Design Quality Engineer - Accessories

Overview : 

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Product Development, or a related technical field.
• Minimum 8+ years of experience in quality, product development, craftsmanship, supplier quality, or design validation environments, including at least 5 years within the automotive industry. 
• This position is focused on ensuring the visual quality, craftsmanship, and design execution of Class-A interior and exterior components throughout the product development lifecycle. 
• The role involves evaluating molded, painted, wrapped, chrome, and appearance-sensitive components to ensure alignment with design intent, visual standards, dimensional stability requirements, and production readiness expectations. 
• The engineer will work closely with Design, CMF, Mastering, Suppliers, Supplier Quality, Manufacturing, and Product Development teams to identify and resolve craftsmanship, tooling, grain, and appearance-related issues before production launch. 
• This position requires strong attention to detail, visual assessment expertise, supplier collaboration experience, and the ability to balance design intent with manufacturing reality in a fast-paced automotive development environment. 

Key Responsibilities :

• Design Quality & Craftsmanship Validation 
• Ensure Class-A components meet visual quality, craftsmanship, and design intent requirements 
• Evaluate vehicle and accessory components against appearance and quality standards 
• Support development and maintenance of craftsmanship expectations across programs 
• Drive alignment between design intent and production execution 
• Mold & Grain Approval Activities 
• Review molded parts prior to grain application to ensure tool quality meets approval requirements 
• Assess tooling and molded surfaces for cosmetic defects and quality concerns 
• Validate supplier pre-grain approval documentation 
• Approve tooling readiness prior to grain application activities 
• Appearance Approval Process (AAR) 
• Review and evaluate appearance approval parts including:  
• Painted components 
• Wrapped components 
• Chrome components 
• MIC components 
• Other Class-A appearance parts 
• Verify parts meet visual quality standards and dimensional stability requirements 
• Support approval activities required for PPAP signoff and production readiness 
• Issue Identification & Resolution 
• Document visual, cosmetic, tooling, and craftsmanship concerns 
• Generate visual reports supporting issue identification and resolution 
• Work directly with suppliers and engineering teams to address identified concerns 
• Support root cause investigations and corrective actions for appearance-related issues 
• Supplier Quality Support 
• Support supplier visits and on-site quality reviews as required 
• Collaborate with Supplier Quality Engineers and supplier quality teams 
• Assist suppliers in resolving tooling, grain, and appearance concerns 
• Monitor supplier quality performance related to craftsmanship standards 
• Program & Data Management 
• Maintain documentation and records related to grain approvals, appearance approvals, and craftsmanship reviews 
• Track program deliverables and approval status across multiple projects 
• Support timeline management and milestone execution 
• Maintain material development and craftsmanship databases 
• Cross-Functional Collaboration 
• Collaborate closely with CMF Design, Studio Engineering, Mastering, Manufacturing, and Supplier Quality teams 
• Support plaque-to-part scaling and design execution activities 
• Participate in design reviews and provide quality feedback throughout development 

Profile:  

• Passionate about vehicle craftsmanship, visual quality, and customer-facing product execution 
• Strong eye for detail and ability to identify subtle appearance concerns 
• Comfortable balancing design expectations with manufacturing feasibility 
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple programs simultaneously 
• Strong communicator who can effectively work with suppliers, engineers, and design teams 
• Self-driven and capable of operating independently with limited supervision 
• Process-oriented with a structured approach to issue identification and resolution 
• Thrives in fast-paced development and launch environments 

Must Have:  

• 8+ years of experience in Quality, Product Development, Craftsmanship, Design Validation, or related disciplines 
• Minimum 5 years of automotive industry experience 
• Experience evaluating appearance-sensitive or Class-A automotive components 
• Experience working with suppliers and cross-functional engineering teams 
• Strong understanding of craftsmanship, cosmetic quality, and visual acceptance criteria 
• Experience documenting issues and supporting corrective actions 
• Strong organizational and project management skills 
• Ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools  

Good to Have: 

• Tooling experience 
• Grain approval experience 
• Appearance Approval Report (AAR) experience 
• Injection molded plastic component experience 
• CMF (Color, Material, Finish) experience 
• PPAP exposure 
• Supplier Quality experience 
• Vehicle launch experience 
• Class-A interior or exterior component expertise