Senior APQP Engineer

Description

Position Summary: The Senior APQP Engineer is a key quality architect for new product development and introduction, ensuring risk mitigation and long-term quality sustainability. Key Highlights: 1. Responsible for the entire APQP process cycle and quality governance. 2. Facilitates DFMEA and PFMEA sessions for technical risk mitigation. 3. Leads process and product validation, including metrology and capability. **POSITION OBJECTIVE:** ======================== The Senior APQP Engineer serves as the principal quality architect for New Product Development (NPD) and New Product Introduction (NPI). They are responsible for ensuring that design and manufacturing risks are identified, assessed, mitigated, and appropriately linked to production controls prior to market launch. This role functions as the technical quality guardian, bridging Design Engineering with Manufacturing Operations to protect brand reputation and ensure sustainable long-term quality costs. **PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:** ========================== **Quality Governance and Program Oversight:** ----------------------------------------------------- * ### **Responsible for the full APQP process cycle, establishing reliability objectives such as target PPM or scrap reduction, and closely tracking project deliverables aligned with NPI launch milestones.** * ### **Exercises formal authority for “Stop\-Ship” and “Gate\-Hold”, halting phase transitions or launches when quality validation or risk mitigation is insufficient.** * ### **Presents data-driven and evidence-based “Go/No\-Go” recommendations to senior leadership, ensuring no advancement occurs unless controls, verifications, and results demonstrate genuine readiness.** **Technical Risk Linkage:** ----------------------------------- * **Facilitates cross-functional DFMEA (Design) and PFMEA (Manufacturing) sessions to ensure proper identification, assessment, and mitigation of risks.** --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * **Ensures traceability (“line of sight”) between highest-severity risks, Special Characteristics definition, and integration of those risks into Production Control Plans.** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * **Audits weak risk assessments, challenges inadequate assumptions, and requires corrective actions before authorizing transition to the next project phase.** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- **Process and Product Validation:** * ### **Metrology (MSA): Leads all measurement instrument and test equipment evaluations, ensuring a 10:1 resolution ratio via Gage R\&R studies and metrological reliability verifications.** * ### **Capability (SPC): Leads significant production runs to evaluate process stability and Cpk/Ppk levels prior to volume production approval.** * ### **Validation: Coordinates comprehensive verification of new electromechanical assemblies, new technologies, and new manufacturing processes, comparing results against engineering specifications, drawings, tolerances, and product functional requirements.** **Technical Risk Linkage:** * ### **Develops and maintains “living” Control Plans, continuously updated throughout Prototype, Pre\-Launch, and Production phases.** * ### **Oversees creation, delivery, updating, and approval of PPAP packages, ensuring the process can meet quoted volumes and 100% of established quality requirements.** * ### **Integrates Lessons Learned from field failures, recurring issues, or historical deviations into new designs or processes to prevent recurrence.** **Technical Risk Linkage:** * ### **Manages the entire APQP documentation structure (including SharePoint), standardized templates, formats, and internal requirements.** * ### **Collaborates closely with Supplier Quality team to ensure components, materials, and subassemblies meet internal launch-readiness standards, preventing supply chain–originated quality risks.** ### ***This is not an exhaustive list of all job responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned as required by business needs*** **MINIMUM POSITION REQUIREMENTS:** ================================== **EDUCATION** ------------- ### **Completed degree in Mechanical, Manufacturing, or Industrial Engineering.** **EXPERIENCE** --------------- ### **Minimum 5 years of verifiable experience in automotive or high-complexity manufacturing, applying APQP/NPI methodologies.** **KNOWLEDGE** ----------------- * ### **APQP and Core Tools: DFMEA, PFMEA, MSA, SPC, Control Plans, and PPAP.** * ### **MSA and Gage R\&R studies.** * ### **Process capability metrics (Cpk / Ppk).** * ### **Validation of processes and electromechanical assemblies.** * ### **Use of SharePoint, Minitab, or other statistical tools (SPC, Pareto, 8D, DMAIC, 5 Whys).** * ### **Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement methodologies.** * ### **Advanced Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook).** **CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES** ------------------------------ Green Belt/Black Belt or ASQ/CQE certification (Desirable) **WORK COMPETENCIES** -------------------------- * ### **Demonstrates preventive, risk-based thinking—anticipating problems and acting before they impact quality or processes.** * ### **Exerts influence without authority through strong facilitation skills, guiding teams and achieving consensus even without direct command.** * ### **Collaborates cross-functionally with Product and Manufacturing Engineering, integrating technical perspectives to strengthen decisions.** * ### **Maintains systems thinking focused on the entire product lifecycle, understanding interactions among design, manufacturing, and end use.** * ### **Disciplined application of root cause analysis and process signal interpretation to ensure sustainable improvements.** **LANGUAGE SKILL** ------------------------- * ### **Verbal and written fluency in English and Spanish for international collaboration.** * ### **Ability to interpret technical documents such as drawings, instructions, operating manuals, and procedures.** **PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT:** --------------------------------------------- * ### **Ability to stand for extended periods during audits or production floor inspections.** * ### **Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) as required by assigned area.** * ### **Work in an industrial environment with exposure to moderate noise, machinery, and diverse materials.** * ### **Availability to frequently move between production, quality, and warehouse areas.** **Company: Watkins Wellness** ----------------------------- WATMX Mon\-Fri 06:00\_16:00 (Mexico) Full time*Watkins (the “Company”) is an equal opportunity employer and* *we* *strive to employ the most qualified individuals for every position**.* *The Company makes employment decisions only based on merit. It is the Company’s policy to prohibit discrimination in any employment opportunity (including but not limited to recruitment, employment, promotion, salary increases, benefits, termination and all other terms and conditions of employment) based on race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, pregnancy, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical/mental disability, medical condition, marital/domestic partner status, military and veteran status, height, weight or any other such characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. The Company is committed to complying with all applicable laws providing equal employment opportunities. This commitment applies to all people involved in the operations of the Company regardless of where the employee is located and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee of the Company.* *Watkins* *is an E\-Verify employer. E\-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that allows participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees in the United States. Please click on the following links for more information.* *E\-Verify Participation Poster:*English \& Spanish *E\-Verify Right to Work Poster:*English \& Spanish