How to hire a Quality Engineer

How to hire a quality engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step 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 quality engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new quality engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Quality Engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your quality engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a quality engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

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

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   A quality engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of quality engineers.

   Type Of Quality Engineer	Description	Hourly Rate
   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.	$29-49
   Auditor/Quality	A quality auditor is responsible for inspecting the company's services and products, ensuring its adherence to business requirements and internal regulations. Quality auditors analyze the efficiency of operational functions and production processes to maintain high-quality deliverables with the utmost consideration for the safety and security of the production staff... Show More	$11-24
   Product Development Engineer	A Product Development Engineer is responsible for creating and testing new product designs. They collaborate with market researchers to evaluate market needs, existing competition, and potential costs.	$30-54

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Corrective Action
   • Continuous Improvement
   • ISO
   • Quality Standards
   • Sigma
   • Product Quality
   • Quality Issues
   • Quality System
   • Process Control
   • Supplier Quality
   • Management System
   • SPC
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • FMEA

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead internal and customer 8D iniatives using the 6-Sigma DMAIC approach to problem solving.
   • Manage and develop QA lab personnel, ensuring reliable food safety and manufacturing quality support.
   • Give guidance to Apple/Asian SQE's and supplier QA, insuring that all quality requirements are being addressed and achieve.
   • Lead interdisciplinary teams in addressing and resolving problems utilizing Kaizen event , 8D, and 5-why to arrive at root cause.
   • Lead project to develop and implement quality and environmental management systems to achieve & maintain ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certification.
   • Manage aerospace resolver manufacturing transfer from out-of-state acquisition.

   More Quality Engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your quality engineer job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A quality engineer salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, quality engineers' average salary in mississippi is 35% less than in washington.
   • Seniority. Entry-level quality engineers earn 41% less than senior-level quality engineers.
   • Certifications. A quality engineer with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a quality engineer's salary.

   Average quality engineer salary

   $79,672yearly

   $38.30 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality engineer salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 14, 2025

   Average quality engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$101,387	$49
   2	Washington	$97,079	$47
   3	Massachusetts	$91,917	$44
   4	New York	$80,847	$39
   5	Arizona	$80,424	$39
   6	Texas	$77,911	$37
   7	Michigan	$77,646	$37
   8	Minnesota	$77,642	$37
   9	Arkansas	$74,580	$36
   10	Illinois	$74,524	$36
   11	Ohio	$72,804	$35
   12	Utah	$71,141	$34
   13	North Carolina	$70,584	$34
   14	Georgia	$68,818	$33
   15	Tennessee	$67,634	$33
   16	Indiana	$63,717	$31
   17	Mississippi	$62,956	$30

   Average quality engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Meta	$140,420	$67.51	167
   2	Google	$127,291	$61.20	27
   3	Apple	$123,471	$59.36	451
   4	Practice Fusion	$120,109	$57.74
   5	PayPal	$118,837	$57.13	5
   6	Lyft	$118,261	$56.86	2
   7	Okta	$118,071	$56.76	1
   8	Microsoft	$117,908	$56.69	58
   9	NVIDIA	$116,679	$56.10	75
   10	First Republic Bank	$116,283	$55.91
   11	Vista Equity Partners	$115,663	$55.61	4
   12	Chewy	$115,200	$55.38	1
   13	Costco Wholesale	$115,165	$55.37	8
   14	Zoox	$114,302	$54.95	12
   15	Cisco	$113,120	$54.38	25
   16	Zendesk	$112,798	$54.23
   17	Salesforce	$112,670	$54.17	3
   18	GoPro	$112,568	$54.12	1
   19	Workday	$111,353	$53.54	2
   20	Adobe	$111,056	$53.39	7

4. Writing a Quality Engineer Job Description

   A 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 quality engineer job description:

   Quality Engineer job description example

   Danbury,CT
   
   Amphenol RF is a global leader which designs, manufacturers and markets interconnect solutions worldwide. Our complete range of interconnect solutions are used in the Automotive, Broadband, Wireless LAN/RFID, Wireless Infrastructure, Military, Aerospace, and Instrumentation markets. Our solutions range from connectors to cable assemblies to passive RF components, such as attenuators and RF switches. Our facilities are located in the Americas, Asia and Europe. Through aggressive leadership, product innovation, manufacturing, distribution and technical support we are penetrating new markets and creating new innovative technologies.
   
   We believe Amphenol RF is unique in that every employee, regardless of his or her position, has the ability to positively impact our business. We are currently seeking a Quality Engineer to join our growing team.
   
   Quality Engineer:
   
   Responsible for development, implementation and facilitation of quality improvement activities and systems related to component, product and customer satisfaction goals related to automotive and RF product lines. Interfaces with customers and all internal resources to manage and facilitate high reliability quality systems and continuous quality improvement systems. Works with suppliers, sales/marketing and all necessary departments to achieve customer and strategic internal driven goals. Facilitates PPAP requirements and zero defect programs for automotive and required RF product lines. Through use of systemic root cause techniques, maximizes quality improvement actions related to quality problem resolution.
   
   DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
   
   • Develops, implements and manages quality control/assurance systems to achieve continuous improvement goals
   
   Establish zero defect quality systems related to Amphenol RF manufacturing requirements
   
   Uses corrective action system, supplier management techniques & manufacturing capability studies in problem resolutions.
   
   Project Manage PPAP automotive approvals in a timely and customer complete manner.
   
   Develops and evaluates metrics to monitor key processes to assure customer satisfaction goals are maintained.
   
   Recommends and project manages, management approved preventative projects related to customer satisfaction activities.
   
   Uses root cause systemic corrective action processes to maximize results to customer satisfaction
   
   Extensive exp. in Quality Assurance and New Product Development
   
   May require International travel 20-30%.
   
   EDUCATION REQUIRED:
   
   B.S.engineering discipline or equivalent, plus 5-10 years exp. manufacturing/ quality control/assurance/engineering. Strong communication and analytical skills required.
   
   Amphenol RF is an Equal Opportunity Employer/ Affirmative Action Employer M/F/D/V
   
   Job Ref: 2003

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right quality engineer for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with quality engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   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 quality engineer

   Once you've selected the best quality engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing 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 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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