What is a Quality Engineer?
Quality Engineers job description is that they are vital to the manufacturing industry. These engineers ensure that manufacturing facilities are operating at a high level and that the products are being manufactured with the correct tools and processes. It’s important to understand what quality engineers do if you are interested in a job in the field.
This article explains what quality engineers are, lists the skills and requirements for them, discusses how much they make, and provides steps that you can take to get into the field.
What is the Job Description of a Quality Engineer?
The job description of a quality engineer is that they engage with suppliers to ensure that raw materials and parts match the company’s Quality Management System (QMS), records processes, methods and roles that are involved in achieving quality policies and objectives. Quality Assurance is process oriented. It focuses on reducing variance in processes through the creation, revision and strict application of a series of quality standards or processes that are precisely specified. Quality assurance is a preventative measure. It helps an organization to direct and coordinate its operations in order to meet legal and client requirements.
Quality Control
Quality Engineers in Quality Control (QC) are typically (but they’re not always) scientists or lab technicians because the sample testing for pharmaceuticals is done in laboratories. In product-oriented control of quality, a sample from a manufacturing process is examined to see if it meets the design requirements or standards.
Lean Six Sigma
It aims to improve the output quality by identifying and eliminating errors, and reducing the unpredictability of business and production processes. The Lean Six Sigma method was developed by Motorola and popularized at General Electric by Jack Welch. It is a collection of tools and procedures that are used to improve processes.
Quality by Design
It is important to design for quality, because while more testing can sometimes result in a better-quality product it is often the opposite. The majority of quality issues and crises stem from the way a product is initially designed.
Taguchi Method
Taguchi recommends using materials tested in different situations, off-the shelf components that are low cost, and statistical experiments. Taguchi defines loss mathematically by using the “loss function” Taguchi uses.
Quality Risk Management
This technique is used to anticipate disasters and devise preventive measures. It involves designing the problem or proceduralizing the situation. This process often involves manufacturing, testing and distributing medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The worst-case scenario is used to identify problems and create solutions.
Reliability Engineering
Reliability Engineering is used to prevent failures, or reduce their frequency or likelihood. It’s used to identify and deal with the root causes of problems that still occur despite all efforts to prevent them. It decides what to do if the failures still occur despite all efforts to prevent them. It uses techniques to determine how reliable new designs are. It also uses statistical analysis and engineering techniques to improve the dependability of a product or process that is exposed for a certain amount of time to factors like vibration, shock, voltage, radiation or extremely high or very low temperatures.
Salary of a Quality Engineer
In the United States, an average salary for a quality engineer is $78.636 per year. Employees in this profession often enjoy a high salary and other benefits, including health insurance and dental coverage, 401(k), 401 (k) matching and health insurance.
What are the Quality Engineer’s Responsibilities?
A major player within the production of goods, a quality engineer is responsible for the overall quality of manufactured products.
Though tasks may vary depending on the organization, common responsibilities include:
- Establish and implement quality standards
- Monitor workflows, processes, and products
- Create quality documentation
- Collaborate with operations managers to identify opportunities for improvements to workflow and controls, to ensure they comply with health and safety codes and regulations
- Review systems and processes to develop continued improvements and efficiencies
- Inspect and test processes and products to ensure they meet or exceed standards
Analyze manufacturing data and reports
Work toward continuous improvement within the manufacturing process through a variety of techniques including, but not limited to Six Sigma, quality by design, quality by control, and quality assurance
What is the Role of a Quality Engineer?
A Quality Engineer supervises the manufacturing and engineering processes of an organization by ensuring that tools, materials, and procedures are used properly. The quality engineer also works with the team to maintain and create standards for manufactured goods. A quality engineer can also perform the following tasks:
- Assuring that all raw materials and components meet your organization’s standards is a collaborative effort with suppliers
- Customer feedback can be used to identify flaws and make changes in products.
- Monitoring the safety standards and employee training required during the manufacturing process
- Document and fix any problems that arise during the production process
- Ensure that all manufactured products adhere to the legal standards.
- Create and present reports on quality that include an analysis of internal and external standards
Job Description for a Quality Engineer
Here is an example of a job description for the role of a quality engineer:
We are looking for a quality engineering to oversee and improve our work processes. The candidates must have a high level of attention to detail in order to identify potential or existing problems with our processes and procedures. They have excellent multitasking abilities and can perform well under pressure. Candidates are able to communicate technical information in a simplified manner with other departments. The candidate who is successful grows and evolves within the organization.
The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications.
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, industrial or quality engineering
- Three years experience in a field related to quality
- CQE is preferred
Train Train to Become a Quality Engineer
Become a quality expert with SSDSI’s Certified Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Course. This Lean Six Sigma program will help you develop the skills necessary to improve quality and results in transformational projects. This course will focus on Lean practices, and Six Sigma to accelerate business improvements.
