The Role
Leads quality engineering activities in a manufacturing environment, including process analysis, capability studies, control plans, corrective and preventive actions, audits, supplier quality, customer complaint investigations, and continuous improvement. Collaborates with engineering and project teams to implement effective solutions, support new process introductions, and maintain quality system compliance. Applies statistical analysis, Lean, DMAIC, 8D, and PFMEA methods to reduce process variation and improve product conformity.
Summary Generated by Built In
Be yourself at Protolabs
Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a diverse team that feels they are valued in the workplace. So do you feel you do not meet every single requirement but still intrigued? We encourage you to still apply! You can help make our company even better. We do not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, age, mental or physical ability, or any way you represent yourself. We strongly believe diversity makes for more successful teams.
Why Protolabs?
We are the leaders in digital manufacturing. We hire doers, makers, and creative thinkers who tackle our roles with an entrepreneurial spirit. Our culture is centered around meaningful work that brings new and innovative products to market at unprecedented speeds. We are a diverse team that comes from all walks of life and take pride in our team who is smart, genuine, humble, and passionate about what we do. It’s our people who fuel our creativity and make our culture feel like home.
Join our team as a Quality Engineer II!
The Quality Engineer II will be responsible for working in and leading project teams to establish and implement systems that ensure products conform to requirements. The Quality Engineer II will identify problems, lead and support problem investigations, and collaborate to design and implement effective solutions. This individual will also participate and facilitate engineering continuous improvement project teams, ensuring adequate process controls are designed and implemented
You will:
- Provide Quality Assurance technical expertise in support of manufacturing. Identify issues and analyze the cost of poor quality.
- Support continuous improvement activities, including Process Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, kaizens, and lean manufacturing activities. Where appropriate, drive project completion in quality disciplines related to continuous improvement, problem solving (using formal methods such as DMAIC, 8D, etc.), and statistical data analysis.
- Collaborate with Engineering to characterize manufacturing processes. Determine process capability, identify sources of variation in production processes, implement adequate control plans, and establish feedback mechanisms.
- Support or lead projects of various scope and complexity.
- Review, and analyze relevant data to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.
- Conduct investigations of customer complaints to identify causes and appropriate actions to prevent recurrence.
- Ensure thorough investigation and execution of corrective and preventive actions associated with internal process, vendor, and audit findings.
- Support and define requirement for product line transfers and new process introductions.
- Support the audit and qualification of new suppliers, and resolve supplier quality issues.
- Support and/or perform internal audits of the Quality System, and support external audits of the Quality System.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
What it takes:
- A Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering (Industrial, Manufacturing, or Mechanical), physical Science, or related field, from an accredited college or university
- 3+ years of experience as an engineer in a manufacturing environment
- Understanding of Quality systems and practices in a manufacturing environment
- Familiarity in Quality System Standards such as ISO 9001 and/or ISO 13485, AS9100
- Excellent analytical and problem solving skills. Demonstrated ability in applying statistics to industrial practices
- Experience working with customers and suppliers
- Demonstrated project management
- Able to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented work environment
- Able to communicate complex technical information to all levels of the organization, able to write technical procedures and work instructions
- Ability to read, write and speak English fluently
What Makes You Stand Out:
- 5+ years of experience working within a quality system
- Experience in CNC machining, injection molding, and/or 3D printing environment(s) is preferred
- Proficiency in using statistical analysis software (such as JMP or Minitab), and in applying statistics to industrial practices
- ISO 9001 Audit Certification
- Existing understanding of Quality systems and practices in a manufacturing environment
- Demonstrated success in applying continuous improvement concepts, such as Lean and DMAIC
- Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills
Proto Labs maintains ITAR-compliant operations in all of our United States based facilities. Due to ITAR regulations, this role is only open to U.S. Citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders) or foreign nationals granted refugee or asylee status. Individuals with temporary visas (e.g. E, F-1, H-1, H-2, L, B, J, TN or OPT) are not eligible for hire in this role.
Proto Labs, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Physical Demands:
While performing the essential duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to sit; use a computer keyboard, monitor and mouse, telephone and printer; reach with hands, and arms, talk, see and hear. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, stoop or kneel and must be able to lift and/or move up to 50+ pounds.
Work Environment:
Indoors (A/C); nonsmoking; the majority of this job function is performed in a manufacturing area exposed to machinery and noise; with eye protection and safety shoes required. Occasionally works in outside weather conditions. Occasionally works near moving mechanical parts and in high, precarious places and is occasionally exposed to wet and/or humid conditions, fumes or airborne particles, toxic or caustic chemicals, risk of electrical shock and vibration. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet to moderate.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, physical science, or a related field from an accredited college or university
- At least 3 years of engineering experience in a manufacturing environment
- Understanding of quality systems and practices in a manufacturing environment
- Familiarity with ISO 9001, ISO 13485, and/or AS9100 quality system standards
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
- Ability to apply statistics to industrial practices
- Experience working with customers and suppliers
- Demonstrated project management experience
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment
- Ability to communicate complex technical information and write technical procedures and work instructions
- Fluent English reading, writing, and speaking ability
- U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent resident status, or refugee/asylee status due to ITAR compliance
- At least 5 years of experience working within a quality system
- Experience with CNC machining, injection molding, and/or 3D printing environments
- Proficiency with statistical analysis software such as JMP or Minitab
- ISO 9001 Audit Certification
- Experience applying Lean and DMAIC continuous improvement concepts
- Excellent verbal communication and presentation skills
Protolabs Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Protolabs and has not been reviewed or approved by Protolabs.
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision options are broadly available and described as good to excellent. Additional protections like short- and long-term disability and life insurance bolster the overall package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A starting PTO allotment plus paid holidays, along with added wellness and volunteer time, is emphasized, with some roles noting PTO growth over tenure. Paid caregiver leave appears in postings and supports flexibility for life events.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with company match and immediate vesting is offered, supporting long-term savings. This foundation is frequently cited alongside core financial benefits as a strong element of total rewards.
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The Company
What We Do
Protolabs is the world's fastest digital manufacturing source for rapid prototyping and on-demand production. The technology-enabled company produces custom parts and assemblies in as fast as 1 day with automated 3D printing, CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and injection molding processes. Our digital approach to manufacturing enables accelerated time to market, reduces development and production costs, and minimizes risk throughout the product life cycle. 3D Printing Our 3D printing service offers a wide selection of materials and technologies to create prototypes and end-use parts with complex geometries and detailed features. With tight process controls, careful design reviews, and extensive quality monitoring, we ensure precise and repeatable 3D-printed parts, every time. CNC Machining We use 3- and 5-axis milling along with turning to machine parts from commercial-grade plastics and metals. Our online quoting system and automated manufacturing process enable us to ship parts within 24 hours, helping customers accelerate development and reduce time to market. Sheet Metal Fabrication Protolabs is an industry leader in quick-turn sheet metal parts for both prototyping and low-volume production. Our digital approach to manufacturing enables us to fabricate sheet metal parts in as fast as 5 days. Additionally, we can support our customers’ development efforts with component assemblies, several finish options, and screen printing. Injection Molding Our injection molding service offers two options—prototyping and on-demand manufacturing—which provide customers a tooling solution that aligns with their project’s requirements. It’s used for quick-turn prototyping, bridge tooling, and low-volume production of up to 10,000+ parts in 15 days or less.
