Quality / Manufacturing Engineer — Gear Manufacturing Commodity SME

SQA Services • Cicero, IL

2d • $65 - $75 • Onsite

About The Position

SQA Services is hiring a Quality / Manufacturing Engineer to serve as its gear manufacturing commodity subject matter expert and assessment lead for a two-day, on-site readiness assessment of a first-time supplier of a custom three-start worm gear set. Working with an SQA Technical Lead for FAI and metrology, the engineer will lead the Requirements Consumption Review, failure-mechanism-driven commodity assessment, and PPAP readiness review. The role includes documenting gaps and assessing their risks to specification and on-time delivery.

The engineer will evaluate the supplier’s manufacturing processes, quality management system, tooling readiness, capacity, and schedule feasibility. The role requires authoring a Supplier Readiness Assessment Report for SQA technical review and supporting the client readout. The assessment takes place at the supplier facility and includes shop-floor access with required PPE.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or U.S. lawful permanent residents because the position requires access to ITAR-controlled technical data and/or defense articles.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, or industrial engineering, or an equivalent combination of education and at least 10 years of directly related experience.
• At least 7 years of hands-on quality or manufacturing engineering experience in precision gear manufacturing, including worm gear or worm-thread production.
• Working knowledge of gear cutting and finishing processes, including hobbing, worm milling or thread grinding, and gear grinding, and of gear heat treatment such as carburizing, induction hardening, or nitriding.
• Working knowledge of AGMA gear quality standards and gear inspection methods and results, including lead, profile, pitch, runout, single- or double-flank testing, and contact pattern.
• Hands-on experience developing or reviewing PFMEAs and control plans, and executing or reviewing PPAP/APQP per AIAG requirements.
• Prior experience leading supplier audits or assessments, with lead auditor training or certification to ISO 9001 or AS9100.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, gear data tables, and GD&T per ASME Y14.5.
• Strong technical writing skills and ability to produce clear, evidence-based reports on deadline.
• Ability to travel to and work on site at the supplier facility for the full two-day assessment, including shop-floor access with required PPE.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder) to comply with ITAR requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead the on-site assessment as the gear manufacturing commodity subject matter expert, including the opening meeting, daily out-briefs, and closing meeting with the supplier and client.
• Facilitate the Requirements Consumption Review with the supplier’s cross-functional team and the client (virtually), covering contract review, product definition, build plan, inspection and test, CAPA, general workmanship, and tooling/property management.
• Review the gear manufacturing process flow step by step, from blank preparation through shipment, identifying credible failure mechanisms and evaluating prevention and detection controls using a reverse-PFMEA approach.
• Evaluate controls for multi-start worm gearing, including lead, pitch and index accuracy; hob and special-tooling condition; heat-treat distortion; case depth and hardness; grind burn; contact pattern; backlash; and center distance.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of the quality management system as applied to the part, including MRB, nonconformance handling, corrective action, traceability, sub-tier special-process flow-down, and continuous improvement.
• Assess supplier readiness to execute a compliant PPAP where required, including APQP planning, process flow, PFMEA, control plan, capability studies, and submission process.
• Evaluate special-tooling readiness, capacity, and schedule feasibility against quoted lead time, and identify risks to on-time delivery.
• Consolidate findings with the Technical Lead into a gap register, rate each gap by risk and state of control, and recommend actions for the client and supplier.
• Author the Supplier Readiness Assessment Report for SQA technical review within the required timeline and support the client readout.

What This Job Offers

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