Senior Quality Engineer

About the Role: 

We are looking for a hands-on Senior Quality Engineer to drive manufacturing quality for printed circuit board assemblies (PCBAs), subassemblies, and system-level products across our contract manufacturers and suppliers. This role is responsible for ensuring robust manufacturing processes, superior workmanship, high production yields, and effective corrective actions throughout the product lifecycle.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in SMT manufacturing, IPC standards, electronics assembly processes, and statistical quality methods. Working closely with Manufacturing Engineering, Supplier Quality, Reliability Engineering, Design Engineering, and contract manufacturers, you will establish process controls, improve manufacturing capability, and ensure consistent delivery of high-quality products.

While supporting New Product Introduction (NPI) activities as needed, the primary focus of this role is sustaining manufacturing quality, driving continuous improvement, and reducing quality risks in volume production environments.

Manufacturing Quality Execution: 

· Serve as the primary quality interface with contract manufacturers; drive alignment on build quality, yield, and corrective actions. 

· Lead day-to-day quality activities at the factory floor — audits, line walks, quality gates, outgoing quality checks. 

· Monitor SPC charts, AOI/inspection data, and parametric performance to proactively identify and correct drift. 

· Coordinate issue containment, corrective action, and verification to closure. 

· Own the quality alert process and partner with Engineering to ensure effective disposition of non-conformances. 

NPI Quality & Control Plan Strategy: 

· Lead NPI quality readiness: establish control plans, process audits, and quality gates for new product builds. 

· Partner with Engineering and Manufacturing to translate product requirements into measurable quality controls. 

· Proactively identify and de-risk potential failure modes before ramp using PFMEA and design reviews. 

· Ensure a smooth handoff from prototype to volume production with stable processes and clear accountability. 

Continuous Improvement & Problem-Solving Leadership: 

· Act as a pacesetter for problem-solving excellence — driving the consistent use of 8D, 5 Whys, and PFMEA across functions. 

· Partner with Reliability Engineering to integrate manufacturing and field data, accelerating detection of systemic issues. 

· Identify and prioritize key quality metrics (yield, defect rates, escape rates, first-pass yield) and ensure visibility to stakeholders. 

· Support manufacturing change reviews to ensure risks are understood and mitigated before implementation. 

Supplier & CM Engagement: 

· Work with Supplier Quality to ensure incoming material quality is stable and consistent with outgoing factory performance. 

· Build strong working relationships with CM quality teams, establishing clear escalation paths and accountability. 

· Participate in supplier audits and quality reviews, feeding learnings back into manufacturing processes. 

Skills and Qualifications: 

· 7–10+ years of Quality Engineering experience supporting electronics manufacturing, PCBA production, datacenter hardware, networking equipment, semiconductor systems, or similarly complex products.

· Strong knowledge of SMT manufacturing processes including solder paste printing, SPI, pick-and-place, AOI, X-ray inspection, reflow soldering, selective soldering, and final assembly operations.

· Demonstrated expertise with IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, and industry-standard electronics workmanship requirements; IPC certification preferred.

· Experience analyzing ICT, boundary scan, and functional test data to improve yields and reduce manufacturing escapes.

· Proven success driving yield improvement, defect reduction, and process capability improvements in high-volume manufacturing environments.

· Strong understanding of SPC, Cp/Cpk analysis, MSA, DOE, control plans, and manufacturing quality systems.

· Hands-on experience leading root cause investigations and corrective actions using 8D, 5 Whys, PFMEA, and related methodologies.

· Experience working directly with contract manufacturers and EMS providers to improve quality and operational performance.

· Familiarity with failure analysis techniques including X-ray analysis, cross-sections, microscopy, and electrical fault isolation.

The base salary range for this position is $175,000 to $275,000 annually.  Actual compensation may include bonus and equity, and will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, and qualifications.