Quality Engineer

Job Title: Customer Quality Engineer

Location: Fort Mill, South Carolina

Duration: Direct Hire Permanent Role

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Customer Quality Engineer is responsible for leading customer-focused quality assurance efforts, ensuring a high level of customer satisfaction through timely and effective root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role is responsible for all aspects of customer audits and bridges production, engineering, and sales by serving as the frontline contact for customer quality concerns. The Customer Quality Supervisor will also oversee the implementation of standard Return Material Authorization (RMA) and Root Cause Corrective Action (RCCA) processes at the site level and ensure consistency across functions.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serve as the main site-level liaison for customer quality issues, including RMA investigations, root cause analysis, and communication with Sales and Engineering teams.
• Analyze warranty claims, audit findings and quality performance metrics to identify trends.
• Supervise and guide a team of quality technicians or engineers focused on finished product, out-of-the-box audits, customer requirements, and outgoing quality.
• Share regular reports of customer quality performance, scorecards, KPIs, inspection results, and process monitoring with the site team.
• Implement and maintain customer quality processes aligned with corporate standards (e.g., RMA, RCCA, Apollo, A3, PDCA).
• Monitor and drive improvements in customer complaint resolution time, RMA cycle time, and customer satisfaction.
• Lead internal cross-functional teams to resolve customer-reported issues, identify systemic root causes, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Initiate the revision process and engineer solutions using tools such as DFMEA, PFMEA, control plan, etc. to improve quality assurance
• Maintain and improve systems for outgoing inspection, product traceability, and data analysis (SPC, Pareto, etc.).
• Champion lessons learned from customer feedback across departments to drive product and process improvements.
• Prepare and present customer-facing quality reports and metrics.
• Support and guide the implementation of Quality Management Systems (QMS) related to outgoing product and customer requirements.
• Foster a culture of quality, customer focus, and continuous improvement through coaching, process audits, and team engagement.
• Collaborate with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, and IT to streamline quality dashboards and VOC tracking tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel based on customer need; up to but not limited to 30%.

SKILLS:

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional initiatives with a balance of technical expertise and leadership capability.
• Ability to interpret and understand regulatory requirements and customer requirements.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present technical information clearly to both internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving abilities (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone).
• Proven ability to lead quality investigations and communicate technical findings clearly to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Proficient in statistical process control and analysis (SPC, Minitab, Excel).
• Strong understanding of statistical analysis and hypothesis testing.
• Proficient in PowerPoint.
• Effective time management and multitasking in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent communication, conflict resolution, and leadership skills.
• Working knowledge of QMS (ISO 9001 or equivalent), FMEA, and CAPA.
• Ability to collaborate across functions (Engineering, Sales, Operations, IT).

TRAITS:

• Analytical thinking.
• Detail-oriented and organized with a sense of urgency.
• High sense of follow-through and highly action-oriented.
• Customer-centric mindset with a passion for product excellence.
• A team player who builds trust and seeks continuous improvement.
• Strong work ethic and ownership mentality.
• Strong communication skills at all levels.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 2 years in Quality Assurance, CX, CEX, Customer Quality or Customer Experience roles in a heavy-automation fast-paced manufacturing environment.
• 1 years in a supervisory or leadership position.
• Experience with inline inspection systems and methodologies.
• Strong public relations and customer-facing experience, particularly in managing quality concerns and building client trust.
• Quality Engineer Certification.
• Green Belt (or higher) Certification.
• Certified Lead Auditor experience required.
• Experience in solar/PV manufacturing preferred.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

• Paid Time Off (vacation, sick, and holiday)
• 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance Plans
• Health Savings Account option
• Supplemental/Voluntary Insurance Plans
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tuition Reimbursement Program
• Employee Recognition Programs
• Employee PV Panel Purchase Program