Sr. Engineer - Testing Quality & Compliance

Kohler Co. • Kohler, WI

5d • Onsite

About The Position

Kohler is seeking a Sr. Engineer – Testing Quality & Compliance to provide technical leadership in testing standards, laboratory quality, measurement assurance, accreditation, and global laboratory correlation. The role helps establish and advance systems that ensure engineering testing produces consistent, traceable, and technically defensible results.

As a technical partner to engineering, testing, quality, codes and standards, and global laboratory teams, the engineer interprets industry standards, leads measurement system and repeatability and reproducibility activities, coordinates inter-laboratory and round-robin testing, and leads ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation and audit activities. The role works across functions and geographies to identify variation, strengthen test methods, and establish common practices that build confidence in engineering test results.

This position is onsite in Kohler, Wisconsin, four days per week. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, or a related technical field.
• At least five years of experience in engineering testing, laboratory operations, quality, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience working within an ISO/IEC 17025-accredited laboratory or comparable laboratory quality system.
• Experience with measurement systems, R&R/MSA, calibration, measurement traceability, and statistical analysis.
• Experience interpreting and applying engineering or laboratory testing standards and requirements.
• Experience supporting laboratory audits, accreditation, certification, or compliance activities.
• Experience developing, validating, standardizing, or improving test methods.
• Product development experience and understanding.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple technical initiatives simultaneously.
• Analytical, planning, detail, and accuracy skills; creative problem-solving and root-cause analysis abilities.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to influence across functions and geographies without direct authority.
• Candor, enthusiasm, commitment, and drive to achieve business results.
• Collaborative mindset and ability to build trust and create an engaging environment.
• Authorization to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.

Nice To Haves

• Experience leading inter-laboratory comparisons, round-robin testing, or proficiency testing programs.
• Experience with measurement uncertainty and statistical methods for laboratory testing.
• ISO/IEC 17025 or ISO 19011 auditor or lead auditor training or certification.
• ASQ or similar quality, measurement, reliability, or auditing certification.
• Experience working with global laboratory networks and harmonizing testing methods and practices.
• Experience in product testing, consumer durable goods, plumbing, or related manufacturing industries.
• Lean or Six Sigma training or certification.
• Working knowledge of laboratory information management systems (LIMS), quality management systems (QMS), or related digital laboratory tools.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical subject matter expert for applying engineering and laboratory testing standards within Kohler’s testing environment.
• Partner with Codes & Standards and engineering teams to translate external requirements into practical test methods, laboratory controls, and testing practices.
• Own the technical health and continuous improvement of applicable laboratory quality systems, including ISO/IEC 17025, and maintain controlled, documented, traceable, and technically defensible testing processes.
• Lead preparation and technical support for laboratory accreditation, certification, internal, customer, and third-party audits; coordinate responses to findings and corrective actions.
• Develop and implement measurement assurance practices, including R&R, measurement system analysis, calibration, traceability, and measurement uncertainty as applicable.
• Evaluate measurement capability and identify opportunities to improve confidence in engineering test results.
• Lead inter-laboratory comparison and round-robin testing programs across global engineering and quality laboratories; analyze variation, identify discrepancies, and facilitate corrective actions and method harmonization.
• Partner with Codes & Standards, Quality, Engineering, and external certification organizations to ensure laboratory capabilities and test methods meet applicable certification and compliance requirements.
• Identify compliance gaps and coordinate actions needed to maintain or expand testing capabilities.
• Apply statistical methods to evaluate laboratory performance, test-method variation, measurement systems, and inter-laboratory results; establish quality metrics and use data to identify trends, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with Testing & Prototyping, Engineering, Codes & Standards, Quality, Product Development, and global laboratory teams to establish consistent practices and resolve technical quality issues.
• Influence stakeholders across functions and geographies without direct authority.
• Identify and assess risks that could compromise the validity, repeatability, or comparability of engineering test results.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for testing-related nonconformances, recurring variation, and audit findings.
• Drive improvements to laboratory processes, test methods, quality systems, and measurement practices to reduce variation, improve efficiency, strengthen compliance, and increase confidence in engineering data.

Benefits

• Applicable benefit programs available from the first day of employment, with no waiting period.
• Competitive total rewards package supporting health and wellbeing.
• Career growth and development opportunities.
• Performance bonus/variable incentive compensation.

What This Job Offers

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