Junior Developer Operations Engineer Jobs in La Crosse, WI

Company Overview:
Nelson Global engineers, manufactures, and distributes clean and efficient Air & Fluid Transfer, NVH, Complex Structural, Acoustic, and Thermal Management Solutions. Nelson Global partners with the world’s leading OEMs. With 22 global manufacturing and distribution facilities and unparalleled engineering and innovation capabilities, Nelson Global provides mission critical solutions with the highest degree of reliability at the lowest cost. Our dedication to serving our employees, partners, and the planet responsibly is realized across three pillars of sustainability: environmental, social, and governance. By empowering our people, reducing waste, and developing innovative and efficient systems, we support the communities and resources that spur the industries and technologies of the future.
Position Overview:
The Quality Engineer is responsible for supporting plant quality performance, including customer and internal KPIs. This role leads problem solving, supports new product launches, and works closely with operations, engineering, and customers to identify issues, drive systemic corrective actions, and prevent defects through strong process control and continuous improvement.
Primary Responsibilities & Duties:

• Support plant and customer quality performance (PPM, KPIs) through daily quality activities.
• Lead investigation of internal and external quality issues and drive timely, systemic corrective actions (8D/A3)
• Lead customer corrective actions, ensuring thorough root cause analysis, effective implementation, and sustainability of corrective actions; document lessons learned to prevent recurrence.
• Manage change control by reviewing, validating, and approving process and product changes, including customer notification where required.
• Support NPI and product transfers (LCC moves) by developing and implementing quality control plans in collaboration with manufacturing engineering.
• Support COPQ reduction activities through data analysis and improvement initiatives.
• Establish and maintain process controls, including Control Plans, PFMEA, and work instructions.
• Implement and validate inspection and testing methods to ensure process capability and product quality.
• Support customer requirements, including PPAP submissions, first articles, and ongoing approvals.
• Collaborate closely with customers to address issues and support continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support IATF requirements, including audits, documentation, and compliance activities.
• Analyze quality data and trends to identify risks and drive improvements.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, and suppliers to resolve issues and improve processes.
• Support training and development of quality standards across the organization.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Education & Experience:

• Experience in manufacturing, metal forming, fabrication, and welding is a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related field (or equivalent experience)
• 3–5 years of experience in manufacturing quality
• Experience with APQP, PPAP, 8D, PFMEA, and Control Plans
• Experience collaborating with customers and resolving quality issues.
• Experience in manufacturing processes such as metal forming, fabrication, or welding preferred.
• Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or Six Sigma certification is a plus.
• Experience supporting IATF 16949 requirements and audits preferred.

Skills & Abilities:

• Strong problem-solving skills (8D, root cause analysis) with ability to drive systemic corrective actions.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with operations, engineering, and suppliers.
• Strong analytical skills with ability to interpret data and identify trends.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and execute in a challenging environment.
• Effective communication skills with customers and internal teams
• Strong organizational and follow-through skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint) with strong data analysis capability
• Experience with Minitab or similar statistical tools