Job Description

Senior Quality Engineer 

Location: Foothill Ranch, CA

Employment: Full-Time

The Opportunity

We are working with a global manufacturer of highly engineered consumer, performance, and protective products that is expanding its quality engineering capabilities in Southern California.

The company is seeking a Senior Quality Engineer with strong experience in reliability, product validation, qualification testing, and failure analysis .

This role sits at the intersection of Quality, Engineering, Product Development, and Manufacturing. You will be responsible for determining whether products meet defined performance and reliability expectations before they reach the market, while also helping engineering teams identify and eliminate failure modes.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working hands-on in a laboratory environment, developing test strategies, analyzing data, investigating failures, and communicating technical conclusions to cross-functional stakeholders.

What You'll Do

Product Reliability & Validation

• Own reliability and qualification programs from test planning through final technical conclusions.
  


• Develop testing strategies for a range of engineered products and components, including performance, durability, mechanical, environmental, optical, impact, and functional evaluations.
  


• Establish appropriate test conditions, sample requirements, acceptance criteria, and qualification requirements.
  


• Convert product specifications, customer expectations, and applicable industry requirements into practical engineering test plans.
  


• Determine whether test results support product approval, further development, or corrective action.
  


• Provide technical recommendations aimed at improving product durability, reliability, and overall performance.
  

Test Development & Laboratory Engineering

• Create and improve laboratory test methods, procedures, protocols, and work instructions.
  


• Develop, validate, and document new testing methodologies as product requirements evolve.
  


• Design or specify test fixtures, measurement systems, instrumentation, and specialized laboratory equipment.
  


• Ensure test equipment and methods are appropriate, repeatable, and capable of generating reliable engineering data.
  


• Support laboratory technicians by providing technical direction and ensuring testing is performed consistently.
  


• Review laboratory practices and documentation to maintain a controlled and technically sound testing environment.
  

Failure Analysis & Problem Solving

• Lead investigations into product failures, reliability issues, and unexpected test results.
  


• Apply structured root-cause methodologies to identify the underlying technical cause of failures.
  


• Use statistical analysis, Design of Experiments (DOE), FMEA, and other engineering problem-solving tools where appropriate.
  


• Work with engineering and manufacturing teams to develop corrective actions.
  


• Validate corrective actions through additional testing and data analysis.
  


• Identify recurring failure modes and recommend improvements before they impact production or customers.
  

Standards, Compliance & Technical Reporting

• Support product testing associated with regulatory, certification, customer, military, and industry-specific requirements.
  


• Interpret applicable domestic and international standards and determine how they should be incorporated into testing programs.
  


• Prepare and review detailed engineering test reports.
  


• Analyze test data and clearly communicate findings, conclusions, risks, and recommendations.
  


• Provide technical input into product qualification and release decisions.
  

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work closely with Quality, R&D, Product Development, Manufacturing, Sourcing, Regulatory/Compliance, and external testing laboratories.
  


• Act as a technical resource for reliability and product testing questions.
  


• Help resolve complex product and testing issues across multiple functions.
  


• Train and mentor laboratory technicians on testing procedures, equipment, data collection, and laboratory best practices.
  


• Manage testing activities and projects while balancing multiple product priorities and deadlines.
  

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Applied Science, or a related technical discipline.
  


• 5+ years of relevant experience in reliability engineering, product testing, validation, qualification, or laboratory engineering.
  


• Demonstrated experience creating and executing engineering test methods, validation plans, or qualification protocols.
  


• Hands-on experience with several forms of testing such as mechanical, optical, environmental, impact, durability, or reliability testing.
  


• Experience with consumer products, sporting goods, PPE, military products, or other technically demanding or regulated products is highly relevant.
  


• Strong understanding of engineering principles and structured problem-solving methodologies.
  


• Practical experience with Root Cause Analysis, FMEA, DOE, and statistical analysis .
  


• Experience using statistical software such as Minitab or similar tools.
  


• Ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications, technical standards, and performance requirements.
  


• Experience developing, selecting, or specifying test fixtures, instrumentation, measurement systems, or laboratory equipment.
  


• Strong technical writing and communication skills.
  


• Ability to work effectively with engineers, quality professionals, manufacturing teams, laboratory personnel, and external testing organizations.
  


• Demonstrated ability to provide technical guidance and mentor junior laboratory personnel.
  

Additional Experience That Would Be Valuable

• Master’s degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.
  


• Experience working within an ISO/IEC 17025 accredited or similarly controlled laboratory.
  


• Project management experience involving product development, validation, reliability, or laboratory programs.
  


• Experience working with third-party laboratories and certification organizations.
  


• Experience translating regulatory or industry standards into practical engineering test requirements.
  

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to take technical ownership of how products are tested, qualified, and proven reliable before reaching customers.

You will have significant exposure to product development and engineering decisions while working on complex reliability challenges across mechanical, optical, environmental, durability, and performance testing.

For an engineer who enjoys combining hands-on laboratory work, data analysis, failure investigation, and cross-functional engineering leadership , this role offers substantial technical scope and visibility.

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