Quality Engineer Manager Jobs in Milwaukee, WI (NOW HIRING)

Quality Engineer

Grover Corporation — Glendale, WI Reports to: Operations Systems Manager Team: Individual Contributor (No Direct Reports)

Summary

Grover Corporation is a precision industrial piston ring manufacturer serving demanding industrial markets. We're a ~50-person shop, so engineers here solve problems, improve processes, and work directly with production—not committees. We're looking for a hands-on Quality Engineer to own our quality engineering function while partnering closely with Operations and Engineering to improve manufacturing processes and product quality.

This role owns customer quality, supplier quality, PPAPs, non-conformance, corrective actions, and quality systems while supporting manufacturing process improvement and standardization. You'll spend time both on the shop floor and in the office, working with operators, inspectors, engineers, and leadership to improve process capability and product quality.

This is an individual contributor engineering position—not a management role. Success comes from technical problem solving, collaboration, and execution rather than supervising people.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first year, success in this role means:

· Establishing a reliable PPAP process for new and existing products.

· Reducing recurring quality issues by improving process capability through effective root cause analysis, corrective actions, and data-driven process improvements.

· Developing meaningful supplier quality metrics and improving supplier performance.

· Expanding the use of our Quality Management System beyond calibration.

· Supporting routing standardization and process capability improvements across the manufacturing operation.

· Becoming a trusted technical resource for quality-related decisions throughout the shop.

Reporting Structure

· Reports to the Operations Systems Manager.

· Individual contributor with no supervisory responsibility.

· Works closely with the Inspection Technician and Calibration Technician, using inspection results and gage data to support quality engineering activities. Their daily priorities remain under the Operations Systems Manager.

· Partners with Manufacturing Engineering and Process Engineering on process improvement and standardization projects.

· When projects require additional floor resources, engineering support, or budget, requests those resources through the Operations Systems Manager.

Quality Engineering Responsibilities

· Own the non-conformance process from issuance through disposition, corrective action, trending, and closure.

· Create and manage PPAPs, including customer submissions through quality portals.

· Lead root cause investigations using structured problem-solving methods (5 Why, Fishbone, 8D, etc.).

· Develop corrective actions that improve long-term process capability rather than simply addressing immediate issues.

· Own supplier quality activities, including scorecards, supplier corrective actions, audits, and supplier visits as needed.

· Process RMAs and serve as the primary point of contact for customer quality issues.

· Drive SPC and process control where it provides meaningful value—not as a checkbox exercise.

· Administer and expand the company's Quality Management System beyond the existing calibration module.

· Develop and maintain inspection plans, measurement plans, standard work, and controlled quality documentation.

· Support qualification and validation of new manufacturing processes, tooling, and inspection methods.

Process Improvement amp; Industrial Engineering Responsibilities

· Lead routing normalization efforts to simplify manufacturing, reduce variation, and support family-level PPAP strategies.

· Perform process capability studies (Cp/Cpk/Ppk), measurement system analysis, and cycle time studies on current production processes.

· Support constraint analysis, manufacturing flow improvements, and process standardization in partnership with the Operations Systems Manager.

· Work alongside Manufacturing Engineering and Process Engineering on continuous improvement initiatives.

· Provide a quality and process capability perspective during operational planning and shipment risk reviews.

Experience amp; Qualifications

Required

· Bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Engineering Technology, Quality Engineering, or a related field OR 5+ years of equivalent manufacturing experience combining quality engineering with process improvement.

· Experience with PPAP/APQP in an industrial manufacturing environment.

· Experience working with customer quality systems and submission portals.

· Working knowledge of SPC, capability studies (Cp/Cpk/Ppk), and structured root cause analysis.

· ERP experience and the ability to work effectively within a legacy manufacturing system.

· Experience with Quality Management Systems (QMS).

· Strong communication skills with the ability to work effectively with operators, technicians, engineers, suppliers, customers, and leadership.

Preferred

· Industrial or regulated manufacturing supplier experience.

· Green Belt certification (or actively pursuing one).

· Experience supporting continuous improvement or Lean Manufacturing initiatives.

What We're Looking For

Quality at Grover partners closely with Operations and Engineering because we believe quality is built into the process, not inspected in afterward. We're looking for someone who enjoys understanding how manufacturing systems work and finding practical ways to improve them. The right person is equally comfortable reviewing process data, working with operators on the shop floor, leading a customer corrective action, or helping standardize a manufacturing process. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys being on the shop floor, solving technical problems, and improving manufacturing systems—not someone looking for a desk-only quality position.

Physical Requirements

· Standard 40-hour work week with occasional overtime during audits, customer visits, PPAP deadlines, or major project activity.

· Regular presence on the manufacturing floor; PPE required.

· Ability to use precision measuring equipment including micrometers, calipers, ring gages, and feeler gages when supporting investigations or validating inspection results.

· Primarily an engineering and office position with regular shop floor interaction—not a full-time production or inspection role.