Just as the quality of a finished product depends on its original design, the success of a new hire is often determined by the quality of the initial job description.

An effective job description gives the potential new employee a strong sense of the job, company and culture. Additionally, your job description can properly inform job seekers of your expectations and aid you in creating insightful interview questions.

Keep reading to learn how to attract top talent with a well-written quality control engineer job description.

Quality Control Engineer Job Description: What to Include

Job Title

Top candidates will be searching for a position by job title, so it’s important to nail the essence of the position in one or two words. The American Society for Quality summarizes quality control engineer job descriptions under titles such as Analyst, Auditor, Black Belt, Director and Inspector. These ASQ titles and their quality control engineer job descriptions are especially meaningful as many top candidates are ASQ Certified for their skill set.

Skills

The US Department of Energy is responsible for nuclear and other energy challenges that could impact the security and prosperity of every American. With such an important mission, their list of skill requirements for a quality control engineer job description provides an outstanding template:

• Attention to detail – To ensure that products are being manufactured and are operating to the required specifications or that services are being delivered as promised.
• Analysis/Critical Thinking/Problem-Solving – To conduct root cause investigations, implement corrective actions and develop strategies leading to continual process improvement.
• Communication Skills – To clearly communicate new or improved processes and to document causes of failure and corrective action plans at all organizational levels.
• Ethics – To withstand the conflicting pressures of production schedules and budgets, while steadfastly ensuring that quality policies are fulfilled and standards are met.
• Interpersonal Skills – To work across teams and with customers or other stakeholders, while leading and collaborating with many types of people at all organizational levels.
• Math Skills – To apply the principles of statistics, calculus, trigonometry and other advanced mathematics to analyze, design, test and troubleshoot.

Experience

A quality control engineer is assigned duties that are equal to their experience. For example, an inexperienced intern may be hired to inspect incoming raw materials or to operate a test system for checking finished products. Such roles are typically under the supervision of a more experienced quality control engineer, who is actually responsible for the personnel, equipment, test results and data reporting.

As further experience is acquired, a quality control engineer will increasingly focus on process improvement, so that quality is not dependent on process inspection. At the most senior level, a quality control engineer may be hired to overhaul an entire quality system, to recruit and upgrade quality personnel, to author new documentation or to achieve a specific ISO or APQP level of quality certification.

Education

Entry-level roles as an inspector or calibration tech may only require the combination of high school or community college with military or on-the-job technical training. However, the majority of quality control engineers have, at minimum, a bachelor’s degree in electrical, mechanical, industrial or software engineering. At the senior management level, a Director or Vice President of Quality may have a master’s or doctorate in engineering or degrees in both engineering and business administration.

Responsibilities

All quality control engineer job descriptions have certain responsibilities in common, such as maintaining quality assurance procedures and documentation, developing quality policies, using inspection and test equipment, refining product specifications, and training others on quality concepts and tools.

However, when recruiting for a specific role, the quality control engineer job description must include detailed duties and responsibilities relative to the level and scope of the position. For example:

• Analyst – Works primarily with statistical data to support process improvement.
• Auditor – Visits suppliers to evaluate the effectiveness of their quality systems.
• Black (or Green) Belt – Facilitates Six Sigma applications, procedures and training.
• Calibration Tech – Uses measuring tools to check conformance to quality standards.
• Director – Manages organizational quality policies, procedures and personnel.
• Inspector – Checks, audits and reports to ensure conformance with QA standards
• Reliability Engineer – Uses performance and prediction data to improve reliability.
• Supplier Quality Engineer – Works with vendors to monitor purchased materials.

Enhance Your Quality Control Engineer Talent Search

How important is hiring the right quality control engineer? Quality safeguards the reputation of a company’s products, enhances the satisfaction of its customers and drives the improvement of its basic ability to meet competition and command premium pricing. Nothing is more important.

When you need a search for the right quality control engineer — or for first-rate talent in any job category, contact TruPath Search online.