Overview Do you want to join a team that's changing the world? Do you have a strong background as a Sr. Customer Quality Engineer? Then we're looking for you! Check out the job description and apply now! Put your skills to meaningful use, gain unique experience, and work with world-class team members with diverse backgrounds and expertise who share the same vision. Join the PECNA team today! Responsibilities Sr. Customer Quality Engineer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tMgKm_71qs (by clicking this link you are being referred to an external site that is not part of Panasonic) Meet the Recruiter: Eric Laffey Summary: Join us at Panasonic Energy as we expand to De Soto, Kansas, where we're building the world's largest lithium-ion battery factory. This is an exciting opportunity to grow your career while contributing to the future of electric vehicles. As part of our team, you'll help push the limits of battery technology, enhancing performance and efficiency in sustainable transportation. Our state-of-the-art facility, just outside the Kansas City Metro, will be a hub for innovation in green energy solutions. If you're passionate about sustainability and eager to contribute to the electric vehicle revolution, we invite you to be part of our dynamic team. Join us and make a meaningful impact on the future of energy and transportation. Job Summary: The Senior Customer Quality Engineer serves as a recognized technical authority and subject matter expert in customer and product quality for lithium-ion batteries. This role operates autonomously, applying expert-level judgment to solve highly complex, ambiguous quality challenges and to influence engineering direction across major programs or business units. The Senior Engineer leads large, high-impact quality initiatives, defines testing and investigation strategies, and drives innovation in laboratory methods, product reliability, and customer quality performance. Acting as a technical leader and trusted advisor, this role collaborates extensively across functions and with external stakeholders, presents findings and recommendations to senior leadership, and shapes long-term quality strategies in support of the world's largest lithium-ion battery initiative. Essential Duties: Functional Operations: Serves as a recognized subject matter expert in lithium-ion battery testing, performance, safety, and reliability Leads large, complex laboratory, customer quality, or product investigation programs, defining technical strategy, scope, and execution approach Drives innovation in test standards, methods, acceptance criteria, and laboratory capabilities to meet evolving customer and regulatory requirements Establishes technical direction for complex testing campaigns, failure investigations, and validation efforts across multiple projects or teams Provides expert-level troubleshooting and resolution for the most challenging laboratory, product, or customer quality issues Ensures laboratory infrastructure, equipment strategy, and testing practices align with long-term business and product roadmaps Performance Optimization & Continuous Improvement: Solves highly complex or ambiguous quality and reliability problems that span products, processes, suppliers, or systems Provides strategic technical direction during root cause analysis, containment, and corrective action activities for critical customer issues Champions innovation and continuous improvement initiatives that drive step-change improvements in quality performance, defect reduction, and test efficiency Defines, prioritizes, and leads strategic improvement initiatives aligned with customer expectations and business objectives Applies advanced data analysis and statistical methodologies to guide decision-making and influence engineering and quality strategies Training & Team Support: Provides technical leadership and coaching across Customer Quality Engineer teams and related functions Serves as a mentor and escalation point for complex technical issues beyond the scope of junior and mid-level engineers Shares best practices, lessons learned, and advanced technical knowledge to elevate overall team capability and consistency Cross-Functional Collaboration & Communication: Leads cross-functional collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, quality, supply chain, and external partners to resolve critical customer quality issues Acts as a key technical interface with customers, auditors, and external stakeholders for high-impact or sensitive quality matters Presents complex technical findings, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations to senior leadership and customer representatives Influences engineering, testing, and quality direction through data-driven insights and expert technical judgment Quality, Safety, & Compliance: Owns and advances SOPs, standards, and governance related to lithium-ion battery testing, safety, and quality assurance Leads major containment actions and supports high-risk disposition decisions for nonconforming product Ensures alignment with quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949), regulatory requirements, and PECNA policies Champions a strong safety culture and ensures the highest standards of laboratory, environmental, and regulatory compliance Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Requirements: To ensure the health and safety in the workplace and for the protection of our employees, wearing PPE is a possibility and may include equipment such as a full Tyvek suit, safety shoes, gloves, safety glasses, face mask, bump cap, and a full hazmat suit that includes a respirator. The foregoing description is not intended and should not be construed to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, skills and efforts or work conditions associated with the job. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the general nature and level of the job. Qualifications Requirements - Required and/or Preferred Education, Certifications, and Licenses: Required: Bachelor's degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM), or a related field Preferred: Master's degree in Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, or a related technical field Professional Engineer (PE) licensure Six Sigma Black Belt certification Essential Qualifications: 7+ years of relevant experience, including advanced laboratory or product testing experience in a manufacturing or R&D environment Expert-level understanding of mechanical and electrical engineering principles as applied to complex product testing, failure analysis, and quality investigations Demonstrated ability to work autonomously, exercising independent technical judgment on highly complex and ambiguous quality issues Proven experience leading large, high-impact technical projects or programs affecting major products or business units Advanced capability in interpreting, analyzing, and communicating complex test data, investigations, and corrective actions to senior leadership and customers Strong verbal and written communication skills, including executive-level technical presentations Deep knowledge of quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001, IATF 16949) and applicable regulatory standards, with the ability to influence their application and evolution Ability to influence engineering and quality direction through data-driven insights and technical authority Must have working-level knowledge of the English language, including reading, writing, and speaking English Alignment to Panasonic's seven (7) core principles (contribution to society, fairness and honesty, cooperation and team spirit, untiring effort for improvement, courtesy and humility, adaptability, gratitude) Preferred Qualifications: 10+ years of laboratory, product testing, or customer quality experience Experience in high-volume lithium-ion battery manufacturing or related industries such as electronics, automotive, or energy storage Extensive hands-on experience with lithium-ion cell testing, validation, and manufacturing processes Demonstrated leadership in applying advanced quality and reliability methodologies (e.g., SPC, DOE, HALT, HASS, ORT) at a program or system level Experience serving as a primary technical interface for customers or external stakeholders on critical quality issues Experience leveraging laboratory data systems, dashboards, and advanced analytics tools to support strategic decision-making Physical Demands: Physical Activities: Percentage of time (equaling 100%) during the normal workday the employee is required to: Sit: 10% Walk: 40% Stand: 50% Required Lifting and Carrying: Rare (