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Program Quality Engineer

Location:3200 Fruit Ridge Ave, Walker, MI 49544

Who We Are:
Challenge’s mission is to manufacture with operational excellence by empowering our employee-owners. As a leading tier 1 supplier of complex metal assemblies for the global automotive industry, we drive innovative solutions for future mobility. We believe the best ideas come from individual unique perspectives. These ideas combined with the teamwork of industry leaders allow us to accomplish any challenge. Our team members take pride in the work we do and embody our core values of safety, ownership, and teamwork every day; they are the true driving force in our operations.

Challenge is proud to be one of the largest employee-owned automotive companies in North America. One of the many benefits of joining the Challenge team is the ESOP program. This program allows Challenge to give shares of the Company to all employee-owners annually. These shares are an additional retirement benefit that will continue to grow during your time at Challenge. Being part of an ESOP means our employee-owners share in Challenge’s success!

Together we own Safety! Challenge is #QualityDriven and #PeoplePowered!

Who We Want:

The Program Quality Engineer works with Program Managers/ Launch team to ensure all APQP documentation, customer specific requirements, and Challenge plant needs are met for a successful start of production.

What You'll Do:

  • Handles all quality related launch activities and acts as the voice for internal and external customers. Prepares all APQP and PPAP documentation for product in launch. Works with Quality and Engineering departments on new programs to verify all customer requirements are met. Communicates with suppliers to ensure products and services are meeting Challenge and customer requirements.
  • Attend all assigned program team meetings.
  • Have, or be willing to obtain detailed product knowledge.
  • Works with Project Engineers to ensure FMEAs are completed in time to impact tooling designs.
  • Development of Control Plans.
  • Support team with evaluation and approval of dimensional tolerancing and specifications.
  • Support the evaluation and approval of fixture and gage requirements.
  • Participate in fixture and gage reviews and buy-off meetings.
  • Attend all assigned die and weld tool runoffs, internally and externally, to approve part quality and highlight potential risk.
  • Support the Safe Launch process in the early stages of launch through the hand over to plant quality personnel.
  • Support the communication between external and internal suppliers and customers.
  • Own the document storage process to ensure all documents created during the launch phase are complete and accessible.
  • Assist program teams with understanding customer PV test requirements and specifications.

When and Where:
This will be a 8 AM - 5 PM M-F position located at our Corporate Office in Walker, MI.
Occasionally, this may require you to arrive early, stay late, or work on weekends, outside of our regular hours, to ensure we successfully meet customer needs, deadlines, or urgent requests.

What You Need to Have:

  • Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
  • 5+ years related experience and or training
  • GD&T knowledge
  • Ability to interpret Specific Customer Requirements
  • Strong knowledge or AIAG
  • Strong knowledge in APQP
  • Strong knowledge of PPAP requirements
  • Ability to analyze and understand dimensional data in varying formats
  • Knowledge of and experience using problem solving and core tools
  • Strong communication skills
  • Plexus experience preferred
  • Has high standards of performance for self
  • Takes responsibility for actions, results, and mistakes
  • Is thorough, accurate, and reliable when performing and completing job tasks; demonstrates honesty and integrity in all aspects of work
  • Takes positive action to objectively resolve conflict by listening, staying focused on issue to find resolution, and monitoring progress
  • Maintains positive relationships by constructively resolving conflicts
  • Uses feedback from others to continuously improve performance and work relationships
  • Moves within own and other work areas (flexes) to support plant flow
  • Works with sense of urgency to meet needs of customers
  • Has necessary experience, skills, and knowledge to perform all aspects of job; rotates through all job responsibilities and all customers
  • Maintains knowledge and skills to perform job effectively
  • Has ability to focus on benefits of change and see it as positive; approaches change or newness in a constructive and objective manner; views change as learning opportunity
  • Looks for good in others; works collaboratively with others; shares information and knowledge
  • Is at work when scheduled and ensures coverage when absent, takes timely break, and uses time wisely

What We Offer:
We’re excited to offer a range of awesome benefits, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions, Flexible Spending Accounts, company-paid Short-Term Disability and Basic Life Insurance, Voluntary Life and Long-Term Disability options, an Employer 401k Match, ESOP shares, tuition reimbursement, a Referral Bonus Program, Challenge Incentive Program, and paid time off.

Please note, while these benefits are part of what we offer, they may not all apply to this specific role. The details shared in this job description are intended to give you a general idea, but duties and responsibilities may evolve over time, with or without notice. And of course, we’re happy to provide reasonable accommodations to help individuals with disabilities succeed in their role.