Job Opportunities: quality engineer

How will you make an impact?
We are launching a new manufacturing site in Salisbury, NC focused on cold plates and liquid-cooled infrastructure products.

Location:

This role will be onsite and will work a day shift schedule Mon- Fri.

Travel: Up to 25% to suppliers and partner sites (domestic; occasional international if needed)

What will you do?

New Site Build-Out (Ground Zero)-

•    Stand up the Supplier Quality function for a new facility: governance, SOPs, templates, and operating cadence.
•    Establish and deploy PPAP-based supplier readiness expectations aligned to customer requirements and internal standards.
•    Build a scalable model for supplier onboarding, qualification, risk tiering, and ongoing supplier performance management.

Supplier Qualification, Audits & PPAP Execution-

•    Lead supplier capability assessments and qualification activities (QMS/process audits, special process validation, traceability, calibration, ESD controls as applicable).
•    Own supplier PPAP strategy and execution including:
o    Design records & change control alignment
o    Process Flow, PFMEA, Control Plan
o    MSA/GR&R, capability studies (Cp/Cpk where applicable)
o    FAI / dimensional layouts
o    Material certs, compliance requirements
o    Part Submission Warrant (PSW) approval and supplier readiness sign-off
•    Drive supplier corrective actions and verify effectiveness through data and re-validation.

NPI → Ramp → Sustaining for Cold Plates & Liquid Cooling-

•    Partner with Engineering/NPI to identify CTQs and ensure suppliers can meet dimensional, plating, leak integrity, cleanliness, thermal performance, reliability, and cosmetic expectations.
•    Support quality planning and validation for:
o    Cold plates: machined features, internal flow paths, flatness, surface finish, brazed/bonded joints, fittings, seals, and material compatibility
o    Surface finishing/plating: nickel plating and silver plating suppliers, including coating thickness, adhesion, coverage, porosity, corrosion resistance, masking, cleanliness, and special process controls
o    Liquid cooling products: cold plates, manifolds, CDUs, pumps, heat exchangers, QD couplers, hoses/tubing, seals
•    Ensure supplier processes support leak integrity, cleanliness/contamination control, material compatibility, plating quality, corrosion resistance, and thermal performance.

Incoming Quality & Supplier Performance Management-

•    Lead Incoming Quality Control strategy: inspection plans, sampling, gage control, inspection work instructions, and disposition workflows.
•    Build and manage supplier performance scorecards (PPM/DPPM, escapes, OTD, COPQ, audit performance).
•    Lead containment and escalation for supplier issues (stop-ship criteria, sorting, deviations/waivers, MRB support).

Corrective/Preventive Action & Continuous Improvement-

•    Drive structured problem solving with suppliers using 8D / A3 / 5-Why / Ishikawa.
•    Implement preventive actions tied to PFMEA risk reduction and field/production feedback.
•    Drive supplier process improvement focused on yield, cycle time, reliability, and cost of poor quality.

People Leadership (Inspectors)-

•    Lead, coach, and develop a team of Incoming Quality Inspectors (scheduling, training, work allocation, and performance management).
•    Build training and certification plans for inspectors (inspection methods, blueprint/GD&T basics, gage use, workmanship standards).
•    Ensure consistent execution of incoming inspection and clear escalation to SQE/Engineering.

How will you get here?

•    Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Mechanical, Manufacturing, Electrical, Industrial, or related).
•    7+ years in Supplier Quality / Manufacturing Quality in precision machined, plated, or liquid cooling products.
•    Demonstrated success building or scaling quality systems at a new site or major facility expansion.
•    Strong working knowledge and hands-on leadership using PPAP (PFMEA, Control Plan, MSA, capability, PSW).
•    Experience leading supplier audits and driving corrective actions to verified closure.
•    Required experience working with nickel plating and silver plating suppliers, including supplier qualification, process controls, plating specifications, coating thickness/adhesion verification, and corrective actions.
•    Ability to operate hands-on in a manufacturing environment (supplier floor + site floor).

Preferred Qualifications-
•    Experience with cold plates, liquid cooling systems, thermal management products, or high-performance computing infrastructure.
•    Experience with liquid cooling systems and cold plate failure modes (leak, contamination, corrosion, seal integrity, plating adhesion/coverage, material compatibility, and thermal performance).
•    Working knowledge of ISO 9001 environment and customer audit readiness.
•    Lean/Six Sigma (Green Belt+) or equivalent structured CI experience.

Core Competencies-
•    Startup mindset: structured, fast, practical—build it right, then scale it.
•    Strong risk judgment: knows what must be perfect vs what must be “good enough to launch safely.”
•    Supplier influence without authority; can drive action through clarity and standards.
•    Strong executive communication: can turn quality chaos into decision-ready updates.

What Success Looks Like (First 6–12 Months)-
•    PPAP-based supplier readiness framework deployed for the site.
•    Critical suppliers qualified with stable processes and approved PPAPs prior to ramp.
•    Incoming inspection system running smoothly with trained inspectors and clear escalation.
•    Reduced supplier escapes and measurable improvement in PPM/DPPM and COPQ during ramp.