Senior Quality Engineer
Job Location: Santa Clara, CA (Onsite)
Job Term: Full-Time
The Opportunity:
We are seeking an experienced Senior Quality Engineer to play a critical role in sustaining Picarro’s ISO 9001:2015-certified Quality Management System while driving measurable improvements in product quality, process performance, customer satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. This role is ideal for a hands-on quality professional who enjoys developing, implementing, and improving cross-functional processes that enable operational excellence in a high-technology manufacturing environment. Reporting to the Senior Director, Quality, the Senior Quality Engineer will collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Service, and other business functions to strengthen Picarro’s global Quality Management System and support continued business growth through disciplined execution, data-driven problem solving, and continual improvement.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own, support, and continually improve ISO 9001:2015-compliant processes required to sustain Picarro’s third-party Quality Management System certification.
- Coordinate and participate in core QMS activities, including internal audits, external audit preparation, nonconformance management, CAPA, 8D investigations, and management review support.
- Lead corrective action and continual improvement initiatives by partnering cross-functionally to identify root causes, implement effective countermeasures, and verify sustained effectiveness.
- Monitor, measure, and analyze process performance, quality trends, customer returns, field issues, and nonconformance data to identify risks and drive data-based improvement actions.
- Create, revise, and maintain quality procedures, work instructions, forms, and records to ensure compliance, usability, accuracy, and traceability.
- Collaborate with Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Service, suppliers, and other stakeholders to improve customer returns, manufacturing quality, supplier quality, incoming quality performance, and overall process capability.
- Support product and process risk management activities, including FMEA, control plans, risk assessments, and change evaluations.
- Learn Picarro’s technology, products, manufacturing processes, and customer applications to provide practical quality engineering support and drive meaningful improvement.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Minimum of 5 years of related quality engineering, quality assurance, or quality systems experience in a regulated, high-technology product manufacturing environment.
- Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Electromechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related technical discipline; Master’s degree preferred.
- Demonstrated proficiency applying quality and problem-solving tools, including Lean Manufacturing, process auditing, dFMEA/pFMEA, Control plan, Measurement System Analysis, Gage R&R, root cause analysis, Ishikawa diagrams, 5-Whys, 8D, and risk assessments.
- Working knowledge of ISO 9001:2015 requirements, internal audit practices, corrective action systems, document control, and quality records management.
- Hands-on experience supporting supplier quality activities, including supplier qualification, supplier audits, supplier corrective action requests, incoming inspection, supplier performance monitoring, and supplier-related nonconformance resolution.
- Proficiency with business and quality systems/tools such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Access, Visio, MS Project, Tableau or Power BI Data analytics, Arena, NetSuite, or equivalent platforms.
- Strong attention to detail, organizational discipline, communication skills, and problem-solving capability in a collaborative team environment.
- Ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, manage competing priorities, and drive actions to closure with a sense of urgency.
- Experience with CE marking, Directive (EU) 2015/863 (RoHS 3), WEEE Directive 2012/19/EU, REACH, CSA, or similar product compliance requirements is preferred.
Preferred Additional Qualifications:
- Experience applying advanced improvement methods such as Six Sigma, DFSS, DMAIC, Statistical Process Control, process mapping, activity value analysis, SIPOC, process capability analysis, and Design of Experiments.
- Experience with spectroscopy, laser-based optical instruments, mass spectrometry, trace gas analyzers, capital equipment, or similar high-precision technology platforms.
- ASQ certification, such as Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), Certified Quality Auditor (CQA), Six Sigma Green Belt, or Six Sigma Black Belt is preferred.
The base salary range for this full-time position is $140K to $150K. Our total compensation packages includes base salary, bonus eligibility, and equity. Your base salary range and title will be determined based on the location, experience, qualification, skills, knowledge, level, and pay of employees in similar positions.
We offer a comprehensive benefit package including:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
- Flexible Spending Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) plans
- Life, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability Insurance
- Paid Time Off and Paid Holidays
- Employee Referral Program
- 401K
- Social events (summer picnic, holiday party, team lunches, etc.)
- On-site Health & Wellness programs (fitness challenges, outdoor bootcamp, flu-shots, etc.)
About Picarro:
We are the world's leader in timely, trusted, and actionable data using enhanced optical spectroscopy. Our solutions are used in a wide variety of applications, including natural gas leak detection, ethylene oxide emissions monitoring, semiconductor fabrication, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, atmospheric science, air quality, greenhouse gas measurements, food safety, hydrology, ecology, and more. Our software and hardware are designed and manufactured in Santa Clara, California and are used in over 90 countries worldwide based on over 65 patents related to cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) technology and are unparalleled in their precision, ease of use, and reliability.
At Picarro, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, protected veteran status, gender identity, social orientation, or disability. Posted positions are not open to third-party recruiters/agencies, and unsolicited resume submissions will be considered free referrals.
At Picarro, we strive to ensure that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, have equal opportunities. If you are an individual with a disability and require reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process or are limited in the ability or unable to access or use this online application process and need an alternative method for applying, please contact Picarro, Inc. at [email protected] for assistance.