Overview: The Customer Quality Engineer is to serve as the liaison between technical, service, and manufacturing operations responsible for manufacturing IHC solutions, to ensure efficient and consistent manufacturability of all products. This role will be a customer-facing contact to manage our customers’ quality requirements so that FORCE America is able to deliver world-class customer quality experience. This will require regular interaction with sales, design engineers, application engineers, and internal stakeholders. This position will include connecting with customers proactively to assess their needs and driving best practices for standards internally. Additionally, the Customer Quality Engineer functions as the lead facilitator in the problem solving for customer issues and other FORCE America Alexandria manufacturing issues as needed. Responsible for continuous improvement, lean value stream process support, and process monitoring by applying cost effective methods (Six Sigma, etc.) to drive improvements in safety, productivity, and quality.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Assemble and lead different internal teams to manage customer quality issues and requests.
• Champion “voice of customers” on quality within FORCE America Alexandria.
• Manage customer total quality experience.
• Proactively communicate feedback from your customers to FORCE America departments.
• Drive proactive leadership and communication to quality related issues.
• Acknowledge and drive closure of customer quality-related issues and customer requests.
• Be the single point of contact for communication channel for proactive quality initiatives.
• Proactively measure customer’s scorecard to FORCE America’s performance and project expected quality score.
• Coordinate customer audits and drive resolution of any non-conformances or opportunities for improvements.
• Work closely with customers to determine their quality expectations.
• Assist internal teams on early customer requirements & deliverables.
• Work closely with teams utilizing various problem-solving processes to prevent reoccurrence.
• Responsible to lead lean manufacturing efforts and can manage safety, productivity, and quality improvement projects to support rapid improvement.
• Provides innovative cost-effective solutions to manufacturing process problems utilizing cost-effective, lean principles. Modifying cell layouts utilizing lean value stream principles where feasible.
• Develop, implement, and lead Lean Manufacturing training program for all levels of employees
• Implement and maintain customer quality systems.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Business, or equivalent combination of experience and education.
• Minimum of 3-5 years of operations experience in a manufacturing environment with increasing responsibilities.
• Demonstrated experience with Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma.
• Experience implementing Continuous Improvement.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with ability to learn and adapt to new processes are a plus.
• Demonstrated project management skills.
• Strong knowledge and practical experience with mechanical design principles.
• Experience creating or updating assembly and test fixtures, preferred.
• Knowledge of ISO 9001 standards and compliance requirements, preferred .
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with OSHA regulations, workplace safety programs, and basic ergonomics.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Good oral and written skills
• Strong customer service skills, sense of urgency and a desire to make a difference in helping grow sales.
• Ability to multi-task and function in a fast-paced work environment.
• Self-directed and able to prioritize responsibilities to meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated leadership skills with emphasis on cross functional team development and leading skilled trades.
• Detail-oriented with a strong desire to work within a team environment