DFSS Engineer

Eaton; Greenwood (SC); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 143,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Health and Welfare benefits

Retirement benefits

Job summary

Eaton in Greenwood, SC is seeking a DFSS Engineer to support manufacturing quality and new product development. This hybrid position offers a collaborative environment where you will drive Design for Six Sigma principles, ensuring high-quality product launches.

The ideal candidate holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering and has over three years of relevant experience. A strong focus on quality improvement processes and supplier management is essential.

Qualifications

• 3+ years in quality engineering or manufacturing engineering environment.
• Solid understanding of quality systems (ISO 9001) and core quality tools.
• Six Sigma Green Belt (or higher) certification is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Participate in early design reviews and risk assessments.
• Coordinate First Article Inspections (FAI) for new parts.
• Monitor initial production to identify quality issues.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Attention to detail

Statistical problem-solving

Quality systems knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Tools

FMEA

Control Plans

MSA

SPC

Job description

Eaton’s ES AMER ARS PDCAD division is currently seeking a DFSS Engineer. This position offers a HYBRID work schedule Monday-Friday 8:00am-5:00pm at our Greenwood SC Eaton facility. Relocation assistance will be provided, if needed.

We are seeking a DFSS Engineer with a hybrid focus on manufacturing quality, supplier quality, and new product development (NPD). This role supports fabrication and assembly operations to ensure robust product launches and flawless hand‑off from development into stable factory production. The DFSS Engineer will drive Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) principles during early design and prototyping, coordinate proactive quality planning (e.g. FAI, PFMEA, control plans), and lead quality improvement activities with both internal manufacturing teams and external suppliers. The ideal candidate is hands‑on, adept at reducing process variability in manual fabrication and assembly, and can collaborate cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, and supply chain to deliver high‑quality products from concept through production.

The expected annual salary range for this role is $97,000 - $143,000 a year. This position is also eligible for a variable incentive program.

Please note the salary information shown above is a general guideline only. Salaries are based upon candidate skills, experience, and qualifications, as well as market and business considerations.

What You’ll Do

• NPD Quality Planning & DFSS: Participate in early design reviews and risk assessments for new products, ensuring critical requirements and Critical‑to‑Quality (CTQ) characteristics are identified. Lead creation of quality plans for NPD projects, incorporating DFSS tools such as DFMEA, statistical test plans, and reliability testing to optimize design robustness. Support design teams in DFM/DFA considerations and co‑review designs to meet quality objectives, injecting lessons learned from prior projects.
• Production Readiness & First Articles: Coordinate and execute First Article Inspections (FAI) or initial PPAP submissions for new parts and assemblies. Develop pre‑launch Control Plans and Process FMEAs (PFMEA) to ensure quality controls are in place from the first build through volume ramp‑up. Verify that manual fabrication and assembly processes have appropriate gauging, inspection steps, and error‑proofing to achieve consistent quality. Drive completion of all APQP deliverables (e.g. control plans, MSA studies, capability analysis) before full production release.
• Manufacturing Quality & Continuous Improvement: Monitor initial production runs and pilot builds to identify quality issues or process variability. Lead root cause analysis on any assembly fit‑up problems, high scrap, or test failures. Implement corrective actions and pragmatic in‑process controls suited for manual operations – such as targeted inspections, standardized work, and operator training – to reduce variability and improve First Pass Yield (FTQ). Track key quality metrics (e.g. scrap rate, PPM defects, rework) and drive improvements to meet project and plant targets. Ensure proper documentation (work instructions, updated control plans, quality alerts) as design or process changes occur.
• Supplier Quality Management: Serve as the quality interface for key suppliers during new product introduction. Lead supplier APQP activities – from process feasibility reviews and design‑for‑quality discussions through supplier PPAP/FAI approval. Collaborate with sourcing and suppliers to verify that vendor processes can consistently meet specifications without dedicated tooling, assisting them in defining adequate process controls and inspection methods. When needed, conduct supplier site visits or audits to ensure readiness and follow up on any supplier‑caused quality issues during launch.
• Cross‑Functional Coordination: Work closely with design engineering, manufacturing teams, and supply chain throughout the project lifecycle to embed quality at each stage. Facilitate cross‑functional design and manufacturing reviews (including DFM, PFMEA workshops) to incorporate quality input and mitigate risks. Coordinate the transition to sustaining production, confirming that all quality criteria are met for Gate/Stage approvals (e.g. PROLaunch gates) and that receiving plant teams are fully prepared (training, gauges, documentation) for stable production. Handoff any open quality issues or ongoing controls to plant quality personnel once the product is in steady‑state production, ensuring a smooth post‑launch support plan is in place.

Qualifications

Basic REQUIRED Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Industrial, or related field) from an accredited university.
• Three (3)+ years of experience in quality engineering or manufacturing engineering environment.
• Solid understanding of quality systems and methodologies (ISO 9001 or similar) and core quality tools: FMEA, Control Plans, MSA, SPC, and 8D problem solving. Familiarity with APQP/PPAP processes (or equivalent first‑article processes) is important. Working knowledge of sheet metal fabrication, welding, and assembly processes is required, including an appreciation for the variability inherent in manual operations.
• Six Sigma Green Belt (or higher) certification or training in Design for Six Sigma is a plus. Able to apply statistical thinking and DFSS methodology to product development (e.g. CTQ flow down, DoE, reliability growth). Proven strength in data‑driven problem solving and implementing continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects and process variability.
• Must be willing to relocate to Greenwood SC. Relocation assistance will be provided, if needed.
• Eaton will not consider applicants for employment immigration sponsorship or support for this position. This means that Eaton will not support any CPT, OPT, or STEM OPT plans, F‑1 to H‑1B, H‑1B cap registration, O‑1, E‑3, TN status, I‑485 job portability, etc.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Engineering, Statistics or related field from an accredited university.
• Five (5)+ years in new product development in an ETO environment.
• Five (5)+ years experience in engineering or quality with at least three (3) in a functional or technical leadership role.
• Experience with both in‑plant quality and supplier quality is strongly desired.
• Six Sigma Black Belt.

Skills

• Excellent cross‑functional collaboration and communication skills. Ability to lead quality initiatives within project teams and with external suppliers.
• Hands‑on approach with strong attention to detail, balanced by a pragmatic mindset to implement effective controls in a manual production environment.
• A zero‑defect mentality and proactive drive to ensure flawless launches and sustained quality performance.

Additional Information

Travel Requirements

• Travel Statement: Anticipated travel is 10% which may vary depending on business needs.

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We know that good benefit programs are important to employees and their families. Eaton provides various Health and Welfare benefits as well as Retirement benefits, and several programs that provide for paid and unpaid time away from work. Click here for more detail: Eaton Benefits Overview. Please note that specific programs and options available to an employee may depend on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.