Emergency Vehicle Quality Control Specialist

Dana Safety Supply, Inc.; West Nyack (NY); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Dana Safety Supply, Inc. is seeking an experienced Emergency Vehicle Quality Control Specialist to lead final inspections of police, fire, EMS, and municipal upfits after equipment installation and upfitting.

The role requires strong 12-volt electrical knowledge, the ability to diagnose electrical and equipment problems, and a meticulous approach to ensuring every vehicle meets safety and quality standards before release to customers.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year of professional experience in emergency vehicle upfitting or automotive electrical installation.
• Strong knowledge of 12V automotive electrical systems.
• Experience with diagnostic equipment and OEM upfitter requirements.
• Familiarity with SAE/FMVSS standards is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive final QC inspections on completed emergency vehicle upfits.
• Function-test all installed equipment and verify proper operation.
• Inspect wiring, harness routing, and electrical connections for safety and quality.
• Document deficiencies and communicate corrective actions to production.
• Place vehicles on QC hold when defects are found until resolved.
• Maintain quality-control records and support checklist development.

Skills

12-volt automotive electrical systems

Troubleshooting

Vehicle electronics

Quality control

Tools

Digital multimeter

Electrical diagnostic equipment

Job description

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Emergency Vehicle Quality Control Specialist to join our team. This position performs comprehensive final inspections of police, fire, EMS, municipal, and other specialty vehicles after equipment installation and upfitting.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in 12-volt automotive electrical systems, vehicle electronics, troubleshooting, and emergency vehicle equipment. This is not simply a visual inspection position. The successful candidate must have the technical knowledge to understand how installed systems should operate, identify improper or unsafe installations, diagnose electrical and equipment-related problems, and ensure every completed vehicle meets our quality standards before release to the customer.

The Quality Control Specialist serves as the final line of defense between production and the customer. Attention to detail, technical knowledge, professionalism, and a commitment to safety and workmanship are essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform comprehensive final quality-control inspections on completed emergency and specialty vehicle upfits.
• Verify completed vehicles against customer specifications, approved build sheets, work orders, equipment lists, and installation drawings.
• Function-test all installed emergency and aftermarket equipment.
• Inspect 12V electrical installations for proper wiring, circuit protection, grounding, connections, routing, and workmanship.
• Verify proper wire sizing, fuse and circuit-breaker sizing, power distribution, grounding, and electrical load considerations.
• Inspect wiring harnesses for proper loom, support, strain relief, abrasion protection, grommets, routing, labeling, and termination.
• Identify wiring located near sharp edges, heat sources, moving components, airbags, seat tracks, pedals, steering components, or other potential hazards.
• Verify emergency warning-light operation, flash patterns, synchronization, functionality, and programming.
• Test sirens, speakers, PA systems, horn-ring transfer, park-kill functions, door triggers, ignition-controlled functions, timers, auxiliary controls, and other programmed features.
• Inspect and test vehicle consoles, switch controllers, computer docks, camera systems, radios, antennas, partitions, gun racks, equipment mounts, scene lighting, power outlets, USB systems, and other installed equipment as applicable.
• Verify equipment mounting and hardware for proper fit, securement, alignment, and workmanship.
• Inspect vehicle penetrations for proper grommeting, sealing, corrosion protection, and wire protection.
• Inspect vehicle interiors and exteriors for installation-related damage.
• Perform electrical troubleshooting using diagnostic equipment including digital multimeters and clamp meters.
• Diagnose voltage drop, grounding, power distribution, current draw, and other electrical problems.
• Review installation practices for compliance with equipment manufacturer requirements and OEM vehicle upfitter guidelines.
• Identify installation conditions that may function at the time of inspection but could create future reliability, serviceability, or safety concerns.
• Clearly document deficiencies and communicate required corrective actions to production personnel.
• Photograph and document quality-control issues when appropriate.
• Place vehicles on QC hold when deficiencies are identified and prevent release until required corrections are completed.
• Reinspect repaired items and verify corrective action prior to final approval.
• Maintain accurate quality-control inspection records.
• Identify recurring installation problems and work with production management to improve installation procedures and standards.
• Assist in developing and maintaining company QC checklists, installation standards, and best practices.
• Maintain a clean, professional, and safety-focused work environment.

Required Technical Knowledge

Candidates Should Possess a Strong Working Knowledge Of

• 12-volt automotive electrical systems
• Digital multimeter and electrical diagnostic equipment use
• Automotive wiring diagrams and electrical schematics
• OEM electrical integration and aftermarket equipment installation
• Proper harness routing, protection, support, and serviceability
• Electrical troubleshooting and root-cause diagnosis

Emergency Vehicle Knowledge

Experience with emergency and public-safety vehicle equipment is strongly preferred, including familiarity with equipment such as:

• Emergency warning lights and lightbars
• Sirens and speakers
• Emergency lighting/siren controllers
• Vehicle-specific control systems
• Police and public-safety consoles
• Two-way radios and antennas
• Mobile computer and docking systems
• Body-worn/in-car camera systems
• License plate recognition equipment
• Prisoner partitions and seating
• Gun racks and weapon-mounting systems
• Push bumpers and exterior equipment
• Scene and work lighting
• Auxiliary power systems
• Equipment trays and electronics enclosures
• Fire and EMS vehicle electronics

Experience with equipment from manufacturers such as SoundOff Signal, Federal Signal, Havis, Setina, and other emergency-vehicle equipment manufacturers is highly desirable.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1 year of professional experience in emergency vehicle upfitting, automotive electrical installation, fleet vehicle electronics, automotive diagnostics, or a closely related technical field is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of 12V automotive electrical systems is required.
• Emergency vehicle upfitting experience is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with police, fire, EMS, municipal, or public-safety vehicles is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with applicable SAE standards, FMVSS requirements, OEM upfitter requirements, and industry best practices is preferred.
• Must possess a valid driver's license.
• Must be comfortable operating and road-testing customer vehicles when required.
• Must have strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Must be capable of documenting deficiencies clearly and professionally.
• Must demonstrate exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to quality.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for someone who understands that "it works" does not necessarily mean "it was installed correctly."

The right candidate should be able to inspect an installation and recognize not only immediate problems but also conditions that could result in future equipment failures, intermittent electrical problems, vehicle damage, excessive battery drain, electrical fires, unsafe operation, or premature component failure.

Candidates must be comfortable questioning installation methods, identifying deficiencies, and requiring corrective action when work does not meet company, manufacturer, customer, or safety standards.

This position requires the ability to make quality-control decisions independently and professionally, even when those decisions may delay the completion or delivery of a vehicle.

Ideal Candidate

Our Ideal Candidate May Have Previous Experience As An

• Emergency Vehicle Upfitter
• Emergency Vehicle Technician
• Police Vehicle Upfitter
• Automotive Electrical Technician
• Fleet Electronics Technician
• 12V Installation Technician
• Automotive Diagnostic Technician
• Emergency Vehicle Equipment Installer
• Fleet Maintenance Technician
• Quality Control Inspector with automotive electrical experience

A current or former firefighter, EMT, law enforcement officer, emergency vehicle technician, fleet technician, or public-safety professional with significant automotive electrical/upfitting experience may also be an excellent fit for this position.

Quality Control Authority

The Quality Control Specialist has the responsibility and authority to reject or place a vehicle on QC hold when an installation does not meet established company, customer, manufacturer, OEM, or safety standards.

Vehicles will not be approved for customer delivery until identified deficiencies have been corrected and successfully reinspected.

Production schedules or delivery deadlines do not override safety or quality requirements.

Physical Requirements

This Position May Require

• Standing, bending, kneeling, reaching, and working inside vehicles for extended periods.
• Inspecting wiring and equipment in confined vehicle areas.
• Working underneath dashboards, seats, consoles, cargo areas, and vehicle equipment compartments.
• Safely using hand tools and electrical diagnostic equipment.
• Lifting and handling automotive or emergency-vehicle equipment as required.
• Operating vehicles for functional or road testing.

Why Join Our Team?

This position offers an opportunity to play a critical role in ensuring vehicles relied on by law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, and other public-safety professionals are built safely, reliably, and professionally.

The Quality Control Specialist doesn't just check completed work—the position directly supports our customers' safety, vehicle reliability, and our company's reputation.

If you have strong automotive electrical skills, understand emergency vehicle systems, take pride in quality workmanship, and notice the details others miss, we want to hear from you.

Summary

All applicants must pass all pre-employment testing, including background checks, motor vehicle checks, and pre-employment drug tests, and present a valid driver's license.

EOE/Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability or protected veteran status and any other applicable protected classification.

Pursuant to the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, all applicants who are offered employment must produce documents establishing their identity and authorization for employment in the United States. You must provide these documents no later than three (3) business days after you begin employment. In addition, all new hires must verify their employment authorization under oath by signing Form I-9 when they begin employment.