Quality Engineer – Manufacturing & Process Improvement

Sterling Engineering, Inc.; Henderson (TN); On-site; USD 80,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Sterling Engineering is partnering with a manufacturing company seeking a hands-on Quality Engineer to support product quality, manufacturing processes, inspection methods, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role works closely with Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain to resolve quality issues, improve processes, and ensure products meet engineering specifications.

Key responsibilities include reviewing drawings and GD&T to establish inspection methods, applying metrology

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field, or an associate degree in a technical field with at least 4 years of relevant experience.
• 3+ years of related quality or manufacturing experience.
• Strong understanding of GD&T, part layouts, gauge theory, and dimensional inspection methods.
• Ability to interpret engineering requirements and determine how parts should be measured and inspected.
• Experience with root cause analysis, corrective actions, and manufacturing quality processes.
• Strong technical documentation, organization, and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage open quality issues, document findings, and ensure effective follow-through.
• Experience working with engineering drawings, inspection procedures, and document control.
• Familiarity with PLM systems and disciplined document management practices.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and cross-functional communication skills.
• Metrology experience, including blue-light scanning or other 3D measurement technologies.
• ISO 9001 quality systems and internal auditing.
• PPAP experience, preferably within automotive manufacturing.
• FMEA, SPC, control plans, and process capability analysis.
• Lean Six Sigma training or certification.
• Finite Element Analysis (FEA) exposure.

Responsibilities

• Review engineering drawings, GD&T, and part layouts to establish appropriate inspection methods and acceptance criteria.
• Apply metrology principles and gauge theory to evaluate parts and verify dimensional requirements.
• Translate engineering and customer requirements into practical, repeatable inspection processes.
• Investigate internal and external quality issues using root cause analysis and corrective action methodologies, including 8D and A3.
• Support supplier quality investigations, nonconforming materials, and supplier corrective actions (SCARs).
• Develop and maintain inspection procedures, control plans, FMEAs, and quality documentation.
• Conduct internal quality audits and support ISO registration and compliance initiatives.
• Work with Engineering and Production to improve manufacturing processes, reduce defects, and implement sustainable corrective actions.
• Support new product introductions, engineering changes, pilot runs, and process validation.
• Analyze quality data, process capability, and inspection results to identify improvement opportunities.
• Maintain accurate documentation within PLM systems, following established document control and check-in/check-out procedures.
• Prepare clear written reports documenting inspection findings, observations, open issues, and corrective actions.
• Support quality training and continuous improvement initiatives across manufacturing operations.

Skills

GD&T

Gauge theory

Dimensional inspection

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional communication

Documentation

Process improvement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

Associate degree + 4+ years experience

Tools

PLM systems

Blue-light scanning

8D/APS problem-solving methods

Job description

Sterling Engineering is partnering with a manufacturing company seeking a hands-on Quality Engineer to support product quality, manufacturing processes, inspection methods, and continuous improvement initiatives. This role works closely with Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain to resolve quality issues, improve processes, and ensure products meet engineering specifications.

Key responsibilities include reviewing drawings and GD&T to establish inspection methods, applying metrology