Quality Engineer

Life Fitness • Owatonna, MN

9d • Onsite

About The Position

Join us as we empower the world to work out, creating healthier lives together. At Life Fitness / Hammer Strength, we're dedicated to empowering the world to work out and creating healthier lives together. As a Quality Engineer, you'll play a critical role in ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of industry-leading fitness equipment that serves customers around the globe. Working closely with Operations, Engineering, Purchasing, Suppliers, and Quality teams, you'll lead problem-solving initiatives, strengthen manufacturing quality systems, and drive continuous improvement efforts that enhance product performance and customer satisfaction. This is an opportunity to make a visible impact in a collaborative, fast-paced manufacturing environment while helping deliver innovative, high-performance workout solutions that customers trust.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent experience.
• 3-5 years of quality engineering or related manufacturing quality experience.
• Demonstrated experience leading root cause analysis, corrective actions, nonconforming material investigations, and manufacturing problem-solving efforts.
• Working knowledge of SPC, process capability analysis (Cp/Cpk), measurement system analysis, and statistical methods.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience analyzing manufacturing and quality data to identify trends and recommend solutions.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities with a proven ability to independently drive results.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence cross-functional teams and suppliers.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with precision measurement equipment, engineering drawings, GD&T, and dimensional inspection.
• CMM programming and operation experience, including Calypso and/or PC-DMIS.
• Experience with Minitab or similar statistical software.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and other core quality tools.
• Manufacturing experience involving machining, fabrication, welding, powder coating, paint, assembly, or related processes.
• ASQ CQE, CQA, CRE, Six Sigma, or equivalent professional certification.
• Experience with Power BI, Python, computer vision, or other advanced analytics and automation technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead structured root cause analysis and corrective action activities using tools such as 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, Pareto Analysis, and effectiveness verification.
• Partner cross-functionally to identify, contain, and resolve supplier, process, product, and reliability issues.
• Support and continuously improve the Quality Management System, including ISO 9001 compliance activities.
• Develop and deliver quality training that improves awareness, problem-solving capability, and consistent execution of quality requirements.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Operations, Purchasing, and suppliers during new product launches and production changes using PPAP, PFMEA, Control Plans, MSA, and capability studies.
• Lead supplier quality improvement initiatives, including supplier corrective actions (SCARs), containment activities, escalations, and effectiveness verification.
• Drive resolution of nonconforming material through NCR/MRB processes, rework validation, risk assessment, and recurrence prevention.
• Analyze customer complaints, warranty, and field-quality data to identify trends and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives utilizing Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen, and other data-driven methodologies.
• Provide technical guidance and support to Quality Technicians and other team members.
• Maintain a strong presence on the manufacturing floor to support operators, supervisors, technicians, and engineers in resolving quality concerns.
• Own quality issues from containment through closure, ensuring timely and effective resolution.
• Conduct product, process, and quality system audits while driving corrective actions and continuous improvement.
• Develop and improve inspection methods, measurement systems, Gauge R&R studies, and capability analyses.
• Create and maintain quality documentation including procedures, work instructions, PFMEAs, Control Plans, inspection plans, and quality records.
• Develop and communicate meaningful quality metrics and reports, including defect trends, scrap, rework, first-pass yield, PPM, NCRs, customer complaints, and supplier performance.
• Utilize statistical analysis and manufacturing data to identify opportunities for improvement and support business decisions.

Benefits

• 401(k) savings plan with 4% employer match
• medical, dental and vision insurance
• parental, medical and military leaves of absence
• paid time off
• 12 paid holidays throughout the calendar year
• paid vacation days beginning at 13 days annually
• paid sick leave as provided under state and local paid sick leave laws
• company paid short-term disability and optional long-term disability
• health savings account
• health care and dependent care reimbursement accounts
• employee and dependent life insurance and supplemental life and AD&D insurance
• hospital indemnity
• identity protection
• legal services
• adoption assistance
• tuition assistance
• commuter benefits
• employee discounts
• employee assistance program that includes free counseling sessions
• access to our state-of-the-art on-site fitness center featuring industry-leading Life Fitness and Hammer Strength equipment

What This Job Offers

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