Product Quality Engineer
- Compensation
- Not disclosed
- Location
- Research Triangle Park, NC
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Not specified
- Employment
- Full time
- Experience
- 3+ years
- Category
- Industrial engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- BS or MS in Mechanical, Materials, Manufacturing, Chemical, Industrial Engineering, or related technical discipline.
- 3+ years of experience in product quality, customer quality, manufacturing quality, supplier quality, or product/production engineering in a hardware manufacturing environment.
- Experience translating technical drawings, specifications, and customer requirements into inspection, test, and acceptance criteria.
- Experience supporting product qualification, validation, or production release, including review and disposition of inspection and test results.
- Demonstrated experience supporting prototype-to-production or new product introduction in a manufacturing environment.
- Experience investigating nonconforming product and executing containment, root cause analysis, corrective action, and documented closure.
- Working knowledge of manufacturing quality systems and standards such as ISO 9001, AS9100, or IATF 16949.
- Ability to work directly with engineering and production teams to resolve technical and quality issues on physical hardware.
Nice to have
- 5+ years of experience in hardware manufacturing, aerospace, automotive, defense, or other high-reliability applications.
- Experience owning or supporting customer qualification packages such as PPAP, FAI/AS9102, validation plans, control plans, or customer-specific quality documentation.
- Experience developing inspection plans, sampling strategies, measurement methods, and acceptance criteria for manufactured components.
- Experience working with external laboratories or suppliers to execute material, dimensional, mechanical, or performance testing.
- Experience with 8D, CAPA, MRB, deviations/waivers, and other formal nonconformance processes.
- Working knowledge of GD&T and dimensional inspection methods.
- Ability to analyze manufacturing and quality data using Excel, Minitab, Power BI, or similar tools.
- Experience working directly with customers on technical quality requirements, qualification, or product issues.
Full description
Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure, resilient future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to Mission Focus, Technical Excellence and Integrity.
About the Role
As a Product Quality Engineer, you will own the translation and execution of customer product quality requirements from initial development samples through production qualification and ongoing supply. You will ensure that customer drawings, specifications, quality requirements, and acceptance criteria are clearly understood internally; that appropriate inspection and testing are completed; and that objective evidence demonstrates product conformance before customer release.
Sitting within the Commercial Development team, you will serve as the primary technical quality interface between customers and Vulcan's R&D, Manufacturing, Process Quality, and Commercial teams. While Process Quality owns manufacturing process control and capability, you own whether the delivered product meets customer requirements, is supported by the required evidence, and is ready for customer qualification and release.
This role will be located at our Pilot Operations Facility in Durham, NC.
ResponsibilitiesCustomer Requirements & Qualification
- Own customer qualification from requirements intake through customer approval, including PPAP, FAI, validation plans, customer-specific requirements, and supporting documentation.
- Build and maintain qualification plans for each customer part, including required samples, tests, documentation, owners, dependencies, approval gates, and objective evidence required for customer approval.
- Translate customer drawings, specifications, quality manuals, and supplier requirements into defined inspection, test, acceptance, documentation, and traceability requirements; ensure they are incorporated into applicable inspection methods, production control plans, and quality procedures.
- Establish and maintain the authoritative record of customer product quality requirements for each part number, including drawing and specification revisions, customer-specific requirements, special characteristics, inspection and testing requirements, approved deviations, qualification status, and required shipment documentation.
- Lead quality onboarding for new customers, including supplier portals, quality questionnaires, certifications, process-control evidence, and customer-specific documentation.
Sample, Test & Delivery Execution
- Own quality execution of customer sample and qualification builds from build planning through release, ensuring required inspections, tests, and documentation are complete before shipment.