Senior Principal Quality Engineer

Introduction

Senior Principal Manufacturing Quality Engineer is a member of the APAC Quality team and the extended Global Quality team, the role of which is to implement a unified approach to managing Quality in APAC Manufacturing with the intent to deliver high quality products and services that meet the specifications and high standards of iRobot. The primary focus of this role is to monitor and constantly reduce manufacturing variation, to prevent manufacturing processes from producing defects and to ensure effective manufacturing detection methods are in place to prevent escapes by driving improvements in manufacturing methods and processes at CM’s; and recommending / effecting improvements in product design with the iRobot technical community. He/She represents the voice of the customer and is a continuous quality improvement force within the organization through effective cross collaboration and interactions within the broader APAC Operations, Quality and Supply Chain team and with Engineering and the Business functions in Bedford. S/He is a champion of Quality to both internal and external customers to help drive excellence across assigned products / CM’s and align with the overall company Quality organization and implement industry best practices.

Senior Principal Manufacturing Quality Engineer is responsible for the 3 key areas of quality relating to APAC manufacturing for his/her area of assigned responsibility:

i. Quality Control - the set of inspection and testing regime applied to ensure that the product (being) produced is to specifications; and the necessary actions taken correct nonconformances when they are detected. 

ii. Quality Assurance - the set of processes and procedures designed to systematically assure requirements are met and prevent nonconformances from occurring. 

iii. Quality Improvement - formal approach to the analysis of product, process and system performance and the systematic methods, tools and techniques to improve them.

Responsibilities:

Responsible to work with CM’s and Suppliers to develop manufacturing processes that are capable of meeting product requirements prior to MP and during ongoing production.  

• Develop effective quality and process control methods/plans to ensure product requirements can be met on a consistent basis during manufacturing (IQC, IPQC, FQC, OBA, ORT, etc.) and monitor accordingly
• Effect and drive robust production testing processes to prevent the escapement of product nonconformities
• Effect and drive robust assembly operations and manufacturing processes through manufacturability assessment to error-proof products and manufacturing processes to prevent operator errors
• Where defect elimination is not practical, ensure/implement rigorous process controls to that monitor and continually reduce process variation
• Be a business partner to the technical community (Engineering) to effect DFM and robust designs (including well defined design specifications with reasonable tolerances) to ensure manufacturing processes are capable of producing defect-free products 
• Cooperate with manufacturing partners to carry out GR&R or other MSA to verify the precision of any MITE used in production
• Ensure alignment and creation of cosmetic samples / standards
• Participate in phase gate and design reviews to assess production readiness in terms of quality, reliability, and manufacturability
• Effectively manage the closed-loop problem resolution process to minimize the impact of quality issues to the field/customer from proper material containment and product screening to rigorous root cause identification and corrective action implementation to prevent recurrence. 
• Participate in the selection and qualification of key suppliers and contract manufacturers.
• Provide data analytics and reporting of key quality metrics to assess product and process performance for driving continuous improvements. 
• Perform periodical verification on all aspects of production processes to ensure specifications, requirements and QCP are fully implemented.
• Apply quality tools and manufacturing techniques (5S, Kan ban /pull, Set-up reduction, TPM, flow manufacturing, poke yoke error proofing, SPC) and process management skills to identify and implement continuous improvement activities within the facility.
• Interface with management locally and overseas, and work closely with inter-department colleagues, customers, and vendors on all quality related issues.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS – KNOWLEDGE / EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Industrial or Electrical engineering.
• Minimum 5-7 years combined experience working in Quality on complex electromechanical systems. 
• Skilled with root cause analysis tools and techniques.
• Skilled with defect avoidance methodologies such as poke yoke, DFMEA/PFMEA, DOE
• Strong working knowledge and experience with basic and advanced quality (APQP) concepts and methodologies including FMEA, QFD, quality control planning, error-proofing (Poke Yoke), PPAP, SPC, MSA, etc.
• Familiarity with ISO9000/TS16949 Quality Systems with implementation or other applicable professional experience such as TQM, Lean, Six-Sigma
• Proven track record of developing manufacturing processes and process qualification plans during NPI and product/process changes
• Proficient in MS Office suite of applications.  Proficiency in Minitab and Weibull ++ desired.
• CMQ/OE, CRE and CQE certifications a plus.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS – CHARACTER / TRAITS

• Assertiveness, sensitivity and excellent communication skills (verbal and written) in English is a MUST
• Willingness and ability to work in a global, multi-site company that often requires working extended hours to get the job done or to fulfill urgent tasks
• Superior sense of urgency and accountability with a “not on my watch” mentality
• Highly motivated and self-directed with a proactive mindset, without the need for prodding or reminding to not only identify problems but lead teams to solve them
• Inherent sense of curiosity predisposed to learning and driving to root cause
• Healthy dose of skepticism to challenge the status quo of existing systems and processes in pursuit of continuous improvement
• Trust but verify mindset to be hands-on and an attention to detail
• Proven ability to work successfully in a highly collaborative environment without having a “herd” mentality
• Ability to operate in a highly dynamic environment to juggle multiple priorities, to react quickly to emergencies and where processes and procedures are not well defined or documented