Who We Are:
At Winston Industries, we design and manufacture innovative commercial foodservice equipment trusted by some of the world's largest restaurant brands. For more than 60 years, we've built our reputation by combining engineering excellence, manufacturing expertise, and a culture that values collaboration, continuous improvement, and doing the right thing for our customers.
We believe quality is everyone's responsibility, not just something that's inspected at the end of the production line. Our Quality team works side-by-side with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Service to improve processes, solve problems, and ensure every product leaving our facility reflects the Winston standard.
If you're energized by solving problems, improving processes, and making a measurable impact, you'll find an opportunity to grow and make a difference at Winston.
Summary:
The Quality Engineer is responsible for improving manufacturing quality through data-driven problem solving, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and continuous improvement initiatives.
This position partners closely with Manufacturing, Engineering, Supply Chain, and Service to improve first-pass yield, reduce defects, strengthen manufacturing processes, and support new product introductions.
In addition to leading quality improvement initiatives, the Quality Engineer provides daily leadership and direction to the Quality Inspection team, ensuring inspection activities effectively support manufacturing while maintaining Winston's quality standards.
This is a highly collaborative role requiring a strong technical foundation, a hands-on approach, and a passion for building sustainable processes rather than simply reacting to problems.
Basically, Engineer Quality Into Everything We Do!
Why You'll Love This Role
This isn't a traditional Quality Engineer position where success is measured by the number of defects you find.
Success is measured by the defects that never happen.
You'll spend less time behind a desk and more time partnering with Manufacturing and Engineering to improve processes, solve challenging problems, and make a visible impact on the products we build every day.
If you enjoy digging into root causes, collaborating with great people, and leaving systems better than you found them, you'll thrive at Winston.
Key Qualifications:
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering related technical discipline or equivalent experience.
- 3+ years of quality or manufacturing engineering experience.
- Experience with structured problem-solving and root cause analysis.
- Strong analytical and organizational skills.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
- Ability to influence cross-functional teams.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office.
Preferred
- Lean Manufacturing experience.
- Experience with CAPA systems.
- ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) or willingness to pursue certification.
- Experience supporting New Product Introduction.
- ERP experience (Epicor preferred).
- Knowledge of statistical process control and quality metrics.
Responsibilities:
Drive Manufacturing Quality
- Champion manufacturing quality across all Winston product lines.
- Analyze production data to identify trends and prioritize improvement opportunities.
- Lead structured root cause investigations using tools such as 5 Why, Fishbone, Pareto Analysis, and Process Mapping.
- Reduce recurring manufacturing defects through permanent corrective actions.
- Improve First Pass Yield (FPY) through collaboration with Manufacturing and Engineering.
- Provide daily quality support to production teams.
Lead Corrective & Preventive Actions (CAPA)
- Own Winston's CAPA process from initiation through effectiveness verification.
- Facilitate cross-functional CAPA meetings.
- Drive accountability for corrective actions across departments.
- Verify implemented improvements eliminate root causes.
- Communicate quality trends and improvement progress to leadership.
Improve Manufacturing Processes
- Lead small- to medium-scale continuous improvement initiatives.
- Develop and improve inspection methods, quality documentation, and standardized work.
- Identify opportunities to reduce waste, improve consistency, and simplify manufacturing processes.
- Participate in Lean events and process improvement activities.
Lead the Inspection Team
- Provide daily direction and leadership to the Quality Inspectors.
- Prioritize incoming, in-process, and final inspection activities.
- Coach and develop inspectors to improve technical knowledge and consistency.
- Ensure inspection procedures remain standardized and effective.
- Balance inspection resources to support production needs.
Support Supplier & Incoming Quality
- Investigate supplier-related quality issues.
- Support supplier corrective actions.
- Collaborate with Purchasing and Engineering to improve supplier performance.
- Assist with incoming inspection standards.
Support New Product Introduction (NPI)
- Partner with Engineering during new product launches.
- Develop inspection plans for new products.
- Participate in manufacturing validation activities.
- Ensure manufacturing readiness from a quality perspective.
Leadership Competencies
The successful candidate demonstrates:
- Ownership and accountability.
- Technical curiosity.
- Continuous improvement mindset.
- Strong analytical thinking.
- Data-driven decision making.
- Collaborative leadership.
- High attention to detail.
- Ability to influence without direct authority.
- Hands-on engagement with manufacturing teams.
What the culture is like at Winston:
- we recognize that profits are a necessity for any business, we do not make decisions based on just increasing the bottom line. We are genuine in our appreciation for each team member’s contribution and look to make Winston a better place to work every day. With us prioritizing our culture, we love to grow from within, but still understand the need to continue to gain knowledge from outside. We are far from perfect, but we focus daily on our vision of wanting to “make money and have fun doing it.”
What are the unique demands:
Physical Demands:
- ??Varied Work: Mostly Sedentary with frequent sitting, walking, and/or standing. Occasional requirement to lift/carry up to 50# or to push, pull or otherwise move finished products >100#. ?
Travel:
- ??Limited Travel: Less than 25% Domestic and/or International (all transportation types required)?