How to hire a quality engineer/process engineer

How to hire a quality engineer/process engineer, step by step

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

What does a quality engineer/process engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The quality engineer/process engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a quality engineer/process engineer to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a quality engineer/process engineer that fits the bill.

   This list presents quality engineer/process engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Quality Engineer/Process Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Quality Engineer/Process 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.	$27-44
   Process Improvement Engineer	A process improvement engineer specializes in conducting research and analysis to develop new strategies and ideas to improve the processes in a manufacturing plant or a similar setting. They prioritize efficiency and profitability... Show more	$29-52
   Project Lead Engineer	Project lead engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for leading other professionals in completing a particular project. These engineers must develop a project management framework to be implemented throughout the organization based on the inputs from internal stakeholders and team members... Show more	$37-70

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Continuous Improvement
   • Corrective Action
   • Product Quality
   • Sigma
   • ISO
   • Process Improvement
   • R
   • FMEA
   • Lean Manufacturing
   • Quality Standards
   • Lean Six Sigma
   • Quality Procedures
   • Management System
   • Statistical Analysis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead and assist maintenance in resolving equipment malfunctions, troubleshoot process problems, and organize and implement preventative maintenance procedures.
   • Develop optimal DFMEA approach to increase effectiveness of the tool while reducing cost.
   • Design, implement and upgrade internal auditing system to demonstrate conformance to ISO and QS standards and the internal QMS.
   • Involve in writing SQL queries to generate tables from the database to test reports and do verification and validation of reports.
   • Supervise QA laboratory during managerial transition periods.
   • Participate in domestic and international new supplier audits using ISO standards.

   More quality engineer/process engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your quality engineer/process engineer job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process engineer in South Dakota may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level quality engineer/process engineer usually earns less than a senior-level quality engineer/process engineer. Additionally, a quality engineer/process 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 quality engineer/process engineer salary

   $73,226yearly

   $35.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level quality engineer/process engineer salary

   $57,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average quality engineer/process engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$95,177	$46
   2	Massachusetts	$90,111	$43
   3	Texas	$83,337	$40
   4	Connecticut	$80,615	$39
   5	Washington	$80,431	$39
   6	Maryland	$78,852	$38
   7	Colorado	$78,034	$38
   8	Nevada	$77,897	$37
   9	Arkansas	$77,108	$37
   10	Oregon	$75,623	$36
   11	Utah	$75,027	$36
   12	Michigan	$74,510	$36
   13	Minnesota	$74,148	$36
   14	Delaware	$73,832	$36
   15	Arizona	$72,839	$35
   16	Indiana	$70,109	$34
   17	Georgia	$68,007	$33
   18	Ohio	$67,539	$32
   19	Iowa	$66,761	$32
   20	New Hampshire	$66,054	$32

   Average quality engineer/process engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$105,627	$50.78	130
   2	Bayer	$103,250	$49.64	18
   3	TechnipFMC	$101,675	$48.88	1
   4	Gilead Sciences	$97,035	$46.65	65
   5	MathWorks	$94,271	$45.32
   6	Stryker	$93,923	$45.16	62
   7	Jacobs Vehicle Systems	$93,426	$44.92
   8	Juniper Networks	$90,768	$43.64
   9	Exterran Corporation HQ	$90,633	$43.57
   10	Ford Motor	$88,892	$42.74	140
   11	Kimberly-Clark	$87,453	$42.04	21
   12	John Deere	$85,946	$41.32	7
   13	National Railroad Passenger Corporation	$85,255	$40.99	2
   14	Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display)	$80,632	$38.77	49
   15	Unifrax	$80,172	$38.54
   16	Voya Financial	$80,122	$38.52	4
   17	Kaiser Aluminum	$80,003	$38.46	9
   18	Cliffs	$79,850	$38.39	16
   19	MAU Workforce Solutions	$79,848	$38.39	6
   20	Valley Packaging Industries	$79,579	$38.26

4. Writing a quality engineer/process engineer job description

   A quality engineer/process 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/process engineer job description:

   Quality engineer/process engineer job description example

   Ensure implementation and compliance of plant quality systems to required quality and manufacturing standards including customer specific standards and tools for error prevention, continuous improvement and problem solving at all stages of product realization.
   
   - Implement quality and manufacturing systems and coordinate quality plans with on-going compliance to customer requirements as determined through the Advanced Quality Planning. Must be familiar with Core Tool Strategies, such as FMEA, PPAP, MSA, and Process Control.
   
   - Ensure compliance of quality and manufacturing systems to all required standards including customer specific requirements.
   
   - Create and update inspection plans for all phases of process from incoming to final audit. Train incoming inspectors and quality engineers on inspection procedures.
   
   - Point of contact for customer complaints. Facilitates the customer complaint management and problem solving processes to ensure resolution and continual improvements at product, process, and system levels as necessary. Regular update of internal, customer and supplier complaints. Advanced skills in Problem Solving a plus.
   
   - Validate and release measurement gages for new programs in application of statistical tools. Perform Gage Repeatability and Reproducibility studies on current and new gages.
   - Coordinate and perform (as required) internal process and system audits.
   
   LANGUAGE SKILLS:
   Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common scientific and technical journals, general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from managers, employees, and customers. Ability to respond to common inquiries or complaints from customers. Ability to interact with global counterparts.
   
   MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
   Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry. Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations. Ability to apply mathematical operations to such tasks as frequency distribution, determination of test reliability and validity, analysis of variance, correlation techniques, sampling theory, and factor analysis.
   
   REASONING ABILITY:
   Ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to a wide range of intellectual and practical problems. Ability to deal with nonverbal symbolism (formulas, scientific equations, graphs etc.,) in its most difficult phases. Ability to define problems collects data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
   
   Benefits include:
   10 Paid Holidays; eligible for on first day!
   Vacation and Personal Time
   Medical, Dental, Vision
   401K plan with company match
   Company provided life insurance, with optional supplemental life insurance
   Short term and long term disability
   
   PTI Engineered Plastics provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find quality engineer/process engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any quality engineer/process engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level quality engineer/process engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

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

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit quality engineer/process 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 to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to 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/process engineer

   Once you've decided on a perfect quality engineer/process engineer candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your 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.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new quality engineer/process engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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