Manufacturing Quality Engineer

Location: Decatur, IL Salary - $75K-80K/year

Experience: 5+ Years (depending on education)

Industry: Heavy Equipment / Manufacturing

Work Environment: Combination of Manufacturing Floor and OfficeJob Summary We are seeking an experienced Manufacturing Quality Engineer to drive quality improvements, lead root cause investigations, and implement corrective actions within a manufacturing environment. This role serves as a critical liaison between machine assembly plants and component manufacturing facilities, ensuring product quality, resolving manufacturing issues, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in manufacturing quality, structured problem-solving methodologies such as 8D and Six Sigma, and experience collaborating with cross-functional engineering and production teams.

Key Responsibilities: Lead timely emergency, interim, and permanent corrective actions for internal and customer-reported quality issues. Conduct Root Cause and Corrective Action (RCCA) investigations to identify and resolve manufacturing quality concerns. Apply structured problem-solving methodologies, including 8D, Six Sigma, and continuous improvement techniques, to drive sustainable quality improvements. Inspect, contain, analyze, and communicate quality issues to factory quality and manufacturing teams. Serve as a key liaison between machine assembly plants, component factories, Manufacturing Engineering, and Quality teams. Lead quality improvement projects and support End-to-End (E2E) Built-in Quality initiatives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify process gaps, implement corrective actions, and prevent recurring defects. Support internal continuous improvement activities to enhance manufacturing processes and product quality. Analyze manufacturing quality data, identify trends, and develop actionable improvement plans using Microsoft Office 365 applications. Facilitate problem-solving discussions, influence stakeholders, and drive accountability for corrective action implementation. Maintain strong relationships with internal and external customers to ensure timely resolution of quality concerns. Provide coaching and technical guidance to manufacturing teams on quality standards and problem-solving best practices.

Education & Experience: Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant experience preferred. Associate degree with 10+ years of relevant manufacturing quality experience. Master's degree with 3+ years of relevant experience. Relevant internship experience will be considered.

Technical Skills: Strong understanding of manufacturing operations, quality standards, and quality control processes. Hands-on experience applying 8D, RCCA, or similar structured root cause analysis methodologies in a manufacturing environment. Experience leading corrective and preventive actions for manufacturing or customer quality issues. Working knowledge of engineering, product design, manufacturing, and maintenance processes. Experience supporting quality improvement and continuous improvement initiatives. Strong analytical skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office 365 applications, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams. Ability to interpret manufacturing quality data and communicate findings effectively.

Preferred Qualifications: Experience in heavy equipment, automotive, industrial machinery, or component manufacturing. Knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing, and Built-in Quality principles. Experience with customer quality issues, supplier quality, or manufacturing quality investigations. Familiarity with 8D reports, CAPA, 5 Why Analysis, Fishbone Diagrams, and other quality improvement tools. Experience coordinating corrective actions across multiple manufacturing facilities. Exposure to assembly plants, component manufacturing, or production quality operations.

Required Soft Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Strong leadership, collaboration, and stakeholder management abilities. Ability to influence teams and drive corrective actions without direct authority. Self-motivated, proactive, and comfortable working independently. Strong problem-solving, organizational, and analytical skills. Ability to build relationships with manufacturing, engineering, and customer quality teams.

Work Environment: Combination of hands-on manufacturing floor activities and office-based analysis and reporting. Regular interaction with factory quality teams, Manufacturing Engineering, production personnel, and internal customers. Work within a small, collaborative quality team at the Decatur facility. Requires a hands-on approach to quality issue investigation, containment, and corrective action implementation.