Quality Engineer

Smiths Group•Elmwood Park, NJ

16h

About The Position

The Quality Engineer – Machine Shop is responsible for supporting and improving product quality, process control, inspection readiness, and customer compliance within a precision CNC machining environment. This role is focused on preventing defects, reducing scrap and rework, improving First Pass Yield (FPY), and ensuring machined components meet engineering drawings, customer requirements, AS9100/AS9102 expectations, and internal quality standards. The ideal candidate is hands-on, technically strong, and comfortable working directly with machinists, inspectors, manufacturing engineering, programming, production, purchasing, and quality leadership to identify process risks, investigate nonconformances, develop corrective actions, and implement practical solutions on the shop floor.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, or a related technical field preferred. Equivalent hands-on aerospace machining, inspection, quality engineering, or manufacturing engineering experience may be considered.
3–5 years of experience in a precision manufacturing, CNC machining, aerospace, or regulated quality environment preferred.
Experience with GD&T, FAI/AS9102, RCCA, nonconforming material, inspection planning, CMM/manual inspection methods, calibration, and ERP-based quality records is strongly preferred.
MS Office with strong Excel skills required.
Practical knowledge of CNC machining processes, inspection methods, GD&T, blueprint interpretation, gage usage, material traceability, root cause analysis, corrective action, and quality system requirements in a regulated manufacturing environment.

Nice To Haves

ERP/MRP experience preferred, including JobBOSS/JobBOSS² or similar systems.
Experience with quality documentation systems, CMM software, FAI/ballooning tools, inspection data reporting, and corrective action tracking preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide technical quality support for CNC turning, milling, deburr, inspection, and secondary machining operations.
Interpret engineering drawings, GD&T requirements, customer specifications, routers, job plans, and inspection requirements.
Partner with machinists, programmers, manufacturing engineering, and production supervision to resolve dimensional, visual, material, and process-related quality concerns.
Support first piece, in-process, final inspection, FAI development, FAI review, and inspection method sheet requirements.
Assist with CMM, manual gage, special gage, and fixture-related inspection planning and verification where applicable.
Lead or support RCCA investigations for internal rejects, customer escapes, rework, scrap, repeat defects, and process breakdowns.
Define containment actions, verify affected inventory/WIP, support disposition activities, and ensure corrective actions are effective.
Use quality data to identify trends, prioritize risk, and drive improvements in FPY, scrap/rework reduction, inspection flow, and customer escape prevention.
Support rework job plans by reviewing requirements, risks, inspection steps, and verification criteria.
Support compliance with AS9100, AS9102, customer quality requirements, internal procedures, and applicable aerospace manufacturing standards.
Participate in internal, customer, and external audits by preparing objective evidence, supporting responses, and completing assigned follow-up actions.
Support calibration, gage control, inspection documentation, material certification review, traceability, and quality record requirements.
Support risk mitigation activities including FAI planning, inspection planning, customer return analysis, and process control improvements.
Support customer quality requests, customer returns, corrective action responses, inspection evidence, and documentation packages.
Communicate quality expectations clearly across departments and promote a culture of ownership, prevention, and right-first-time manufacturing.