Senior Quality Engineer

Pampered Chef•Addison, IL

19h•$85,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Quality Engineer is a critical member of the Technical Development, Sourcing, and Quality organization responsible for embedding quality discipline across New Product Development (NPD), validation testing, packaging performance, supplier inspections, and inspection execution oversight. This role ensures products meet Pampered Chef’s standards for performance, durability, regulatory compliance, and customer satisfaction from concept through mass production and post-launch monitoring. This position operates globally, partnering with Engineering, Product Management, Customer Service, and Sourcing teams in North America, Europe, and China to drive structured, data-driven quality execution and continuous improvement. The role also provides technical leadership and operational oversight to the hourly inspection function, ensuring consistent execution of quality standards.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in engineering (required).
5–10 years of progressive Quality Engineering experience.
Experience in NPD quality, validation, and supplier management.
Strong analytical, process-driven mindset with ability to translate data into action.
Demonstrated ability to provide technical leadership and influence cross-functional teams.
Experience working with global suppliers.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience supporting inspection or quality execution teams preferred.
Six Sigma certification preferred.
Spanish or Mandarin language skills a plus.

Responsibilities

NPD Quality Ownership Embed quality gates into the NPD stage-gate process.
Define CTQs, validation protocols, and inspection criteria prior to launch.
Lead DFMEA/PFMEA risk assessments and mitigation planning.
Ensure launch readiness and approve transition to mass production.
Testing & Validation Develop and execute validation plans (performance, lifecycle, durability).
Lead packaging performance testing (drop, compression, transit simulation).
Analyze validation data and drive corrective action in partnership with engineering and Product Management.
Resolve design and material failures through structured root cause analysis.
Supplier Quality & Inspections Establish and govern first article and pre-shipment inspection standards and approval criteria.
Lead structured root cause analysis and corrective action processes (8D/CAPA) with global suppliers to eliminate defects and prevent recurrence.
Monitor supplier KPIs and implement improvement plans.
Escalate supplier performance gaps when required to protect launch and shipment integrity.
Inspection Operations & Technical Leadership Provide day-to-day technical leadership and performance oversight for the hourly inspection team.
Define inspection procedures, acceptance criteria, and reporting standards.
Ensure timely and accurate communication of inspection results to Engineering, Product, and Sourcing teams.
Drive continuous improvement within inspection processes and documentation discipline.
Product Lifecycle & Replacement Parts Governance Proactively identify serviceable components during NPD and define replacement part strategy.
Create and maintain a Master Replacement Parts List with clear ownership and revision control.
Define part specifications, documentation, and quality requirements for spare components.
Partner with Customer Service to enable efficient field issue resolution and reduce full-unit replacements.
Use warranty and returns data to continuously improve product design and service strategy.
Data Analytics & Continuous Improvement Analyze warranty, returns, and customer service trends to identify systemic issues.
Translate data into preventive quality improvements.
Build dashboards to monitor launch performance and field quality.
Apply Six Sigma methodologies to reduce defects and variability (preferred).
Regulatory & Global Collaboration Monitor regulatory trends impacting consumer goods and packaging.
Ensure global compliance readiness for NA, EU, and Asia markets.
Collaborate cross-functionally with global teams in Europe and China.