Quality Engineering Manager

Job Title: Quality Engineering Manager

Location: Newark, CA

Department: Quality Engineering

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Overview: The Quality Engineering Manager is responsible for leading the Quality Engineering organization and driving quality excellence across PCBA and Box Build manufacturing operations. This role oversees customer quality, manufacturing quality, quality systems compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure products consistently meet customer, regulatory, and company requirements. The Quality Engineering Manager serves as a key liaison between customers, operations, engineering, and quality teams to improve overall manufacturing performance and customer satisfaction.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Customer Quality

• Serve as the primary escalation point for customer quality concerns and complaints.
• Lead root cause investigations and corrective actions utilizing 8D methodology.
• Manage customer audits, quality reviews, and performance scorecards.
• Drive improvements in customer DPPM, RMA performance, and overall customer satisfaction.

Manufacturing Quality

• Lead quality engineering activities supporting SMT, Through-Hole, Box Build, Functional Test, and Final Inspection processes.
• Drive defect reduction, yield improvement, and process capability initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with IPC standards, customer specifications, and internal workmanship requirements.
• Support New Product Introduction (NPI) activities to ensure quality readiness.

Quality Systems & Compliance

• Maintain compliance with applicable quality management systems, including ISO 9001, ISO 13485, AS9100, and IATF 16949.
• Oversee internal, customer, and third-party certification audits.
• Manage Corrective and Preventive Action (CAPA) programs and ensure timely closure of quality issues.
• Monitor quality metrics and implement actions to achieve business objectives.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop Customer Quality Engineers, Manufacturing Quality Engineers, Supplier Quality Engineers, NPI Quality Engineers, Quality Supervisors, and Quality Technicians.
• Establish performance goals, training plans, and career development opportunities.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer focus.

Continuous Improvement

• Lead Lean Six Sigma and quality improvement projects.
• Reduce Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ), scrap, and rework.
• Improve First Pass Yield (FPY) and overall operational effectiveness.
• Utilize data-driven methodologies to identify and implement process improvements.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Quality Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of quality experience within an EMS manufacturing environment.
• Minimum 3 years of leadership or management experience in quality.
• Strong experience supporting PCBA and Box Build manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated customer-facing quality management experience.
• Proven success leading corrective action programs, quality system compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Manager (CQM), or equivalent certification.
• Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt certification.
• Working knowledge of IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and IPC-7711/7721 standards.
• Minimum 8 years of quality experience within an EMS manufacturing environment.
• Minimum 3 years of leadership or management experience in quality.
• Strong experience supporting PCBA and Box Build manufacturing operations.
• Demonstrated customer-facing quality management experience.
• Proven success leading corrective action programs, quality system compliance, and continuous improvement initiatives.