Quality Engineer III

nVent•Anoka, MN

4d•$76,000 - $141,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Quality Engineer III represents Quality throughout the New Product Introduction (NPI) process and serves as the quality lead on cross-functional teams from concept and design through qualification, launch, and production stabilization. The role leads APQP activities, defines quality requirements and launch-readiness criteria, and works with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Supplier Quality, Supply Chain, and other functions to identify and mitigate product and process risks. The position develops and executes product and process quality plans, supports prototype and production builds, validates manufacturing readiness, and leads structured problem-solving. After launch, the Quality Engineer monitors early-life quality performance and drives corrective actions. The role also transfers quality controls, requirements, lessons learned, and unresolved risks to sustained manufacturing and helps standardize NPI quality practices across sites.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related STEM field.
At least 4 years of experience in Quality Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Product Engineering, New Product Introduction, or a related technical manufacturing environment.
Experience supporting or leading new product development, product industrialization, manufacturing readiness, or production launch activities.
Working knowledge of APQP tools and methodologies, including FMEA, Control Plans, FAI, MSA/GR&R, and process capability analysis.
Experience applying structured problem-solving methodologies such as 8D, DMAIC, 5-Why, Fishbone Analysis, or Six Sigma.
Experience interpreting engineering drawings, specifications, GD&T, and critical-to-quality requirements.
Experience collaborating with Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and Supplier Quality to identify and mitigate product and process risks.
Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, statistical methods, process improvement, and quality management systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience with optical, multi-sensor, scanning, and other dimensional inspection equipment.
Experience supporting NPI or quality initiatives across multiple manufacturing locations and suppliers.
Quality certifications such as ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or ISO 9001:2015 Internal Auditor training.

Responsibilities

Represent Quality and serve as the quality lead on cross-functional NPI teams from concept and design through qualification, launch, and production stabilization.
Lead APQP activities for new product launches, ensuring quality requirements, deliverables, risks, and acceptance criteria are defined and completed at each NPI phase.
Partner with Design Engineering and Manufacturing Engineering to identify product and process risks through DFMEA, PFMEA, design reviews, DFM, and DFQ activities.
Develop and execute product and process quality plans, including Control Plans, inspection strategies, measurement methods, sampling plans, First Article Inspections, Gauge R&R studies, and process capability studies.
Establish measurable quality gates and launch-readiness criteria, and ensure critical quality requirements are demonstrated and risks mitigated before pilot and production phases.
Support prototype, engineering, pilot, and pre-production builds; analyze defects and process performance to identify and eliminate potential failure modes before full production release.
Partner with Supplier Quality and Supply Chain to qualify new suppliers, components, and manufacturing processes before product launch.
Validate manufacturing process readiness by evaluating process capability, measurement systems, inspection methods, work instructions, error-proofing, and controls for critical-to-quality characteristics.
Lead structured problem-solving during development and launch using Six Sigma, DMAIC, 8D, and root cause analysis, driving containment, corrective action, and recurrence prevention.
Monitor early-life quality indicators after launch, including FPY, defect rates, scrap, rework, NCRs, and customer feedback, and lead rapid corrective actions when performance falls short.
Apply lessons learned and quality read-across from previous products, customer issues, and manufacturing escapes to prevent known failure modes in new designs and processes.
Facilitate the transition from NPI to sustained manufacturing, formally transferring documented controls, quality requirements, inspection methods, lessons learned, and unresolved risks.
Collaborate across sites and functions to standardize NPI quality practices and improve launch execution, product reliability, manufacturing capability, and customer satisfaction.