Field Customer Quality & Warranty Engineer - Energy Storage Systems (ESS)

A123 Systems; Novi (MI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A123 Systems in Novi, MI is seeking a Field Quality & Warranty Engineer to support warranty activities and ensure the quality, reliability, and performance of high voltage ESS products deployed across the United States. You will be the primary customer quality representative for field service operations and warranty investigations.

Responsibilities include leading warranty investigations, coordinating corrective actions with engineering and manufacturing, overseeing third-party service

Qualifications

• Warranty
• Quality
• Field service

Responsibilities

• Lead warranty investigations for deployed ESS container systems.
• Primary contact for any warranty & quality related inquiries.
• Review field failures and determine root cause using structured problem-solving methodologies (8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, DFMEA, PFMEA).
• Coordinate containment actions, corrective actions, and preventive actions with Engineering, Manufacturing, Service, Warranty, Suppliers, and customers.
• Manage Return Material Authorization (RMA) activities and field failure documentation for customer and field product returns.
• Analyze warranty trends, field quality metrics, and returned-product data to identify recurring issues.
• Prepare technical reports and communicate findings, risk assessments, countermeasures, and action plans to management and customers.
• Support warranty cost reduction initiatives through robust root cause analysis and permanent corrective action implementation.
• Oversee third-party service providers performing maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning support, inspections, and repairs on 20-ft ESS containers in the field.
• Verify field repairs meet A123 quality standards, service procedures, safety requirements, and customer expectations.
• Conduct field audits of contractors, service partners, repair practices, documentation, and workmanship.
• Review service documentation, repair reports, inspection records, test data, and closeout packages for accuracy and completeness.
• Ensure compliance with high-voltage safety procedures, lockout/tagout requirements, PPE standards, and site-specific work rules.
• Provide technical guidance and quality support during critical field repairs, escalations, and customer-impacting issues.
• Support commissioning, startup, field acceptance testing, and quality-related site readiness activities on ESS Container systems as required.
• Assist with troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical, controls, battery system, and container-level ESS issues.
• Interface directly with customers regarding field quality concerns, warranty status, corrective actions, and issue resolution plans.
• Support Engineering with design, process, documentation, and serviceability improvements based on field experience and lessons learned.
• Participate in failure analysis of returned components and coordinate supplier quality investigations when required.
• Clearly communicate technical information, findings, and failure analysis results to internal and external stakeholders.

Job description

Field Quality & Warranty Engineer

Location: Novi, Michigan with domestic U.S. travel

Employment Type: Full-time

Department: Quality

Supervisory Responsibilities: No direct reports

Travel: 40–60% domestic travel throughout the United States; occasional short-notice travel required

Position Overview

The Field Quality & Warranty Engineer is responsible for supporting warranty-related activities and ensuring the quality, reliability, and performance of A123 Systems' High Voltage Energy Storage System (ESS) products deployed throughout the United States. This role is focused on ESS container systems and serves as the primary customer quality representative for field service operations, customer warranty investigations, and third-party service provider oversight.

Primary Responsibilities

Warranty & Field Quality

• Lead warranty investigations for deployed ESS container systems.
• Primary contact for any warranty & quality related inquiries.
• Review field failures and determine root cause using structured problem-solving methodologies, including 8D, 5-Why, Fishbone, DFMEA, and PFMEA.
• Coordinate containment actions, corrective actions, and preventive actions with Engineering, Manufacturing, Service, Warranty, Suppliers, and customers.
• Manage Return Material Authorization (RMA) activities and field failure documentation for customer and field product returns.
• Analyze warranty trends, field quality metrics, and returned-product data to identify recurring product, process, supplier, or service-related issues.
• Prepare technical reports and communicate findings, risk assessments, countermeasures, and action plans to internal management and customers.
• Support warranty cost reduction initiatives through robust root cause analysis and permanent corrective action implementation.

Third-Party Service Oversight

• Oversee third-party service providers performing maintenance, troubleshooting, commissioning support, inspections, and repairs on 20-ft ESS containers in the field.
• Verify field repairs meet A123 quality standards, service procedures, safety requirements, and customer expectations.
• Conduct field audits of contractors, service partners, repair practices, documentation, and workmanship.
• Review service documentation, repair reports, inspection records, test data, and closeout packages for accuracy and completeness.
• Ensure compliance with high-voltage safety procedures, lockout/tagout requirements, PPE standards, and applicable site-specific work rules.
• Provide technical guidance and quality support during critical field repairs, escalations, and customer-impacting issues.

Field Technical Support

• Support commissioning, startup, field acceptance testing, and quality-related site readiness activities on ESS Container systems as required.
• Assist with troubleshooting of electrical, mechanical, controls, battery system, and container-level ESS issues.
• Interface directly with customers regarding field quality concerns, warranty status, corrective actions, and issue resolution plans.
• Support Engineering with design, process, documentation, and serviceability improvements based on field experience and lessons learned.
• Participate in failure analysis of returned components and coordinate supplier quality investigations when required.
• Clearly communicate technical information, findings, and failure analysis results to internal and external stakeholders.

Continuous Improvement

• Monitor field quality metrics, warranty performance, reliability data, and repeat-failure trends.
• Develop and support corrective and preventive action (CAPA) activities to improve product quality, field reliability, and customer satisfaction.
• Support PFMEA, control plans, lessons learned, service procedures, inspection plans, audit sheets, and quality documentation updates.
• Identify opportunities to improve product reliability, maintainability, serviceability, and first-time fix rate.
• Develop or update quality documentation, work instructions, inspection standards, and reporting templates for field service activities.