Quality Engineer

The Quality Engineer role at Howmet Aerospace in La Porte, IN (onsite) focuses on improving process performance and strengthening quality system adherence. The position acts as a change agent, advances standardized best practices and measurable quality outcomes, and manages the customer relationship through the Voice of the Customer.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead purchase order and specification review to negotiate customer requirements, support advanced product quality planning, and translate requirements to the operator level.
• Serve as the customer advocate and implement the Voice of the customer into quality and operational decisions.
• Drive process improvement by reviewing and addressing material review, concessions, corrective and preventive actions, and quality escapes, with a focus on elimination.
• Ensure customer verification is complete (FAIR) and submitted to the customer.
• Assess the health of business systems against customer and/or industry standards using an efficient internal audit and corrective and preventative action management system.
• Build internal and external relationships to improve engagement, influence, and customer connections needed to support operational outcomes.
• Apply quantitative and qualitative problem-solving skills to identify challenges early and overcome them through a proactive approach.
• Manage quality objectives by linking, monitoring, and improving them in alignment with overall company business objectives, using problem-solving methodology to positively impact performance.
• Demonstrate Howmet values consistently.
• Apply least-cost use of customer specifications and drawings to avoid over-processing.
• Perform blueprint reading and support customer requirements flowdown and deployment.
• Support customer interface activities and maintain operational knowledge and experience across manufacturing, inspection, engineering, and customer interaction.
• Use practical manufacturing process understanding to analyze problems objectively, communicate effectively, and facilitate problem-solving activities.
• Coordinate corrective, preventive, and systemic action and process improvement activities.
• Work through major and minor issues professionally without losing focus on what is needed to resolve them.
• Apply internal auditing skills and support regulatory and customer requirements understanding.
• Comply with EHS rules required for the work environment.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Essential Functions

• Purchase order and specification review leadership, including negotiation of customer requirements, advanced product quality planning, and translation of requirements to the operator level.
• Act as the customer advocate (Voice of the customer).
• Lead process improvement activities focused on review, disposition, elimination of material review and concessions, and management of corrective and preventive actions and escapes.
• Ensure customer verification is complete (FAIR) and submitted to the customer.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from an accredited institution.
• Minimum of two (2) years quality experience in a manufacturing environment.
• General Auditor (Internal): two (2) audits (total ten (10) audit days) within the past three (3) years, or five (5) years of relevant audit experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Legal authorization to work in the United States is required; verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.
• This role entails access to export-controlled items, and employment offers are conditioned upon the ability to lawfully obtain access to such items.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrates the highest ethical standards.
• Makes decisions based on data and fact.
• Displays business savvy and a bias for action.
• Is a mentor and coach.
• Ability to listen and make decisions based on the facts.

Technology and Tools

• ISO 9000, AS9100
• Statistical Tools and Techniques
• APQP
• Measurement System Analysis
• A3 thinking
• Internal audit/corrective and preventative action management system
• Nadcap
• Non-destructive validation methodology (Visual, x-ray, penetrant, etc.)
• GD&T
• Blueprint Reading/customer requirements flowdown

Work Location and Travel

• Location: La Porte, IN (onsite)
• Travel: willingness to travel is required, with less than 25% required, including domestic and international travel.

Benefits

• Health Insurance from Day One: medical coverage begins on the first day of employment.
• Generous 401(k) Retirement Plan: company contribution of 3% of eligible compensation, plus a 100% match on employee contributions up to 6%, with the opportunity for up to 15% of eligible compensation in total retirement contributions.
• 13 company-paid holidays.
• Annual Paid Time Off (PTO).