root‑cause investigations requiring statistical analysis or cross‑functional collaboration.
Own site‑wide process‑capability initiatives (Cp/Cpk, SPC deployment, etc.).
Communicate confirmed or suspected supplier quality issues and drive them to full resolution.
Manage APQP/PPAP activities within the supply chain.
Lead supplier audits and qualify new suppliers with minimal oversight.
Serve as the supplier's technical subject‑matter expert during escalations.
Monitor, track, and report daily inspection throughput (incoming and outgoing).
Perform inspection per IPC/WHMA requirements.
Define sampling plans based on product risk.
Perform and maintain First Article Inspection Reports and other qualification documentation.
Program and operate CMM equipment (preferred).
Lead internal ISO 9001 audits and act as an audit team leader.
Develop or revise core quality procedures with cross-functional approval.
Lead part qualifications both internally and within the supply chain
Assist in engineering to production transfers
Provide product compliance certification support
Participate and facilitate D/PFMEAs
Supports engineering efforts by participating in design development projects, representing quality assurance and the customer.
Ensures that customers’ product specifications are analyzed to establish efficient, cost-effective requirements for ease of manufacture and reproducibility
Train manufacturing and inspection personnel as required
Manages root-cause analysis and other problem-solving activities to identify effective corrective actions and process improvements within manufacturing, materials, engineering, and planning
Ensures ISO 9001 is maintained and continually drive quality system improvements
Ensures that procedures for process control, process improvement, test and inspection are controlled and followed
Collect and analyze data to predict trends that will affect the improvement of product quality
Lead quality engineering on major NPI programs
Lead cross-functional D/PFMEA reviews and risk mitigation plans
Document all CMM procedures (photos, setup, running program, etc.)
Perform daily CMM inspections
Program and troubleshoot CMM as required for CMM inspections
Train QE or Inspector/CMM technician on our processes
Strict compliance with quality, occupational safety, and environmental regulations
Implementation of the instructions of the quality / environmental management representative and the occupational safety specialist
Own calibration system oversight or metrology strategy for key product families (as applicable)
Lead continuous improvement events such as Kaizen, value-stream mapping, or NGS projects