How to hire a product quality engineer

How to hire a product quality engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step product quality engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a product quality engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new product quality engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a product quality engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the product quality engineer you need to hire. Certain product quality engineer roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A product quality engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, product quality engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of product quality engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Product Quality Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Product Quality Engineer	Industrial engineers find ways to eliminate wastefulness in production processes. They devise efficient systems that integrate workers, machines, materials, information, and energy to make a product or provide a service.	$34-59
   Engineer	Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects... Show more	$31-62
   Quality Lead	A quality assurance (QA) lead is responsible for organizing and managing the testing of products prior to its release. Your duties will include defining testing standards and strategies, establishing formal QA processes, and overseeing all aspects of QA, such as using best practices and establishing metrics... Show more	$30-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Product Quality
   • Continuous Improvement
   • Sigma
   • Corrective Action
   • ISO
   • Data Analysis
   • Supplier Quality
   • FMEA
   • CAPA
   • Product Development
   • Failure Analysis
   • Quality Issues
   • Process Control
   • Pareto Analysis

   Check all skills

   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.
   • Provide technical assistance and training to QA colleagues.
   • Implement a myriad of data collection systems for key product SPC and critical environmental variables.

   More product quality engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your product quality engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A product quality engineer salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a product quality engineer in Ohio may be lower than in California, and an entry-level product quality engineer usually earns less than a senior-level product quality engineer. Additionally, a product quality engineer with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average product quality engineer salary

   $94,173yearly

   $45.28 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level product quality engineer salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average product quality engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$140,263	$67
   2	Washington	$108,389	$52
   3	Texas	$95,996	$46
   4	Massachusetts	$94,186	$45
   5	Maryland	$89,370	$43
   6	Delaware	$89,366	$43
   7	Minnesota	$88,375	$42
   8	Michigan	$86,873	$42
   9	North Carolina	$83,850	$40
   10	Illinois	$83,683	$40
   11	New York	$83,274	$40
   12	Kansas	$78,545	$38
   13	Indiana	$77,786	$37
   14	Ohio	$76,701	$37
   15	Florida	$76,073	$37
   16	Wisconsin	$73,631	$35
   17	Pennsylvania	$72,489	$35

   Average product quality engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$145,843	$70.12	913
   2	Apple	$134,928	$64.87	194
   3	Upstart Network	$134,814	$64.81
   4	Google	$133,438	$64.15	73
   5	Microsoft	$118,821	$57.13	51
   6	Joby Aviation	$117,729	$56.60	33
   7	NVIDIA	$117,533	$56.51	27
   8	Amazon	$116,949	$56.23	371
   9	Palantir	$110,933	$53.33	12
   10	Texas Instruments	$109,170	$52.49	48
   11	Logitech	$108,489	$52.16
   12	Juniper Networks	$106,879	$51.38
   13	Varian Medical Systems	$106,624	$51.26
   14	Belkin	$106,599	$51.25
   15	NetApp	$104,746	$50.36	7
   16	Amd	$103,652	$49.83	50
   17	Edwards Lifesciences	$103,317	$49.67	12
   18	Best Buy	$102,569	$49.31	7
   19	Vicor	$100,356	$48.25	3
   20	MathWorks	$99,924	$48.04

4. Writing a product quality engineer job description

   A product quality engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a product quality engineer job description:

   Product quality engineer job description example

   Product Quality Engineer
   
   We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated individual to take on the challenging role of Product Quality Engineer for our growing silicon carbide Power and RF businesses. This person will be responsible for driving improvement in customer satisfaction by aligning the needs of the customer with continuous improvement actions taken in the fabs. This position will interact directly with business quality teams as well as fab engineering teams to identify and drive necessary actions.
   
   This position reports to the Manufacturing Quality Engineering Manager and is based in Durham, NC.
   
   What Wolfspeed can do for you:
   Work in a fast-paced environment and lead the next revolution in Power electronic and RF devices.Optimize your potential in a high visibility company with great opportunities for career development and progression.Work on industry leading technology in a rapidly growing semiconductor products company.Make a difference at a company committed to making the world a better place with its productions and green business practices.
   
   What you can do for Wolfspeed:
   Manage and drive timely closure of customers' issues by collaborating with business teams, factories, and other support teams.Lead and support quality management activities such as audits, RMA responses, and problem-solving feedback to customers.Work with the internal technical organizations and teams to ensure high quality products are achieved and that customer expectations are met.Drive quality improvements to meet all customer expectations regarding PPM of product shipped, quality of corrective action reports, and cycle time of customer requests.Develop and maintain excellent working relationships with business as well as fab engineering teams.Direct, manage and coordinate activities of cross-functional engineering to respond to customer quality issues.Receive assignments in the form of broad objectives and translate into detailed action plans to meet objectives.
   
   What you need for success:
   BS in Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or related degree.Minimum 5 years' experience, preferably with a focus on semiconductor engineering and quality.Knowledge in quality systems and semiconductor wafer fabrication.Good understanding of the global automotive business, customer requirements, and end user behavior.The ability to operate in a fast pace, highly dynamic environment, at a detailed execution level, as well as on a tactical / strategic level.Excellent communication and project management skills.Demonstrated capability of interacting with senior leaders through the organization.Ability to work in large, complex, global environment.
   Highly Preferred Skills or Certifications
   Excellent organization, presentation and writing skills Ability to manage multiple projects and maintain critical deadlines while utilizing meticulous attention to detail.Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously with changing priorities.Goal oriented with a strong sense of urgency and accountability.Ability to work autonomously with minimal direction.Self-motivated and results driven.Ability to analyze data/feedback and provide insights to continually improve processes.
   
   We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right product quality engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with product quality engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit product quality engineers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your product quality engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit product quality engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit product quality engineers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new product quality engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the product quality engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new product quality engineer. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a product quality engineer?