Quality Engineer – CNC Process & Inspection Planning

Description

Position Summary

We are seeking an entry to mid-level Quality Engineer to serve as a critical bridge between our CNC Programming, Manufacturing Operations, and Quality Control teams.

As our business evolves from semiconductor and prototyping, towards Aerospace and Defense manufacturing, we are strengthening the systems that connect the CNC Programming, Production and Quality Control teams. The Quality Engineer will ensure that every CNC operation has a clear, traceable definition of the features being created, modified, or finished—and that those features can be efficiently verified by both the machine operator and Quality Control.

Our CNC programmers are responsible for developing programs that are ultimately executed by machine operators on the manufacturing floor. The Quality Engineer will review these programs and translate the manufacturing intent of each operation into a clear operation-level inspection plan using 1Factory.

The ideal candidate understands CNC machining, GD&T, engineering drawings, manufacturing processes, and quality requirements, and is comfortable working at the intersection of programming and inspection. The Quality Engineer should be able to look at a CNC program and the associated drawing/model and understand what the operation is intended to accomplish, which features are being affected, and how those features should be verified.

Key Responsibilities

CNC Program & Process Review

• •Review CNC programs and associated manufacturing documentation prior to production.
• •Understand the intent and sequence of each machining operation.
• •Identify the features being created, modified, finished, or otherwise affected by each operation.
• •Correlate CNC operations with engineering drawings, CAD models, GD&T requirements, and manufacturing requirements.
• •Identify ambiguities or gaps in process documentation that could create confusion for operators or Quality.
• •Work closely with CNC programmers to clarify manufacturing intent and improve process documentation.

Inspection Planning

• •Use 1Factory to create clear, operation-specific inspection plans.
• •Define the characteristics and features that should be inspected following each CNC operation.
• •Ensure inspection requirements are appropriately tied to the operation responsible for creating or modifying the feature.
• •Clearly communicate inspection methods, measurement and sampling requirements, and applicable drawing/GD&T requirements.
• •Structure inspection plans so operators understand what they are responsible for producing and Quality can verify conformance.
• •Develop inspection documentation that minimizes the need for Quality personnel to reverse-engineer the manufacturing process.

Quality & Manufacturing Integration

• •Serve as the primary interface between CNC Programming and Quality for process-specific inspection requirements.
• •Partner with CNC programmers, machine operators, manufacturing engineers, and Quality inspectors to resolve process and inspection questions.
• •With support of Quality and Production, investigate recurring discrepancies between programming intent, manufacturing execution, and inspection results.
• •Identify opportunities to improve process flow, documentation, inspection efficiency, and first-pass quality.
• •Provide feedback to programming and manufacturing teams when program structure or process sequencing creates quality risks.

Aerospace, Defense & Medical Quality Systems

• •Support manufacturing processes within an AS9100- and AS13485-certified quality environment.
• •Maintain strong attention to configuration control, traceability, documentation, and objective evidence of conformance.
• •Ensure inspection planning aligns with applicable engineering requirements, customer requirements, and internal quality procedures.
• •Participate in root-cause investigations, corrective actions, and continuous improvement activities as needed.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means that when a part reaches the manufacturing floor:

• •The operator understands what features their operation is responsible for generating.
• •Quality understands what features should require verification after each operation.
• •CNC Programming has a clear feedback loop when process intent or documentation is unclear.
• •Inspection does not need to spend significant time reverse-engineering CNC programs to determine what requires inspection, what has stock vs non-conforming, etc...
• •Inspection plans provide a clear connection between drawing requirements ? CNC operation ? manufactured feature ? inspection requirements .
• •Manufacturing and Quality can identify and resolve process issues earlier, reducing rework, delays, and inspection effort.

Requirements

Qualifications Required

• •3+ years of experience in manufacturing quality, CNC machining, manufacturing engineering, or a closely related field.
• •Strong understanding of CNC machining processes and manufacturing operations.
• •Ability to interpret complex engineering drawings and 3D CAD models.
• •Strong understanding of GD&T and dimensional inspection requirements.
• •Experience developing or interpreting inspection plans.
• •Ability to understand the relationship between machining operations and the features they produce.
• •Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• •Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• •Strong attention to detail and documentation discipline.

Preferred

• •Experience reviewing CNC programs, toolpaths, or setup documentation.
• •Experience with 1Factory or similar digital quality/inspection software.
• •Experience in aerospace, defense, medical device, semiconductor, or other highly regulated manufacturing environments.
• •Familiarity with AS9100 and/or ISO13485 quality systems.
• •Experience with traditional mechanical inspection methodology, optical measurement, CMM inspection, transitive and functional datum analysis and work-holding, or other advanced inspection methods.
• •Familiarity with CAM software and CNC programming concepts.
• •Experience with nonconformance, root-cause analysis, corrective action, or continuous improvement methodologies.

Core Competencies

• •CNC machining process knowledge
• •Engineering drawing and GD&T interpretation
• •Inspection planning
• •Manufacturing process understanding
• •Quality systems and documentation
• •Root-cause analysis
• •Cross-functional communication
• •Attention to detail
• •Process improvement
• •Ability to translate technical information into clear manufacturing instructions

Role Characteristics This is a hands-on, cross-functional engineering role . The successful candidate will not simply inspect finished parts or audit documentation. They will actively analyze how parts are manufactured and establish the connection between CNC programming, manufacturing operations, and inspection via detailed inspection planning .This position is ideal for someone who enjoys understanding how a part is made , identifying what can go wrong, and creating practical systems that allow operators and inspectors to work more efficiently and confidently.