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What is a product quality engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
Quoted expert
Dr. Harvey Hoffman

The product quality engineer is accountable for overseeing system and hardware quality. He/She works with the product line to identify, prioritize, and document reliability trends to resolve quality issues. He/She supports the improvements of product reliability and customer satisfaction. Asides from that, he/she tracks product quality metrics and provides feedback to design teams on gap analysis. Furthermore, he/she identifies areas that need modifications in product quality levels. Additionally, he/she oversees reporting, testing, product failure rate, reliability estimations, and risk management throughout the product life cycle.

To become a product quality engineer, you need a bachelor's degree in a science or engineering-related field. You must have previous experience in a relevant field. You must possess analytical, communication, problem-solving, teamwork, leadership, and organization skills. Also, you must be familiar with manufacturing software. The average salary of a product quality engineer is $80,521 per year, equivalent to $38.71 an hour. This ranges between $62,000 and $104,000.

What general advice would you give to a product quality engineer?

Dr. Harvey Hoffman

Associate Dean of Engineering, Fairfield University

Graduates need to be flexible and open to taking on new projects, exploring new industries, perhaps non-traditional areas where they see growth, while building and maintaining their networking relationships. Go where the demand is for the role you seek. I hate to use a cliche, but remember that your engineering career is a journey that may take you in many directions. Be open to change.

A professional in any field must continue to learn. Your engineering degree gave you the necessary tools. You must engage in lifelong learning to increase your knowledge and improve your skills and competencies to set yourself apart.
ScoreProduct Quality EngineerUS Average
Salary
7.4

Avg. Salary $94,173

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.7
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 15.11%

Black or African American 4.24%

Hispanic or Latino 10.39%

Unknown 3.88%

White 66.22%

Gender

female 18.22%

male 81.78%

Age - 41
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41
Stress level
7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
5.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Product quality engineer career paths

Key steps to become a product quality engineer

  1. Explore product quality engineer education requirements

    Most common product quality engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    73.0 %

    Master's

    15.1 %

    Associate

    9.7 %
  2. Start to develop specific product quality engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Product Quality10.88%
    Continuous Improvement5.14%
    Sigma4.73%
    Corrective Action4.49%
    ISO4.28%
  3. Complete relevant product quality engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New product quality engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a product quality engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real product quality engineer resumes.
  4. Research product quality engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage quality requirements on current and future door trim interior programs via (APQP).
    • Manage supplier commodities and support manufacturing operations ensuring product conformance to print specification and monitoring production processes on the line level.
    • Support external FDA and UL audits as backroom support to accurately field questions.
    • Participate in annual ISO 9001 plant wide audits.
  5. Prepare your product quality engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your product quality engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a product quality engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable product quality engineer resume templates

    Build a professional product quality engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your product quality engineer resume.
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
    Product Quality Engineer Resume
  6. Apply for product quality engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a product quality engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first product quality engineer job

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Average product quality engineer salary

The average product quality engineer salary in the United States is $94,173 per year or $45 per hour. Product quality engineer salaries range between $71,000 and $124,000 per year.

Average product quality engineer salary
$94,173 Yearly
$45.28 hourly

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How do product quality engineers rate their job?

-/5

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Product quality engineer reviews

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A zippia user wrote a review on May 2021
Pros

Defined Quality test procedure validated test components and planned integration tests for leading parts manufacture for industry. • Prepares and maintained important company quality control documentations such as quality manuals quality procedure, quality standards and quality assurance • Prepared the final inspection report before the dispatched for the machining process • Resolved machining department complaints, took preventive measure to prevent future complaints and clearly, documented all feedback, Mechanical Engineer for Third Party Inspection jobs in Baroda • Typically deals with several problems of the same time

Cons

Yes


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020
Cons

very little


profile
A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2019
Cons

Undone job, when we're unable to discover certain fault on time.


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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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