Member of Technical Staff: Quality Engineer

Walden Robotics, Inc.; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary

Annual bonus

Equity

Company insurance programs

401(k) with company match

Flexible PTO

Daily lunch

Job summary

Walden Robotics, Inc. is seeking a Senior Member of Technical Staff in Quality to define and scale the Quality Management System for a robotics startup.

You will co-design standards with manufacturing, hardware and supply chain, and drive improvements across receiving, inspection and field quality. You will work hands-on on the line and at the bench, defining criteria, running inspections, and leading root-cause analysis.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of quality engineering for electromechanical hardware (robotics, automation, automotive, aerospace or medical devices)
• Track record of building or rebuilding a QMS with documented procedures
• Advanced proficiency with core quality tools (DFMEA, PFMEA, control plans, FAI, MSA/Gage R&R, SPC, RCA, GD&T)
• Supplier quality experience: audits, PPAP/FAI, sampling plans, SCARs
• Experience leading quality programs across teams and mentoring engineers/technicians

Responsibilities

• Build quality into new products with DFMEAs and design reviews
• Define end-of-line and pre-shipment acceptance criteria, partner with test teams
• Run first article inspections (FAI) and support EVT/DVT/PVT build readiness
• Set supplier quality requirements and qualify suppliers for machined parts, actuators, harnesses and PCBA
• Drive supplier corrective actions to verified root cause and closure
• Define and track quality KPIs and report to leadership

Skills

Quality engineering leadership

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Mentoring engineers

Education

Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, electrical or quality engineering

Tools

DFMEA

PFMEA

Control plans

FAI

MSA/Gage R&R

SPC

GD&T

Job description

Member of Technical Staff: Quality Engineer

Position Summary:

As a Member of Technical Staff, you will help define Walden's quality systems and build the quality team that runs them. You will co-design our Quality Management System with manufacturing, hardware and supply chain, and set the standards the company builds to. The goal is to build high-quality robots, increase throughput, and catch quality issues upstream, before they reach the line or the customer. This is a rare chance to shape quality at a robotics company before production starts. The systems, standards and team you put in place will define how every Walden robot is built, tested and supported for years to come.

This is a hands-on role as well as a strategic one. You will be at the bench and on the line measuring parts, running inspections and chasing root causes, working closely with manufacturing engineering, mechanical and electrical design, sourcing and field operations. Your first priorities are the core quality system, receiving inspection and pre-shipment inspection, and you will cover supplier and field quality until we hire dedicated people for those areas. You know how to scale rigor to the stage, light for prototypes and strict where safety or the customer is on the line, and you set standards through influence rather than authority.

Core Responsibilities:

Success means robots that ship working, stay running at customer sites, and get better with every build. Process exists to serve that, not the other way around.

Build quality into new products

• Join DFM/DFA and design reviews to flag tolerance, inspection and assembly risks early.
• Partner with design engineers on DFMEAs, lead PFMEAs with manufacturing engineering, and turn them into control plans, inspection plans and in-process checks.
• Define end-of-line and pre-shipment acceptance criteria, and partner with the test team on what every robot must pass before it ships, from harness integrity to torque verification.
• Run first article inspections (FAI) and support EVT, DVT and PVT build readiness and pilot build reports.
• Set supplier quality requirements and help qualify suppliers for machined parts, actuators, harnesses and PCBAs, including overseas shops.
• Stand up receiving inspection with sampling plans and acceptance criteria tied to critical-to-quality features.
• Drive supplier corrective actions (SCARs) to verified root cause and closure, not just a replacement part.

Close the loop from the field

• Work with field ops and robot operators to log, triage and trend failures from deployed robots.
• Lead structured root cause analysis (8D, 5 Whys, fishbone) and confirm fixes actually hold.
• Set the standard for post-repair inspection so a robot that has been worked on is verified before it runs again.

Build a lean quality system

• Co-design Walden's Quality Management System with manufacturing, hardware, supply chain and operations, sized for a startup and structured so it can support certification later if we need it.
• Write and release the core procedures: document control, nonconformance (NCR), corrective and preventive action (CAPA), calibration, internal audit, training records, and complaints and RMAs.
• Set up document and record control so the team always builds to the current released revision.
• Set up traceability: serialized parts, supplier lot tracking and as-built records that tie each robot's hardware, firmware and configuration together.
• Hold a strong voice in the engineering change (ECO) process, making sure every change is assessed for quality, inspection and supplier impact, validated, and rolled into documents, inventory and the line cleanly.
• Define quality KPIs (first-pass yield, NCR aging, CAPA closure time, field escapes, supplier PPM) and report them to the leadership team.

Build the quality team

• Help define the structure of the quality function as we grow: which roles we need, in what order, and how they work with manufacturing, design and supply chain.
• Help hire quality engineers, supplier quality engineers and inspection technicians, including writing role definitions and running interviews.
• Mentor and train new team members, and teach quality tools and habits to engineers across the company.
• Set the culture: quality owned by everyone, problems surfaced early, and fixes verified at root cause.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical, manufacturing, industrial, electrical or quality engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years in quality engineering for electromechanical hardware: robotics, automation, automotive, aerospace or medical devices.
• A track record of building or substantially rebuilding a QMS, including writing procedures people actually follow.
• Advanced proficiency with the core quality tools: DFMEA and PFMEA, control plans, FAI, MSA/Gage R&R, SPC, structured root cause analysis, and GD&T and drawing interpretation.
• Supplier quality experience: audits, PPAP or FAI packages, sampling plans and SCARs.
• Experience running quality programs across teams and mentoring engineers and technicians.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with quality standards such as ISO 9001, IATF 16949 or AS9100.
• Quality experience with cable harnesses (IPC/WHMA-A-620), PCBAs (IPC-A-610) or actuators and gearboxes.
• Background in a startup or NPI environment moving from prototype to first production.
• Familiarity with functional or machinery safety (ISO 10218, ISO 13849) for robots working near people.
• Experience with PLM, eQMS or ERP systems, and demonstrated use of AI tools to accelerate engineering work.

Walden Robotics offers a competitive total compensation program, including salary, annual cash bonus, company equity, company-subsidized insurance programs, 401(k) with company match, flexible PTO, daily lunch, and other benefits. The pay ranges noted on our posts are for salary only.

Walden Robotics is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruiting process, please send a request to [e-mail].

Walden Robotics participates in E-Verify. If you receive an offer of employment from Walden, you will need to go through the E-Verify process of digital verification of your employment authorization documents as provided on the Form I-9. Participation in E-Verify does not limit your right to work and verification will only be completed after you become an employee with Walden Robotics.

At Walden Robotics, we envision a world where general-purpose robots dramatically improve the quality of life for all people—supporting us at home, at work, in factories, on farms, and beyond. To accomplish this, we are building a team of exceptional professionals who combine world-class technical skills with creative vision, grounded in humility and collaboration.