What does a quality/reliability engineer do?
Quality training managers are business professionals who evaluate the development and growth needs of employees and their company. The managers develop, facilitate, and oversee the training programs for employees. They focus on how to translate the development for performance enhancement and productivity growth. Part of their job is to assess corporate needs and enforce plans for training and development. They understand the needs and requirements of the customers so they can develop effective processes for quality control among employees.
Quality/reliability engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real quality/reliability engineer resumes:
- Manage supplier commodities and support manufacturing operations ensuring product conformance to print specification and monitoring production processes on the line level.
- Initiate FMEA program across multiple product platforms in order to increase probability of successful product launch.
- Perform maintainability, spare parts and system safety analysis.
- Utilize statistical tools such as Weibull modeling and failure rate analysis to evaluate device reliability.
- Analyze reliability data using Weibull analyses and other statistical methods to determine early fail rates and long term reliability.
- Perform ESD/lightning strike safety analysis and participate in IPT team development of state-of-the art composite designs in a lean prototyping environment.
- Replace an inefficient restful service implementation in native C/C++ with an efficient web-service in Java and JMS messaging implementation.
- Facilitate customer NPI qualification for fastener hardware to closure.
Quality/reliability engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Quality/Reliability Engineers are proficient in Product Quality, Statistical Analysis, and Corrective Action. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Listening skills, and Math skills.
We break down the percentage of Quality/Reliability Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Product Quality, 7%
Oversee entire Quality Management and Document Control Systems ensuring top product quality and reliability for high speed IC manufacturing.
- Statistical Analysis, 6%
Inspected piece parts to ensure tight tolerances through statistical analysis and implemented this process as a continuous improvement procedure.
- Corrective Action, 5%
Conducted Material Review Analysis (MRA) - reviewed discrepant hardware, reviewed engineering dispositions, analyzed and followed-up corrective actions.
- Failure Analysis, 5%
Saved two key accounts with focused failure analysis investigations and detailed summary reports which customers were very pleased with.
- Quality Standards, 5%
Applied best practices and coordinated operation of QC Laboratories compliance to ISO 9001/ TS 16949 quality standards.
- Data Analysis, 4%
Monitored warranty data, ran data analysis, prepared reliability reports & made recommendations to improve design.
Most quality/reliability engineers use their skills in "product quality," "statistical analysis," and "corrective action" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential quality/reliability engineer responsibilities here:
Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a quality/reliability engineer to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "industrial engineers use creativity and ingenuity to design new production processes in many kinds of settings in order to reduce the use of material resources, time, or labor while accomplishing the same goal." Quality/reliability engineers often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "developed material review process and eliminated $10 million inventory constraint. "
Listening skills. Many quality/reliability engineer duties rely on listening skills. "these engineers often operate in teams, but they also must solicit feedback from customers, vendors, and production staff," so a quality/reliability engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways quality/reliability engineer responsibilities rely on listening skills: "followed up to ensure appropriate corrective actions are being implemented & communicated resolution to customers as appropriate. "
Math skills. This is an important skill for quality/reliability engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how quality/reliability engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "industrial engineers use the principles of calculus, trigonometry, and other advanced topics in mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a quality/reliability engineer: "use statistics method such as doe (design of experiment) to improve and optimize product design. ".
Problem-solving skills. For certain quality/reliability engineer responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a quality/reliability engineer rely on this skill, as "in designing facilities for manufacturing and processes for providing services, these engineers deal with several issues at once, from workers’ safety to quality assurance." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what quality/reliability engineers do: "lead q & r product launch: generate qualification plans and reports, perform data analysis and drive problem resolution. "
Speaking skills. A commonly-found skill in quality/reliability engineer job descriptions, "speaking skills" is essential to what quality/reliability engineers do. Quality/reliability engineer responsibilities rely on this skill because "industrial engineers sometimes have to explain their instructions to production staff or technicians before they can make written instructions available." You can also see how quality/reliability engineer duties rely on speaking skills in this resume example: "represented reliability/quality on cross- functional teams consisting of design engineering, marketing, technical service, production and quality engineering. "
Writing skills. Another skill commonly found on quality/reliability engineer job descriptions is "writing skills." It can come up quite often in quality/reliability engineer duties, since "industrial engineers must prepare documentation for other engineers or scientists, or for future reference." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day quality/reliability engineer responsibilities: "managed gmp compliance, fda audits, and the writing of [ ] procedures. "
The three companies that hire the most quality/reliability engineers are:
- Intel41 quality/reliability engineers jobs
- Applied Materials5 quality/reliability engineers jobs
- Micron Technology5 quality/reliability engineers jobs
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Compare different quality/reliability engineers
Quality/reliability engineer vs. Research and development engineer
Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies. Their duties vary and depend on the industries they work in. Responsibilities of these engineers include developing new technologies, designing products, and managing the projects until they are completed. Additionally, they lead the project team members to manage their schedules, design the project plans, and collaborate with key departments in developing new products.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between quality/reliability engineers and research and development engineer. For instance, quality/reliability engineer responsibilities require skills such as "corrective action," "quality standards," "product reliability," and "jmp." Whereas a research and development engineer is skilled in "python," "c #," "solidworks," and "cad." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Research and development engineers earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $107,654. On the other hand, quality/reliability engineers are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $95,764.The education levels that research and development engineers earn slightly differ from quality/reliability engineers. In particular, research and development engineers are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a quality/reliability engineer. Additionally, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Quality/reliability engineer vs. 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. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that quality/reliability engineer responsibilities requires skills like "product quality," "statistical analysis," "corrective action," and "failure analysis." But an engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #."
Engineers may earn a lower salary than quality/reliability engineers, but engineers earn the most pay in the automotive industry with an average salary of $97,672. On the other hand, quality/reliability engineers receive higher pay in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $95,764.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Engineers tend to reach lower levels of education than quality/reliability engineers. In fact, they're 5.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Quality/reliability engineer vs. Process engineer
A Process Engineer is responsible for coming up with innovative ways to process particular raw materials into different kinds of products. They can also modify various existing machines or maintain their quality by monitoring its functions and conducting tests and examinations. A Process Engineer must do numerous analyses and research to gather data that would help determine possible improvements or decisions to uphold. Furthermore, A Process Engineer also has the task of procuring and installing new equipment, collecting and interpreting data, assessing risks, and ensuring that tasks are done safely.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, quality/reliability engineers are more likely to have skills like "failure analysis," "product reliability," "jmp," and "process control." But a process engineer is more likely to have skills like "project management," "troubleshoot," "technical support," and "cad."
Process engineers earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $87,797. Quality/reliability engineers earn the highest pay from the technology industry, with an average salary of $95,764.When it comes to education, process engineers tend to earn lower degree levels compared to quality/reliability engineers. In fact, they're 6.2% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Quality/reliability engineer vs. Production engineer
A production engineer is responsible for monitoring the production operations, ensuring everyone's adherence to safety protocols, and evaluating the staff's performance, strategizing on maximizing productivity to deliver efficient results that would drive revenues and increase profitability. Production engineers inspect the reliability of production equipment and machinery, conducting preventive maintenance, and repair inconsistencies to prevent production delays. They also identify areas of improvement with the manufacturing processes and escalate best practices for improvement. A production engineer must be knowledgeable about technological advancements and incorporate ideas to minimize costs without sacrificing the quality of services.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between quality/reliability engineers and production engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a quality/reliability engineer might have more use for skills like "statistical analysis," "failure analysis," "data analysis," and "product reliability." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of production engineers require skills like "java," "tcp ip," "technical support," and "production process. "
In general, production engineers earn the most working in the technology industry, with an average salary of $111,622. The highest-paying industry for a quality/reliability engineer is the technology industry.In general, production engineers hold lower degree levels compared to quality/reliability engineers. Production engineers are 8.7% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 2.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of quality/reliability engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
