Description About ACME Industries MFG, Inc. ACME Industries MFG, Inc. is a 75+ year precision CNC contract manufacturer headquartered in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. We operate two production facilities - Pratt Boulevard and Chase Avenue - machining large, complex castings and forgings for customers in aerospace, defense, power generation, rail, and industrial markets. Quality is not a department that inspects finished parts. At ACME, quality engineering is embedded in how programs are planned, how processes are controlled, how nonconformances are resolved, and how ACME maintains its AS9100:D registration and satisfies the compliance expectations of some of the most demanding customers in the aerospace and defense supply chain. ACME is also ITAR registered and is actively pursuing CMMC Level 2 certification - a growing requirement among our defense customer base. Why This Role Exists ACME is growing - in revenue, in customer count, in program complexity, and in the compliance requirements that come with serving aerospace and defense programs. The Quality team is expanding to match that growth. This Quality Engineer seat is a hands-on technical role responsible for advanced quality planning, customer program quality, inspection oversight, supplier quality support, and continuous improvement - across two production facilities and a specialized mix of precision-machined, large-format parts. Position Summary The Quality Engineer is responsible for leading quality assurance activities across assigned customers, programs, and production processes at ACME's two precision CNC facilities. This role owns customer PPM performance, first article and PPAP submittals, control plan and FMEA development, internal inspection oversight, AS9100:D and ISO 9001:2015 compliance, and the structured problem-solving that drives measurable quality improvement. The right person for this role knows GD&T as fluently as they know 8D. They can run a CMM program, write a control plan, lead a PPAP, and walk the shop floor to identify the process conditions that cause variation - before that variation turns into a customer escape. They are comfortable interfacing directly with customers on quality matters and with suppliers on corrective actions, and they bring the discipline of AS9100 into daily work rather than treating it as an audit exercise.
Key Responsibilities
Metrology & Inspection Systems
- CMM Operation & Programming: Operate and program coordinate measuring machines (CMM) using PC-DMIS or equivalent; develop and maintain inspection routines for complex precision-machined parts.
- GD&T & Drawing Interpretation: Interpret engineering drawings and apply ASME Y14.5 geometric dimensioning and tolerancing standards in developing inspection plans, programming CMM routines, and evaluating dimensional compliance.
- Surface Finish & Dimensional Inspection: Develop and execute inspection plans for critical surface finish, form, and dimensional characteristics; select and apply appropriate measurement instruments and methods.
- Gage Calibration Oversight: Support calibration program requirements for measurement equipment used on assigned programs; review calibration records and flag out-of-tolerance or out-of-date instruments.
- Inspection Record Management: Ensure dimensional inspection reports, certificates of conformity, and first article records are complete, accurate, and retained per AS9100:D and customer-specific requirements.
Advanced Quality Planning
- APQP Coordination: Lead Advanced Product Quality Planning activities for new programs and significant production changes - coordinating quality planning activities across Engineering, Value Stream, and Production to establish control plans, FMEAs, and inspection criteria before first production.
- Control Plan Development: Develop and maintain control plans that define critical and significant product and process characteristics, measurement methods, sample sizes, reaction plans, and records requirements for assigned programs.
- FMEA Development: Develop and maintain process FMEAs to identify failure modes, assess severity and occurrence risk, and establish detection controls and prevention actions for critical manufacturing operations.
- PPAP & First Article Submittals: Lead all phases of PPAP preparation and first article inspection for new programs and customer-required submittals; compile complete submission packages per customer-specific requirements.
- NPI Quality Support: Provide quality engineering support during new product introduction - reviewing drawings and process plans, developing inspection routines, participating in design and process reviews, and ensuring quality requirements are established before production release.
Quality System Compliance
- AS9100:D & ISO 9001:2015 Compliance: Support ACME's Quality Management System compliance across assigned programs and processes - ensuring documented procedures are followed, records are maintained, and nonconformances are addressed per QMS requirements.
- Internal Audit Support: Participate in internal quality audits as an auditor or auditee; support preparation for third-party registrar audits and customer source inspections.
- Work Instruction Development: Develop and revise quality-related work instructions, inspection procedures, and operating procedures to reflect current best practices and QMS requirements.
- SPC & Process Capability: Implement and maintain statistical process control (SPC) for critical-to-quality features; evaluate process capability (Cp/Cpk) and work with Production to improve out-of-capable processes.
- ITAR & Compliance Awareness: Operate in accordance with ACME's ITAR compliance requirements; handle controlled technical data in compliance with applicable export control regulations.
Process Improvement & Problem Solving
- 8D & Structured Problem Solving: Lead 8D investigations on internal nonconformances, customer complaints, and quality escapes - driving team-based root cause analysis, containment actions, permanent corrective actions, and verified closure.
- Root Cause Analysis Tools: Apply 5-Why, Ishikawa (fishbone), Is/Is Not, and process mapping techniques to identify and eliminate the root causes of quality failures; document findings and preventive actions.
- Scrap & Rework Reduction: Analyze internal scrap and rework data to identify top defect contributors; prioritize and lead process improvement projects targeting the highest-cost quality problems.
- Continuous Improvement Participation: Participate in quality-focused continuous improvement activities using lean and Six Sigma methodologies; support the development of a data-driven quality culture on the shop floor.
Customer & Supplier Interface
- Customer Quality Communication: Serve as ACME's quality point of contact for assigned customers - responding to customer quality inquiries, corrective action requests, and source inspection activity; communicate proactively on nonconformances and corrective action status.
- Customer PPM Performance: Track and manage customer parts-per-million defect performance for assigned programs; identify trends, investigate escapes, and implement corrective actions to maintain and improve customer PPM standing.
- Supplier Quality Support: Partner with the Supplier Development Engineer and the buying team on supplier-related quality issues - supporting supplier corrective action requests (SCARs), incoming inspection for critical materials, and supplier audit activities.
- Incoming Material Inspection: Oversee or perform incoming inspection of purchased materials and components against applicable specifications; verify certifications, material test reports, and conformance documentation.
- Raw Material & Special Process Compliance: Verify compliance of incoming raw materials and outside process certifications (heat treat, coatings, NDT) against applicable AMS, ASTM, MIL, and customer-specific requirements.
Requirements
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- 3–5+ years of quality engineering experience in precision machining, aerospace, or defense manufacturing
- Hands-on CMM experience - operation, programming, and inspection plan development (PC-DMIS or equivalent)
- Strong command of GD&T and ASME Y14.5 - ability to interpret complex engineering drawings and apply them in inspection and quality planning
- Experience developing control plans, FMEAs, and leading PPAP submittals
- Working knowledge of AS9100:D or ISO 9001:2015 quality management systems - audit experience (internal auditor or auditee)
- Experience with SPC tools, Cp/Cpk analysis, and applied statistical quality methods
- Demonstrated 8D or structured problem-solving experience - root cause to verified closure
- Strong communication skills - able to interface directly with customers and write clear corrective action reports
Strongly Preferred
- Six Sigma Green Belt or active pursuit
- Minitab or equivalent statistical software proficiency
- Experience with Nadcap special process suppliers or oversight of special process certifications (NDT, heat treat, coatings)
- Familiarity with M2M or similar manufacturing ERP for quality record management and MRB processing
- APQP experience - new program launches, NPI quality planning, first article coordination
- Understanding of ITAR, DFARS, and export control requirements in a defense manufacturing environment
- Awareness of CMMC Level 2 requirements and CUI handling obligations in a defense supply chain context
Character Traits ACME Hires For
- Technically grounded - walks the floor, knows the processes, earns respect from machinists and inspectors
- Customer-accountable - takes customer PPM personally and drives investigations to actual root cause
- Detail-oriented - documentation is complete, accurate, and on time, not an afterthought
- Process-minded - sees quality as something built into the process, not inspected in at the end
- Collaborative - works across Quality, Production, Engineering, and Value Stream without friction