The Design Quality Lead (DQL) for BCIM is responsible for driving design quality excellence from early concept through launch. This role ensures alignment to quality targets, leads APQP/PPAP readiness, manages risk, and provides cross‑functional leadership to engineering, suppliers, and program teams. The DQL Project Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring robust design execution, early issue identification, and quality convergence to meet customer and business expectations.
Key Responsibilities:
Early Engagement & Quality Target Convergence:
- Begin involvement 4 weeks before PM or upon A3Q release from CX.
- Lead quality convergence toward NA BCIM targets for Months in Service and CPV.
- Conduct Gap-to-Target assessments and identify risks requiring engineering or leadership action.
- Collaborate with Engineering and TECH teams to define enablers needed to close quality gaps.
- Train engineering teams on applying Quality Targets during the RFQ process.
Design Quality Process Initiation & Governance:
Ensure all design-related checkpoints are Green or Orange with action plans, including:
- Lessons Learned (Check Retex) review
Project Review & Leadership Communication:
- Prepare and deliver bi‑weekly project reviews with the Director.
- Develop and present materials for senior leadership reviews.
- Attend weekly PMT meetings and other cross-functional sessions as needed.
- Participate in part readiness meetings and provide design-quality input related to APQP.
APQP / PPAP Monitoring & Execution:
- Monitor APQP and PPAP progress across assigned components and suppliers.
- Initiate APQP kickoff meetings with DRE, SQE, and suppliers.
- Support and help lead technical review meetings to ensure TECH teams and DQLs understand APQP expectations and cadence.
- Provide weekly APQP status reports to the Project CVE.
- Conduct weekly APQP grid audits and escalate issues when necessary.
Level 1 Escalation Management:
- Initiate escalation notifications to the Project Lead and Quality Project Specialist; maintain the escalation report.
- Lead escalation meetings with Buyer, SQE, Supplier, DRE, SSTM, and SSTL as needed to resolve roadblocks.
Training & Capability Building:
- Deliver introductory APQP/PPAP training sessions for engineering and supplier teams.
- Host bi‑weekly APQP Process and AUROS/PLM Q&A workshops for DREs, SSTMs, SSTLs, SQEs, suppliers, and extended functional teams.
- Provide 1:1 AUROS/PLM training for DREs to ensure proper system usage and documentation quality.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quality, or a related technical field.
- A Minimum of five years of experience.
- Strong working knowledge of APQP and PPAP processes, deliverables, and timing.
- Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional meetings involving Engineering, SQE, Purchasing, Program Management, and Suppliers.
- Proven capability to present complex quality topics clearly and confidently to both technical teams and senior leadership.
- Experience driving alignment across departments and ensuring follow‑through on action plans.
- Ability to analyze quality data, identify gaps, and translate findings into actionable recommendations.
- Skilled in preparing and delivering structured updates, risk summaries, and readiness assessments.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience serving as a quality lead, APQP champion, or design quality representative in a product development environment.
- Prior responsibility for facilitating technical reviews, escalation meetings, or leadership‑level presentations.
- Strong understanding of interdepartmental workflows across Engineering, SQE, Purchasing, Manufacturing, and Program teams.
- Experience coaching or training teams on APQP/PPAP, PLM systems, or quality processes.
- Ability to influence without authority and drive alignment across global or distributed teams.
- Proficiency with PLM systems, APQP dashboards, and quality reporting tools.
- Experience preparing and presenting content for senior leadership or executive‑level reviews.
