About the role
Tandem Metal Products is a family-owned precision sheet-metal shop serving defense, aerospace, space/satellite, nuclear, telecom, and medical customers. We're ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100 Rev D certified, ITAR-registered, and NQA-1 audited.
We're hiring a hands-on Quality Engineer to own quality on the floor.
This is a hands-on quality role, not a desk job. You won't manage a team, you'll manage the quality process: your own time, the inspections, the documentation, and the standard of what gets shipped. Most of your day is on the shop floor with inspection tools, checking parts at the machine or in the warehouse, reading drawings, and making the call that protects the customer from nonconforming work. Last year we ran 99.9% first-pass yield; you'd own keeping that bar.
What you'll do
Roughly 80% hands-on inspection, 20% documentation. You'll be on your feet most of the day, and you'll inspect large parts where they sit rather than at a bench.
- First-piece, in-process, final, receiving, and dimensional inspection
- Use calipers, micrometers, thread/plug/pin gauges, height gauges, and other inspection tools
- Read and interpret mechanical drawings, specs, tolerances, and customer requirements
- Generate First Article Inspection (FAI) reports
- Maintain the ISO 9001 / AS9100 system: CAPA, NCR, RMA, document control, work instructions, audits, change control
- Triage quality issues in a busy small-shop environment
- Catch problems early, before they become rework, rejection, or a customer issue
- Hold the spec, even when a part is due and someone wants to push it through
The attitude that succeeds here
You'll likely thrive if you:
- Take pride in hands-on inspection work
- Like solving messy, real-world shop problems
- Can prioritize when several people need answers at once
- Are firm but professional when a part doesn't meet spec
- Can learn how a small shop works without needing an SOP for every situation
- Want to deepen your QA/inspection craft rather than move into people management
- Are coachable, curious, and willing to learn Tandem's way of doing things
It is probably not the right fit if you want a quiet desk job, prefer managing people over inspecting parts, or are uncomfortable making clear quality calls on the floor.
Required experience
No engineering degree required, we hire on demonstrated, hands-on experience. A degree is welcome but not necessary.
- Direct, hands-on experience running or maintaining an ISO 9001 and/or AS9100 quality system and its documentation
- Hands-on inspection with calipers, micrometers, thread/plug/pin gauges, height gauges, and similar tools
- Read mechanical drawings and interpret tolerances/specifications
- Strong math, including practical shop math and trigonometry
- Solid Excel and general computer skills
- Precision sheet-metal, machine-shop, aerospace, defense, or similar manufacturing background
- Can prioritize competing quality needs without freezing
- Can lift ~30 lbs and work on the shop floor
Preferred experience
- CMM experience, especially CMM programming
- Keyence Wide Area CMM experience
- Internal or lead auditor certification (ISO 9001 / AS9100)
- Owned a quality system end to end
- Defense, aerospace, space, medical, nuclear, or high-spec manufacturing experience
Growth opportunity
We have a Keyence Wide Area CMM that is underused today. Someone who can help us fully use and program it will have a major impact on the company. We also pay for training and certifications for people who follow through and want to keep growing.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision: 90% paid for the employee, 50% for family
- Company-paid training and certifications
- PTO: 5 sick days front-loaded January 2; 5 vacation days year one, 10 thereafter
- Paid holidays (we close between Christmas and New Year's; cover it with accrued vacation)
- 401(k) with company match anticipated
- Small, family-owned shop: BBQs, potlucks, and a company Christmas party
How to apply
Apply with your resume and answer the application questions honestly. We are especially interested in your direct ISO 9001 / AS9100 experience, the inspection tools you personally use, your CMM experience (especially whether you have programmed one), and why you want a hands-on QA role in a small precision shop.
Tandem Metal Products, Inc. Your product, our passion, on time.
Pay: $38.50 - $48.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- This role is about 80% hands-on floor inspection: on your feet with calipers, ~30 lb lifts, shop heat, not a desk job. Are you applying because you want that hands-on work?
- What is your experience with a CMM: none, run existing programs, edit programs, or program from scratch? Which measurement tools do you use without help?
- Why do you want a hands-on QA role at a small precision shop over a QA job at a larger company?
Experience:
- ISO 9001 / AS9100 quality system: 2 years (Required)
- Quality inspection: 3 years (Required)
Work Location: In person
