We are seeking a Senior Quality Engineer for a contract position (6+ months) based in Needham, Massachusetts. In this role, you will be an integral part of the post-launch quality team, analyzing marketplace learnings to drive product and process improvements. You will collaborate across Engineering, Customer Excellence, Marketing, Supply Chain, Creative, Industrial Design, Quality, Manufacturing, and Senior Leadership, gaining exposure to cross‑functional initiatives rarely found in other roles. You will lead product and data analysis to determine reasons for returns and leverage these insights to drive sustainable solutions that deliver measurable long‑term improvements.
Responsibilities
- Analyze customer complaints and investigate field failures; translate learnings into actionable engineering and consumer‑facing initiatives, representing the voice of the consumer while coordinating corrective actions, follow‑up, and reporting.
- Drive continuous improvement of product quality through reduction and prevention of non‑conformances; define and implement metrics to evaluate the impact of continuous improvement initiatives.
- Support suppliers in 8D responses and regular quality resolution update meetings, including written investigation reports and review of supplier corrective actions.
- Participate in design reviews, DFMEA, safety reviews, and review manufacturing and test documentation to ensure customer quality requirements are met or exceeded.
- View the entire consumer experience at a macro level to identify experience detractors and track product performance; communicate key learnings and developments to appropriate workflows for action.
- Partner with the Customer Excellence team to monitor consumer reception and sentiment in the field.
- Lead input tracker meetings with cross‑functional teams to discuss top issues and delegate actions.
- Conduct critical analysis on engineering changes (ECN) to ensure changes have no negative impact on product quality.
- Track digital escalations and create accurate responses to help customers better understand products.
- Manage product health reporting and push for continuous improvement via iterative design enhancements.
- Strive for process efficiency by making the most of available resources and delivering impactful results.
- Act as a product expert for cross‑functional team member questions and concerns.
- Present status of activities and special projects to senior management regularly.
Qualifications
- Required
- Bachelor's Degree (or equivalent experience) in Mechanical Engineering, Quality, Product Development, Human Factors Engineering, or a related field.
- 4+ years of related engineering experience.
- Exceptional analytical, problem‑solving, and root‑cause analysis skills.
- Ability to multi‑task and handle tasks with competing priorities effectively.
- Excellent oral communication, business correspondence, and procedure‑writing skills.
- Ability to work as a team player and independently.
- Demonstrated expertise in effectively communicating with all organizational levels regarding design verification and validation activities, production and process controls, Corrective & Preventive Action (CAPA), consumer complaints, and product improvement activities.
- Demonstrated collaboration, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills; ability to lead, acknowledge, develop, communicate, and implement strategy to ensure compliance.
- Demonstrated understanding of product development lifecycles, design change and document change control, product and process verification and validation methodologies, and manufacturing/production process control methodologies.
- Understanding of customer needs, marketplace dynamics, industry trends, and competitive landscape.
- Ability to simplify strategy into specific actions with clear accountability; make decisions with speed and accuracy based on available information; communicate priorities clearly and concisely.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Ability to work in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven, high‑impact environment.
- Strong verbal, presentation, and written communication skills.
- Resourceful, well‑organized, highly dependable, efficient, and detail‑oriented.
- Ability to travel as needed.
- Preferred
- Experience at a consumer goods company.
- Knowledge of SharePoint.
- Change agent with energy, passion, and enthusiasm