Quality Engineer job description

What is a Quality Engineer?

Manufacturing Quality Engineers work in industries such as automobile, transportation, textile and industrial equipment, and their role is to monitor, test and report on the quality of products. Depending on the position, they might inspect raw materials, components, mechanical systems or final products.

What does a Quality Engineer do?

Quality Engineer responsibilities vary across industries and companies, but the main tasks include testing systems and procedures to ensure they meet technical standards and creating quality and safety documentation. QA Engineers are responsible for identifying technical issues and getting to the root of the problem, too. They also proactively recommend solutions that’ll improve product durability and overall performance.

Quality Engineer duties include:

• Auditing systems based on ISO 9001:2015 requirements
• Determining quality metrics for all manufacturing procedures
• Monitoring the entire production cycle and reporting on malfunctions

What skills does a Quality Engineer need?

Quality Engineers usually hold a degree in mechanical or industrial engineering. Candidates for managerial roles might also hold a masters degree in quality assurance, but this is not a must-have, as the quality engineer role is often learned best on the job. No matter the seniority level, QA Engineers should be good team players because they have to collaborate with various departments (e.g. production, engineering and support). Other essential quality engineer skills include problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.

The following sample describes the QA Engineer job duties and requirements. Feel free to tweak based on your needs. You can also use the same template for a Quality Control Engineer job description.

Job brief

We’re looking for a Quality Engineer to test our products and procedures and ensure they meet safety and quality standards.

To be successful in this role, you should be familiar with various inspection techniques and be able to act as an auditor for all of our internal systems identifying issues and recommending solutions. If you hold a degree in engineering or quality assurance and have a great attention to detail, we’d like to meet you.

Ultimately, you’ll help us build products that address customers’ needs.

Responsibilities

• Set detailed guidelines on what needs to be checked and what the quality standards are
• Update our Quality Management System (QMS) with incidents, fixes and improvements
• Audit our systems based on ISO 9001:2015 requirements
• Determine quality metrics for all manufacturing procedures
• Monitor the entire production cycle and perform regular tests to identify potential malfunctions as early as possible
• Inspect product materials and electrical systems for defects and durability
• Identify the root of technical issues and recommend fixes
• Prepare reports on malfunctions and corrective actions (e.g. number of defective raw materials per order)
• Review current blueprints and quality documentation
• Set and track quality assurance goals (e.g. reduce average turnaround time for quality checks by 20%)
• Coordinate with external quality assurance auditors and technicians to ensure legal compliance
• Work with internal teams to increase customer satisfaction by improving the quality of the products

Requirements and skills

• Previous work experience as a Quality Engineer or similar role
• Hands-on experience with Quality Management Systems (QMS) and testing methodologies
• In-depth understanding of technical documentation
• Familiarity with statistical analysis
• Great attention to detail and problem-solving abilities
• Team spirit
• Good analytical skills
• BSc in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or relevant field
• Additional certification in Quality Assurance is a plus

Relevant resources