Product Quality Engineer

SPAN; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation + equity

Comprehensive benefits

Transit-width office near public trans

Job summary

SPAN is seeking a Product Quality Engineer to join our Supply Chain & Manufacturing Operations. You will drive product quality from NPI through sustaining production, spanning PCBA manufacturing to system integration and customer support, while owning quality from concept to production release.

You will collaborate with hardware, test, and supply chain teams to drive DFx, root-cause analysis, and data-driven improvements, helping ensure reliable and scalable energy infrastructure solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 6+ years of expertise in product quality, field quality or manufacturing engineering within a high-tech operations environment.
• Technical Product Expertise: PCBA, subassembly, and system-level manufacturing processes, including hardware validation, debug, and failure analysis in server/storage environments.
• Quality & Reliability Frameworks: 8D, 5 Whys, DFx, PFMEA, and reliability engineering principles with ORT procedures.
• Data-Driven Mindset: analytics dashboards and project management frameworks in CM environments.
• Quality Data Analysis: identify trends and drive continual improvement.
• Reliability Engineering: ORT procedures, product reliability dashboards, forecast failure rates.

Responsibilities

• Drive product quality from NPI through sustaining production, covering PCBA to system integration and customer support.
• Provide manufacturing input to design/engineering teams to optimize for production and manufacturability.
• Coordinate failure analysis with suppliers to determine root causes and implement corrective actions (8D, CAPA, FMEA).
• Improve manufacturing operations processes and establish quality KPIs with suppliers and CM plans.
• Troubleshoot failures, investigate new manufacturing tech, and assist in value engineering and cost-reduction activities.
• Establish and monitor quality KPIs at CM/suppliers and publish dashboards; conduct periodic review meetings.
• Evaluate and enhance design verification to release zero-defect products; participate in ECO reviews and NPI build reviews.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Mechanical engineering

Quality engineering

Manufacturing engineering

Failure analysis

Project management

Lean Six Sigma

Data analytics

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or related technical field

Tools

Agile PLM

Netsuite ERP

PFMEA

Job description

Our Mission

SPAN is enabling electrification for all. We are a mission-driven company designing, building, and deploying products that electrify the built environment, reduce carbon emissions, and slow the effects of climate change. Decarbonization is the process to reduce or remove greenhouse gas emissions, especially carbon dioxide, from entering our atmosphere. Electrification is the process of replacing fossil fuel appliances that run on gas or oil with all-electric upgrades for a cleaner way to power our lives. At SPAN, we believe in:

• Enabling homes and vehicles powered by clean energy
• Making electrification upgrades possible
• Building more resilient homes with reliable backup
• Designing a flexible and distributed electrical grid

The Role

SPAN is looking for a Product Quality Engineer to join our Supply Chain & Manufacturing Operations. In this exciting, multidisciplinary role, you'll play a crucial part throughout our product lifecycle, collaborating with counterparts in Hardware, Test, and Supply Chain to drive continuous improvement and meet product quality KPIs. If you enjoy tackling complex challenges and delivering world-class energy infrastructure solutions, this is a great opportunity to make a direct impact.

Job Responsibilities

• Manage Product Quality: Drive product quality from new product introduction (NPI) through to sustaining production, covering everything from PCBA manufacturing to system integration and customer support. Own product quality from concept design through release to production and eventual End of Support phase(s).
• Improve Manufacturing & Design: Actively participate in the development of new products, providing critical manufacturing input to design and engineering teams to ensure designs are optimized for production. Drive DFx by engaging cross-functional engineering teams and suppliers early in the design cycle for feedback on manufacturability and testability. Manage product and process development with suppliers, identifying quality KPIs, and driving metric improvements.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis: Coordinate failure analysis with suppliers to determine the root cause of issues and implement corrective actions. Drive failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and structure corrective and preventive actions using 8D, CAPA, and FMEA methodologies.
• Drive Process Improvement: Improve manufacturing operations processes and establish quality standards and key performance indicator (KPI) metrics to enhance efficiency and consistency. Recommend processes and suppliers based on capability, fit with SPAN commodity plans, capacity, and total cost of ownership.
• Provide Technical Direction: Offer technical expertise to troubleshoot failures, investigate new manufacturing technologies, and assist in value engineering and cost-reduction activities.
• Measure and Monitor: Establish, monitor, and drive quality KPIs at CM's/suppliers with supporting metrics and publishing quality dashboards. Conduct periodic meetings with global CM's/suppliers to drive quality metrics and resolve quality issues.
• Ensure Design Excellence: Evaluate and enhance the engineering design verification process to release products with zero design defects into production. Participate in ECO reviews, configuration changes, and NPI build reviews to establish and enforce quality gates throughout product introduction and production ramp.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.
• 6+ years of expertise in product quality, field quality or manufacturing engineering within a high-tech operations environment.
• Technical Product Expertise: Experience in PCBA, subassembly, and system-level manufacturing processes, including extensive experience in hardware validation, debug, and failure analysis within server or storage environments.
• Quality & Reliability Frameworks: Expert application of core quality methodologies (8D, 5 Whys, DFx, PFMEA) and reliability engineering principles, with the ability to develop on-going reliability test (ORT) procedures and failure prediction models.
• Data-Driven Mindset: Proven ability to utilize analytics dashboards and project management frameworks to resolve complex technical challenges and drive accountability within a Contract Manufacturing (CM) environment.
• Quality Data Analysis: Proven experience in identifying trends, monitor performance metrics, and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Reliability Engineering Expertise: Proven background in Reliability Engineering with a specific focus on developing and standardizing On-Going Reliability Test (ORT) procedures and protocols, designing and maintaining Product Reliability Dashboards, and forecast failure rates and proactively mitigate risks.
• Excellent project management skills with a track record of successful issue resolution.
• Lean Six Sigma certification (Green/Black Belt), Agile PLM, or Netsuite ERP experience is a plus.

This position requires up to 50% travel, primarily internationally to manufacturing sites.

Life at SPAN

Headquartered in San Francisco's vibrant SoMa neighborhood, we are an eclectic group of creative thinkers who value open communication, teamwork, and a 'make it happen' approach to addressing complex challenges. SPAN embraces diversity and equal opportunity in a serious way. We are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We're hiring talented individuals who are driven by success and are passionate about shaping the future of renewable energy.

The Perks

• Competitive compensation + equity grants at a well-funded, venture-backed company
• Comprehensive benefits: 100% employee premiums for base plans on medical, dental, vision with options for additional coverage. Parental leave up to twenty four (24) weeks depending on eligibility
• Comfortable, sunny office space located near BART and Caltrain public transit
• Strong focus on team building and company culture: Employee Resource Groups, monthly social events, SPANcakes recognition breakfast, lunch, and learns
• Flexible hours, one holiday per month, and flexible time off