Quality Engineer.

Hartley People Recruitment in partnership with our client are hiring for a Quality Engineer in Waterford.

The client is a growing Irish contract manufacturer. They specialise in sheet metal fabrication, welding, powder coating and complex assembly. They supply major international customers in data centres, material handling and industrial equipment.

This is not an inspection role. You will own customer quality issues, find the real cause of problems and improve processes. The role comes with a clear path to Quality Manager within about five years.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a key contact for customer quality complaints and manage each issue through to closure.
• Establish the facts quickly and keep customers informed with clear updates.
• Coordinate containment actions where needed.
• Run root cause investigations using 8D, 5 Why, Fishbone, 5W1H, Pareto analysis, process mapping, measurement system analysis and basic statistics.
• Find the systemic cause of a problem, not just the operator or workstation where the defect appeared.
• Develop corrective and preventive actions, put them in place and confirm they have fixed the problem.
• Drive actions to completion within agreed timescales.
• Keep clear records of complaints, investigations and corrective actions.
• Build strong working relationships with customer quality and engineering contacts.
• Coordinate PPAP activity for new and modified products, from reviewing customer requirements to managing submissions and re-submissions.
• Review drawings, specifications, BOMs, process requirements and control plans with Engineering.
• Coordinate dimensional inspection, measurement results and capability studies.
• Make sure samples are built to the correct revision and flag quality risks before submission.
• Maintain PPAP documentation and approval status.
• Clarify customer drawings and specifications, and identify requirements that are unclear or hard to manufacture.
• Support design for manufacture (DFM) discussions, customer visits and technical meetings.
• Investigate dimensional and welding issues.
• Challenge customer requirements where the facts support it and offer technically sound alternatives.
• Make sure engineering changes reach production correctly.
• Build a working knowledge of laser cutting, CNC punching, press brake forming, manual, robotic and stud welding, leak testing, shot blasting, powder coating, assembly, inspection and testing.
• Work with Engineering and Production to reduce process risk and improve process capability.
• Carry out internal and process audits and support external and customer audits.
• Manage non-conformances, control plans, inspection procedures and quality documentation.
• Meet customer-specific requirements.
• Identify where the Quality Management System is not working and help improve it.
• Track and report on quality KPIs including customer complaints, PPM, internal rejects, rework, scrap, cost of poor quality, repeat complaints, corrective action closure and PPAP performance.
• Use quality data to spot trends and move the business from detection to prevention.

Essential

• Qualification in Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality or a related discipline.
• Experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Experience managing non-conformances and corrective actions.
• Able to read and understand engineering drawings and specifications.
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• Clear communicator, comfortable dealing with customers and internal teams.
• Well organised and able to manage several issues at once.
• Attention to detail while keeping the bigger picture in view.
• Comfortable working on the factory floor.
• Proactive and willing to take ownership.

Desirable

• Sheet metal fabrication or welding experience.
• PPAP and 8D experience.
• ISO 9001 experience and an internal auditor qualification.
• Experience of customer audits.
• Knowledge of GD&T and dimensional inspection.
• Experience with a Faro arm, CMM or similar measurement equipment.
• Background in automotive, industrial, data centre or OEM manufacturing.
• Lean or Six Sigma experience.

For immediate consideration, please email your CV to [email protected] or call Eimear Cox on 051 878813.

Hartley People Recruitment works to the highest ethical standards in our industry. We value the trust you place in us when you send your CV. We guarantee that your CV will not be sent to any of our clients without your prior consent and are happy to provide a full, confidential consultation.