Sr Technical Advisor - Transformer Quality in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida at Meta Power Solutions

Senior Technical Advisor – Transformer Quality
Location: Jog Road, Palm Beach Gardens Florida (Mon–Fri)8:30 to 5:00
Reports To: Director of Transformer Engineering
Position Overview
The Senior Technical Advisor – Transformer Quality serves as the primary subject matter expert and technical authority across all transformer quality control activities, including incoming material inspection, in-process quality surveillance, final testing, QA/QC compliance, and corrective action management. This role bridges deep transformer engineering expertise with quality execution, providing hands-on technical guidance to quality leadership, engineering teams, and production functions to drive product integrity, reliability, and continuous improvement.
The Senior Technical Advisor also plays a vital commercial role, supporting the sales organization and estimating team with technical expertise during the quoting process, customer engagements, and proposal development. This individual ensures that bids are technically sound, competitively positioned, and aligned with quality standards, manufacturing capabilities, and cost structures.
This individual is a trusted advisor to executive and operational leadership, influencing decisions on quality systems, standards compliance, capital investment, workforce capability development, and revenue growth opportunities.
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Advisory
• Serve as the internal technical authority on transformer design, quality requirements, materials, testing, and applicable performance standards
• Provide expert guidance on transformer types including distribution, power, dry-type, and specialty transformers as applicable to the business portfolio
• Advise leadership on technical risks, quality trends, and innovations relevant to transformer quality control
• Support resolution of complex quality, process, and reliability challenges that exceed standard troubleshooting protocols
• Maintain current knowledge of industry standards, emerging technologies, and competitive landscape in transformer quality and manufacturing
• Onsite presence in Indiantown, FL, with standard M-F business hours and strategic flexibility as needed at Jog Road
• Travel as needed for supplier visits, customer meetings, and cross-site manufacturing coordination.
Sales & Quoting Support
• Partner with the Sales and Business Development teams to provide technical quality support throughout the customer engagement lifecycle, from initial inquiry through order award
• Review and interpret customer specifications, drawings, and technical requirements to assess feasibility, identify quality risks, and define scope of supply
• Develop and validate technical proposals and quality plans that align with customer requirements and internal quality capabilities
• Provide accurate inputs to the estimating/quoting team on quality-related costs including inspection, testing, special process requirements, and compliance obligations
• Participate in pre-bid meetings, customer technical reviews, and clarification discussions to represent the company's quality capabilities and build customer confidence
• Support responses to Requests for Proposal (RFP), Requests for Quote (RFQ), and Requests for Information (RFI) with technically accurate and quality-focused content
• Identify and communicate technical exceptions, deviations, or value engineering opportunities during the quoting process to optimize competitiveness and margin
• Collaborate with Sales on the development of standard quality documentation packages, inspection and test plans (ITPs), and technical sell sheets to streamline the quoting process
• Serve as a technical quality resource during contract negotiations, ensuring that agreed-upon specifications and quality requirements are achievable within cost and schedule constraints
• Support post-award project kickoff meetings to ensure seamless handoff of quality commitments from Sales to Engineering and Production
Quality Control & Compliance
• Serve as the technical lead for all transformer quality control activities including incoming inspection, in-process surveillance, final inspection, and electrical testing
• Partner with QA/QC to ensure all transformer products meet internal specifications, customer requirements, and applicable industry standards (IEEE, IEC, ANSI, ISO, NEMA, and UL as applicable)
• Develop, review, and validate inspection and test plans (ITPs), test procedures, inspection criteria, and acceptance standards
• Own the technical review and disposition of non-conformances, deviations, and engineering change requests
• Support internal and third-party audits; provide technical expertise during customer Factory Acceptance Tests (FAT) and witness testing
• Ensure that technical and quality commitments made during the sales and quoting process are accurately reflected in quality plans, inspection records, and test documentation
• Maintain and continuously improve the quality management system (QMS) as it relates to transformer production and testing
• Monitor and analyze quality metrics including first-pass yield, defect rates, rework rates, and CAPA closure performance to drive systemic improvements
Corrective Action & Continuous Improvement
• Lead technical root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective and preventive action (CAPA) activities for chronic or high-impact quality issues
• Drive the implementation of corrective actions across production, engineering, and supply chain functions to eliminate recurrence
• Deploy quality-focused continuous improvement methodologies including lean, Six Sigma, and statistical process control (SPC) to reduce defects, improve yield, and minimize rework
• Benchmark internal quality practices against industry best practices and drive gap closure initiatives
• Develop and maintain lessons-learned documentation and quality knowledge bases to support organizational learning
Supplier & Material Quality
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Procurement to establish and enforce supplier quality requirements for critical transformer materials and components
• Lead supplier qualification activities, conduct supplier audits, and manage supplier corrective action requests (SCARs)
• Define incoming inspection criteria and sampling plans for raw materials including core steel, copper, insulation materials, bushings, and accessories
• Provide technical guidance on material substitutions and equivalencies to ensure quality standards are maintained without compromising performance

Product & Engineering Support
• Collaborate with Engineering on new product introductions (NPI), design-for-quality reviews, and prototype qualification activities
• Provide technical quality input during customer design reviews, bid responses, and specification negotiations
• Support the development and maintenance of quality documentation including inspection plans, test procedures, work instructions, and acceptance criteria
• Assist in the development of standard quality plans and configurable inspection packages that improve quoting speed and consistency
Workforce Development & Knowledge Transfer
• Mentor and develop quality engineers, inspectors, and technicians on transformer technology, testing methods, and quality best practices
• Lead technical training programs to elevate the overall quality competency and capability of the workforce
• Serve as a technical resource for cross-functional teams in Sales, Supply Chain, Procurement, Manufacturing, and Customer Service on quality-related matters
• Document institutional quality knowledge and develop technical reference materials to support organizational growth and scalability

Performance Monitoring & Reporting
• Establish and monitor quality KPIs including first-pass yield, defect rate, rework rate, CAPA closure rate, customer escape rate, and cost of poor quality (COPQ)
• Track quote technical accuracy and quality cost inputs to continuously improve the quoting process
• Provide regular quality status reports to leadership on quality trends, improvement initiatives, audit findings, and risk mitigation activities
• Contribute to monthly quality reviews and executive-level reporting with data-driven insights and actionable recommendations
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical field; or 15+ years of equivalent experience with demonstrated technical progression in transformer quality or manufacturing
• 12+ years of hands-on experience in transformer quality control or manufacturing, including deep expertise in inspection, electrical testing, winding, insulation systems, autoclave/vacuum impregnation, assembly, and QA/QC processes
• Recognized technical expert in transformer design, construction, materials, and applicable industry standards (IEEE C57 series, IEC 60076, ANSI, NEMA, UL)
• Demonstrated experience supporting sales, estimating, or business development functions in a technical quality capacity, including proposal writing, RFQ/RFP response, and customer-facing technical presentations
• Proven ability to interpret complex customer specifications and translate them into achievable quality plans, inspection criteria, and accurate cost estimates
• Strong working knowledge of quality management systems (ISO 9001) and quality tools including FMEA, SPC, RCA, CAPA, and control plans
• Excellent leadership and mentoring skills with the ability to develop quality talent at all levels of the organization
• Superior communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to engage with customers, suppliers, and cross-functional teams at all levels
• Financial acumen with the ability to quantify the cost of poor quality and build the business case for quality investments
• Commitment to safety, quality, and regulatory compliance in all aspects of the role