Senior Automotive Class-A Quality & Craftsmanship Engineer

We’re ALTEN Technology USA, an engineering company helping clients bring groundbreaking ideas to life—from advancing space exploration and life-saving medical devices to building autonomous electric vehicles. With 3,000+ experts across North America, we partner with leading companies in aerospace, medical devices, robotics, automotive, commercial vehicles, EVs, rail, and more.

As part of the global ALTEN Group—57,000+ engineers in 30 countries—we deliver across the entire product development cycle, from consulting to full project outsourcing.

When you join ALTEN Technology USA, you’ll collaborate on some of the world’s toughest engineering challenges, supported by mentorship, career growth opportunities, and comprehensive benefits. We take pride in fostering a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and inspired to grow.

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

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or pregnancy.

Please beware of job seeker scams and see this important notice on our careers page for more information about our recruiting process.

Compliance Notice: Alten USA is a federal contractor subject to the requirements of the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA) and Executive Order 11246. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Drug Screening Requirement: As a federal contractor, Alten USA maintains a drug-free workplace. All candidates selected for employment will be required to successfully complete a pre-employment drug screening as a condition of hire.